Serving Los Angeles & Los Angeles County
Los Angeles Probate & Trust Real Estate Sales, handled with care, compassion, and experience.
If you are selling a home through probate, trust, or conservatorship anywhere in Los Angeles, 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.
In Los Angeles that often means a home somebody lived in for forty years, full of a lifetime of belongings, with heirs spread across the country and a court date on the calendar. None of that is unusual to me. 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 full court confirmation and overbid sales in Los Angeles County. 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 beneficiaries and document a price they can defend if anyone questions it later.
For successor trustees & beneficiaries
Fiduciary & Conservatorship Sales
Court supervised sales for conservators, professional fiduciaries and receivers, handled with the documentation and diligence the court expects.
Also receivership, divorce & 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, from the Westside to Downtown.
- 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 Los Angeles estate planning attorneys, private professional fiduciaries, receivers and CPAs who consistently refer their clients to me.
Proof, not promises
The hardest trust sale I have closed was right here in Los Angeles
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, and Los Angeles County probate matters are heard downtown at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. Because LA runs the busiest probate calendar in California, 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 in Los Angeles
A probate & trust specialist who works neighborhood by neighborhood
Los Angeles is not one market, it is dozens. An estate property in Hancock Park and one in Brentwood need completely different pricing, preparation and buyer strategies. Local knowledge is most of the job.
Note for families searching Brentwood: this page means Brentwood in West Los Angeles, not Brentwood in Northern California or Tennessee. I also serve Santa Monica, Pasadena, Glendale, the greater San Fernando Valley and the Conejo Valley. If your property is anywhere in Los Angeles County, 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, what authority the estate has, and whether probate is even required. No pressure, no cost.
Value & plan
I give you an honest opinion of value, supportable for the court or the beneficiaries, and a plan to prepare the home including cleanout and any repairs worth doing.
Prepare & market
I handle the cleanout, the listing, the marketing and the showings, and I coordinate with your attorney and the court on notices and deadlines.
Sell & close
I negotiate the strongest offer, carry any confirmation hearing and overbid, 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
I hired David Rothblum to sell a home in the Los Angeles area. The property was in litigation, and the sale was subject to court confirmation. Mr. Rothblum was instrumental in achieving a sales price that exceeded the list price. He demonstrated great market knowledge, brought in approximately ten offers and exhibited professionalism and excellent customer service throughout the entire transaction. This was a tough property to sell, but David is at the top of his game. I already hired him for another property sale.
David is an incredibly knowledgeable realtor, and gives his all every step of the way. Recently, he was brought in to sell a probate property. There were a number of extraordinary circumstances that could have taken a wrong turn, however David handled each with prowess. He is super diligent, thorough, communicative, and obtained almost $1M over appraisal! My client is so happy, he’s retaining David to sell another property.
David Rothblum and his team have been fantastic professional partners for our law firm and our clients. We have utilized David’s services for many trust and probate real estate transactions, and he has always been phenomenal. Not only is he extremely knowledgeable in this area of real estate and the law, but his ability to navigate difficult issues and facilitate smooth transactions has been exceptional.
David Rothblum was referred to me as an expert broker to deal with estate matters. He was extremely helpful in walking me through a complex real estate sale and has assembled a multi-specialty team that helped in all aspects and was always available, even during weekends and holidays. He represents his clients professionally with keen insights and negotiation skills.
More client reviews are on the testimonials page.
Common questions
Probate & trust home sales in Los Angeles, 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
Los Angeles 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. If you have the Letters or the deed handy, even better. Texting is the fastest way to reach me.