Serving the Conejo Valley
Probate & Trust Real Estate Sales, handled with care, compassion, and experience.
If you are selling a home through probate, trust, or conservatorship in Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, or Calabasas, you deserve an agent who has done this countless times and will treat your family with respect and patience. That is what we do.
No obligation. Just a straight & honest conversation about your options.
David Rothblum
RE/MAX ONE · DRE #01332525
You are not just selling a house
Most of our clients are going through one of the hardest times of their lives.
A parent or loved one has passed. There is a trust or probate that needs to be administered. Families are trying to do the right thing while grief, paperwork, and a court calendar all pull at once. I understand the process, because I have guided hundreds of families through it. My job is to take the weight of the property off your shoulders and handle it properly, so you can focus on everything else.
I will not rush you and will never talk down to you. I explain every step in plain language, constantly communicate, answer the phone, and do not let things slip through the cracks. Honest, compassionate, and thorough. That is the backbone of my Probate & Trust real estate practice.
David Rothblum
What I do
A specialist in the sales other agents avoid
Probate, Trust, and Conservatorship sales have specific rules, timelines, and various court mandated steps that trip up general agents. They are my focus, not a sideline.
Probate Sales
Selling a home held in a deceased owner’s name, including court confirmation and overbid sales. I work directly with executors, administrators, personal representatives, and their attorneys from filing through closing.
For executors, administrators, heirs, and all personal representatives
Trust Sales
Selling property on behalf of a successor trustee, with or without court supervision. I help trustees meet their duty to the trust and get the strongest, cleanest result.
For successor trustees & beneficiaries
Fiduciary & Conservatorship Sales
Court supervised sales for professional fiduciaries and conservators, handled with the documentation, diligence, and attention to detail the court expects.
Also divorce, receivership, refereeship & standard sales
Why families choose me
Experience you can lean on, and a person who actually shows up
- 24 years selling residential real estate across Greater Los Angeles and the Conejo Valley.
- RE/MAX Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement, in the top one half of one percent of RE/MAX agents nationwide.
- Recognized by RealTrends in the top 1.5% of agents in California and named a Real Estate All-Star by Los Angeles Magazine.
- Trusted by estate planning attorneys, private professional fiduciaries, financial advisors and CPAs who consistently refer their clients to me.
Proof, not promises
The hardest trust sale I have closed to date
Trust sale · Bel Air
I closed this trust sale in the Bel Air hills in one of the toughest markets in recent memory, less than three months after the Palisades fire, at a moment when insurance was nearly impossible to secure and most buyers had walked away from the hillside market entirely. Difficult sales are where experience earns its keep. If your property is complicated, contested, hard to insure or hard to finance, that is precisely the kind of sale I want to talk to you about.
This is the largest and most complex sale I have handled, not the typical size of estate I work with. Most of my probate and trust clients are everyday families with modest homes, and every sale gets the same level of care regardless of size.
The part nobody explains
Court confirmation and the overbid, in plain English
This is the single most misunderstood part of selling a home in probate, and the step that makes families most anxious. Here is what actually happens.
Step one
Which authority do you have?
Under the Independent Administration of Estates Act, an estate is granted either full authority or limited authority. With full authority most sales close much like an ordinary transaction. With limited authority, the court has to confirm the sale. Everything downstream depends on which one your Letters say, which is the first document I ask to see.
Step two
The confirmation hearing
If confirmation is required, your accepted offer is not the end of it. The sale is noticed and set for hearing before your county’s probate court, whether that is Ventura or Los Angeles County depending on where the property sits. Both courts run busy probate calendars, so that date is usually set well out, which is exactly why the property should be marketed properly in the meantime rather than parked.
Step three
The overbid in open court
At the hearing the court invites other buyers to bid in the room, opening above your accepted price by a minimum increment set under California statute and continuing in further increments from there. Whoever prevails becomes the buyer. It sounds alarming. In practice, a well marketed property with real competition often ends up ahead, and my job is to have the room stocked with qualified bidders rather than empty.
Where I work
A probate & trust specialist rooted in the Conejo Valley
Local knowledge matters in these sales. I know these neighborhoods, the buyers, and how to position an estate property to sell well here.
I also serve the entire San Fernando Valley and all of greater Los Angeles, from the Westside to Downtown. If your property is anywhere in the region, let’s talk.
How it works
A clear path, one step at a time
You will always know what is happening and what comes next. Here are the steps:
Free consultation
We talk through your situation, how title is held, and whether probate is even required. No pressure, no cost.
Value & plan
I give you an honest opinion of value and a plan to prepare the home, including any cleanout or light repairs.
Prepare & market
I handle the listing, marketing, showings, and I coordinate with your attorney as needed.
Sell & close
I negotiate the strongest offer, manage any court confirmation with your attorney if needed, and see the sale through to a clean closing.
In their words
Attorneys, trustees and families who have been through it
Real clients, in their own words.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5.0 average from 88 Zillow reviews
Our firm regularly uses David in connection with probate and trust sales involving all types of properties in various markets. His professionalism and expertise make it a pleasure to work with him.
David was a pleasure to work with. Since I don’t live in the area where the house was sold, David helped me find people to take care of things that needed to be done prior to being able to list the house. His marketing materials were very professional and showed all the best parts of the property. David’s communication was great and I always felt informed as to what was going on during the entire process.
This was our second transaction with David serving as our agent. We can attest from multiple episodes that his performance represents the highest levels of attentive, professional expertise. David is an excellent communicator, both with timeliness and content, and those skills ultimately work wonders while negotiating desired results.
David’s attention to detail was tremendously helpful as we got into the specifics of the deal. He spent the time to dig deeply into every aspect of it, and protected me every step of the way, while representing me with class. He was patient and answered every single one of my questions. He operates with transparency and candor, which I truly appreciate.
More client reviews are on the testimonials page.
Common questions
Probate & trust home sales in California, answered
Straight answers to what families ask me most. When you are ready for specifics about your property, just reach out.
Do I need to go through probate to sell my parents’ house in California?
How long does the probate process take in California?
Can I sell a house while it is still in probate?
What is the difference between a trust sale and a probate sale?
How does Proposition 19 affect a home I inherited?
Will I owe capital gains tax if I sell an inherited property?
The above is intended as general information and not as legal or tax advice. Every estate is unique, so please consult with your attorney or CPA regarding your specific circumstances.
For attorneys, fiduciaries & receivers
A real estate partner your clients will thank you for
Conejo Valley estate planning attorneys, private professional fiduciaries, family law attorneys, receivers, and CPAs refer their clients to me because they can trust the outcome: I move quickly, document properly, I show up at the hearing, and keep everyone informed throughout. If you have a client who needs to sell, I would be glad to be your trusted resource.
Let’s talk
A free, no pressure conversation about your options
Tell me a little about the property and your situation. I will give you honest guidance on your next steps, whether or not you list with me. Texting is the fastest way to reach me.