The Estate Library
5 Useful Guides
Practical information for people handling an estate, making property decisions, or preparing for a probate sale. Choose a guide to see what it covers.
The executor's 90-day checklist
An executor's ninety-day checklist organized around the inventory and appraisal filing deadline.
Opens with your name and email Open the guide12 questions to ask a probate agent
Twelve questions to ask a probate agent before the family signs anything.
Opens with your name and email Open the guidePricing an estate home in California
How estate homes are priced in California, including when the 90% court-confirmation rule applies.
Opens with your name and email Open the guideStep-up in basis in plain English
Step-up in basis explained: how inherited property's cost basis is reset to date-of-death fair market value.
Opens with your name and email Open the guideCourt confirmation, demystified
What court confirmation of a sale is, and when it is required.
Opens with your name and email Open the guideNot sure which probate path fits?
Six questions, one at a time, with Probate Code citations on every result and a confirm-with-an-attorney note. It takes about two minutes.
Probate glossary
Executor, letters, referee, inventory, IAEA, basis: the terms families actually meet, defined without jargon.
Each guide opens with your name and email
Enter your details once and the full guide opens immediately, ready to read or print. Phone and a short note are optional. Your information goes straight to Steve's office and is never sold or added to any list.
The Estate Library is general information about California estates, not legal or tax advice. Confirm your family's situation with a qualified California probate attorney and your tax professional.
Start with whichever guide fits the family today
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