Intake questions (with the family, gently)
- Has anyone opened probate? Where, and what kind (summary/formal)? Get the case number
- Is there a will? Who is named personal representative — and are they the person you're talking to?
- Was this the decedent's homestead? (Changes everything: spousal/minor-child rights, who signs, how it passes)
- Trust or Lady Bird deed in the picture? The property may bypass probate entirely — good news worth confirming
- Who are the heirs, where are they, and do they agree? Geography is logistics; disagreement is law
- Known debts, liens, mortgages, reverse mortgages? Estate creditors meet the closing statement
Documents to request at intake
- Death certificate
- Letters of administration (or the summary administration order) if probate is open
- The will, if probate hasn't been opened yet
- The deed as the family understands it — we'll pull the record version
- Any trust documents or prior title policy in the house files
Contract craft for estate sales
Build the contract around authority, not hope: closing dates keyed to letters/court approval where needed, court-approval contingencies when the proceeding requires it, deposit hardening aligned with the authority timeline, and disclosure language fitted to a seller who never lived in the property. Have the drafting reviewed — a well-built estate contract survives court schedules; a standard form with an optimistic date rarely does.