The first thing is don’t rush. In those first weeks, the house mostly needs to be secured and kept standing. Lock it up, keep the utilities on if you can, and take photos of every room before anything gets moved or divided. If there’s mail piling up, have it forwarded or collected. Check on the insurance policy early, because some carriers want to know the home is vacant, and vacancy coverage can differ from a normal homeowner policy. That’s a call to the insurer, not something to guess at.

Get the paperwork in order before you make any decisions. You’ll need the death certificate for a lot of this, and the county recorder and assessor are where property records live. Whether the home goes through probate depends on how title was held and whether there’s a trust. That’s a lawyer question, full stop. A local estate attorney in Sacramento can tell you what applies to your situation. Don’t sign anything about the house until you understand who actually has authority to sell or transfer it.

In the next month or two, walk the property with a clear head. Look at the roof, the HVAC, the water heater, any signs of leaks or pests. Older homes around here often need something. Get a few opinions on condition, but keep your own records. If the house sits empty, someone should check it regularly, and you may want to tell the neighbors so they keep an eye out.

Then comes the real question: keep, rent, or sell. Keeping it means you’re covering taxes, insurance, maintenance, and utilities, and you’re tying up whatever equity is in it. It can make sense if someone in the family wants to live there or if you’re not ready to decide. Renting it can offset costs, but being a landlord is a job, and the condition of the house matters. A HUD-approved housing counselor can help you think through the financial side without selling you anything, and a CPA should weigh in on tax consequences, because the rules around a inherited home and later sale are not something to wing.

Selling is often the simplest path, but timing and price depend on the market and the house’s condition. Talk to more than one real estate professional and ask what they’d actually do. If the estate needs court approval, that changes the process, so loop in the lawyer again.

Whatever you lean toward, get the title and tax records straight with the county assessor, and confirm what exemptions or notices apply. Keep a simple folder of every document. And give yourself room. This is a hard thing to do while grieving, and the house will still be there next month.

For more on this, see executors-clipboard.pages.dev.