If you have just been named trustee of a home in Pasadena or Altadena, you are probably feeling two things at once. Relief that a loved one trusted you with this. And a quiet worry that you have no idea what you are actually supposed to do next.
I understand that feeling completely. Families come to me at exactly this stage, holding a set of keys and a stack of paperwork, unsure where to even start. This isn’t legal advice. It’s the roadmap I walk families through so the process feels manageable instead of overwhelming.
Trustee or Executor? Here’s the Difference That Actually Matters
People use these words interchangeably, but they come from different legal processes.
An executor is named in a will and typically answers to probate court. A trustee is named in a living trust, and if the trust was set up properly, you can often act without court involvement at all.
That distinction matters because it changes your timeline. Trust sales generally move faster because there’s no court confirmation hearing to schedule around. Probate sales, by contrast, often require the court to approve the sale, and in some cases a higher bidder can appear at the confirmation hearing and outbid your accepted offer. That single fact catches a lot of families off guard, so it’s worth understanding early rather than discovering it mid-transaction.
If you’re not sure which situation you’re in, that’s the first question to bring to an estate attorney. It’s foundational to everything else.
What “IAEA Authority” Actually Means for You
If you’re an executor working through probate, you may have heard the term IAEA, short for the Independent Administration of Estates Act.
In plain terms, IAEA authority lets an executor handle many aspects of a sale, like accepting an offer and opening escrow, without going back to court for permission at every step. Full IAEA authority gives you the most flexibility. Limited authority still requires court confirmation for the sale itself.
Trustees selling through a living trust typically don’t deal with IAEA at all, because the trust document itself grants the authority to sell. But if you’re navigating probate, ask your attorney which type of authority you have. It shapes how quickly, and how independently, you can move.
The General Path From Here to Closing
Every situation is different, but the sequence tends to follow a similar shape.
First, secure the property. That means insurance stays active, utilities stay on, and the home is protected from the kind of deterioration that happens quietly over a few empty months.
Next, get a real read on value. A local market analysis, and in some cases a formal appraisal, tells you what the home is actually worth today, not what it was worth when your family member bought it decades ago.
Then comes the harder decision: what, if anything, to fix before listing. Not every repair pays for itself. Part of my job is helping you figure out which updates genuinely move the needle in today’s market and which ones are better left for the next owner.
From there, it’s disclosures, marketing, offers, and escrow, much like any other sale, with a few extra layers of documentation along the way.
Common Mistakes I See Families Make
Assuming inherited homes are exempt from disclosures. They aren’t. California disclosure law still applies, including the Transfer Disclosure Statement, even when the seller never lived in the home. Skipping this isn’t a shortcut. It’s a liability.
Skipping the professional valuation. Pricing a home based on memory, or on what a neighbor’s house sold for years ago, is one of the fastest ways to either leave money on the table or have a property sit unsold.
Letting maintenance lapse while the estate is being settled. Every month of deferred upkeep, unpaid insurance, or unresolved property tax questions chips away at what the estate is ultimately worth.
Assuming there’s a deadline to sell immediately. There usually isn’t. Your fiduciary duty is to act in the beneficiaries’ best interest, and sometimes that means a short pause to complete a repair or wait for a better window, not a rushed sale.
Not keeping beneficiaries in the loop. Disputes rarely come from the sale itself. They come from beneficiaries feeling left out of decisions about it. Clear, regular communication protects you as much as it protects the relationships in the family.
What Today’s Pasadena Market Means for an Inherited Home
Pasadena’s market right now is best described as balanced. Median prices are sitting around $1.3 million, homes are spending closer to 58 days on market compared to 55 a year ago, and roughly 40 to 55 percent of homes are still selling above list price. New listings are down close to 20 percent from last year, which has helped support pricing even as overall buyer activity has cooled.
What that means practically for a trustee: a well-priced, well-presented home in Pasadena still draws real competition. But this isn’t a market where an overpriced or unprepared listing gets rescued by sheer demand the way it might have a few years ago. Pricing correctly from day one matters more than it used to.
A Word on Taxes, Without Playing Attorney or CPA
I’m not a tax professional, and this isn’t tax advice. But there are two concepts worth knowing before you talk to one.
Inherited property generally receives what’s called a step-up in basis, meaning its value is reset to fair market value as of the date of death. That can significantly reduce, or even eliminate, capital gains tax if the sale happens reasonably soon after inheritance.
If the home appreciates further before it sells, that additional gain may be taxable. And depending on how the property is used going forward, Proposition 19 may affect how it’s reassessed for property tax purposes. These are conversations for your CPA or estate attorney, but they’re worth raising early, not after escrow closes.
Choosing an Agent Who Actually Understands Probate and Trust Sales
Not every agent who says they “do probate” has real experience with it. A few questions can tell you quickly whether someone genuinely understands this work.
Ask how they’ve handled court confirmation timelines, if you’re in probate. Ask how they coordinate with multiple beneficiaries who may not always agree. Ask how they’ve supported heirs who live out of state and can’t be present for walkthroughs or inspections.
The answers should be specific, not general. This is a niche that requires patience, discretion, and a real understanding of the legal framework around the sale, not just market knowledge.
If You’re Managing This From Out of Town
A meaningful number of the families I work with are handling this from another state entirely. It’s more common than you’d think, and it’s absolutely manageable with the right team in place.
You’ll want an agent who can coordinate vendors, staging, and showings without you needing to be physically present for each step. Digital tools now make remote document signing and virtual walkthroughs straightforward. The key is having someone local who treats your absence as a logistics problem to solve, not an obstacle.
Where Everyone Fits in This Process
An estate attorney handles the legal framework: your authority, the trust or probate requirements, and how proceeds should be distributed. A tax professional addresses basis, capital gains, and property tax implications specific to your situation. And a real estate agent with genuine probate and trust experience handles pricing, preparation, marketing, and getting the property to a successful close.
Each of these professionals plays a distinct role, and the best outcomes happen when they’re coordinating with each other, not working in isolation.
Moving Forward, One Step at a Time
Selling a home that belonged to someone you loved is never just a transaction. It carries the weight of memory alongside the practical demands of a legal and financial process.
You don’t have to figure out every step on your own, and you don’t have to make every decision at once. If you’re a trustee or executor in Pasadena or Altadena trying to understand where to begin, I’m happy to walk through your specific situation and help you find the right next step.
Cynthia Cohn is a Pasadena-based real estate advisor with over 22 years of experience in estate sales, trust and probate transactions, and life transition selling across the San Gabriel Valley. She is affiliated with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties and holds the Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) designation.