An inherited house comes with grief, paperwork, family conversations, and a property that may sit empty 800 miles from where you live. Astra Home Buyer works with families like yours every month — multiple heirs welcome, out-of-state owners OK, probate experience built in.
Most of the families we meet didn't go looking for a cash buyer. They were sorting through paperwork in the weeks after a funeral, opening a sealed manila envelope from a lawyer's office, or staring at an empty house full of someone else's life — and at some point realized the property had become a problem they didn't have a plan for.
We've been there with people. We've sat across from adult children who hadn't spoken to their siblings in years until probate forced the conversation. We've worked with executors who took on the role expecting paperwork and ended up coordinating cleanouts. We've helped families where the inherited property was 1,200 miles from the closest living relative — and every month it sat empty, the utilities bills, the property taxes, and the insurance kept showing up.
None of that is your fault. And there's no "right" amount of time to grieve before deciding what to do with the house. Some families need to sell within weeks for practical reasons. Some hold properties for years before they're ready. Both are normal.
What follows is everything we wish we could tell every inheriting family at once — what the process actually looks like, what the tax situation is likely to be, how multi-heir scenarios get handled, and how out-of-state families close without flying in. If you'd rather just talk it through, call (310) 999-3228.
You don't have to fit one of these exactly — they just give a sense of who reaches out to us most.
The property is empty, the utilities and insurance keep auto-billing, and flying out to deal with it isn't realistic. We close remotely — you'll never need to visit California unless you want to.
One sibling wants to sell, another wants to rent it out, a third just wants the situation resolved. We've handled families where heirs hadn't spoken in years until probate forced the conversation.
California probate timing is confusing. Sometimes you can sell during probate with court approval. Sometimes the estate qualifies for simplified procedures. We coordinate with your probate attorney to figure out the timing.
Decades of deferred maintenance, an outdated kitchen, a roof that needs replacing, hoarding situations, or visible damage. We buy in any condition — you don't fix, clean, or stage anything.
Capital gains step-up clocks, IRS deadlines, court orders, or family financial situations that need the proceeds. We can close in 7 to 14 days after probate clearance — sometimes faster if the situation is urgent.
Take whatever feels meaningful — photos, jewelry, documents, the things that matter. Leave the rest exactly where it is. We handle every box, every closet, every garage at no cost to you.
Inherited property sales add a few steps beyond a standard cash sale. Here's the realistic timeline.
Phone, form, or email. We ask about the property, where you are in probate, and how many heirs are involved. No commitment.
10 minutesWithin 24 hours, with comparable sales, repair estimates, and our margin shown line by line. Offer stays valid for 7 days.
24 hoursAll heirs on title need to agree to the sale. Take the time you need — days, weeks, or longer. We don't pressure.
Your timelineOnce probate allows, we close at a California title company. Mobile notaries come to you. Funds wire same day.
7–14 days
Their uncle had owned the rental for 22 years. When he passed, the two siblings — one living in Texas, one in Oregon — became the only heirs. The property had been vacant for 18 months while probate worked through the court. Neither sibling had visited California since they were teenagers.
By the time they called us, the situation was straightforward but exhausting. Property tax bills kept arriving. The landscaping had gone wild. The HOA was sending letters. Both siblings agreed they wanted to sell, but coordinating across two states with full-time jobs felt impossible.
We sent a written cash offer within 24 hours. Both siblings reviewed it independently, talked it over by phone, and accepted. The entire closing happened remotely — mobile notaries went to each sibling's home, all paperwork was handled by a California title company we'd worked with before, and the funds were wired the same day as closing. Neither sibling had to fly out.
The short answer: probably less than you think — and possibly nothing at all.
When you inherit property, the IRS resets the property's cost basis to its fair market value on the date of death. This is called a step-up in basis, and it's one of the most generous provisions in the U.S. tax code.
What that means in practice: capital gains are calculated only on the appreciation between the date of death and the date of sale — not on the appreciation during the original owner's lifetime. So if your parent bought the house in 1985 for $80,000 and it was worth $850,000 when they passed, your starting basis for tax purposes is $850,000 — not $80,000.
In that example, the heirs owe capital gains only on $15,000 — not on the $770,000 of lifetime appreciation. For most inherited-property sales that happen within a year or two of the date of death, the tax bill is much smaller than families fear when they first start thinking about it.
There are exceptions and complications: properties used as rentals have depreciation recapture rules, properties held by trusts have different timing, and some California probate situations involve Proposition 19 reassessment for property tax purposes (which is separate from federal income tax). The math also gets more involved if the property appreciated significantly between the date of death and the sale.
Multi-heir situations are the most common reason inherited-property sales stall. Here's the three-step pattern we see working.
We send the written offer to whichever heir is coordinating, and they share it with the others. Each heir reads it on their own time — no group calls, no pressure, no need to be in the same room.
One person — usually the executor or whoever's been doing the most paperwork — becomes our point of contact. We don't try to manage three-way conversations. We just answer questions as they come up.
Each heir signs the closing documents wherever they are — in person at the title company, with a mobile notary at home, or via remote online notarization. Proceeds are wired to each heir's account directly per the agreed split.
If one heir objects to selling and the others want to proceed, there are legal options (partition action, executor's authority during probate). We can usually still help — the conversation just becomes more involved. Calling us early in that situation tends to make things easier, not harder.
Have a question we didn't cover? See the full FAQ or call (310) 999-3228.
The conversation is free. The offer is in writing within 24 hours. If now isn't the right time — financially, emotionally, or family-wise — that's a completely valid answer too.
— I read every message that comes in. — Eleonor, Founder
