Confirm you have authority before you move anything
Being the closest relative is not the same as having the legal standing to dispose of property. Depending on how the estate is held, authority might come from being the named trustee of a trust, from letters issued by the probate court, or from one of the simplified procedures California provides for smaller estates.
This matters practically, not just legally. Selling contents you did not have standing to sell is difficult to undo, particularly when other heirs exist.
Which route applies depends on how the property was held and on figures that are revised over time, so confirm your own position with a probate attorney rather than working from a general description. The California Courts self-help guide to probate is the authoritative starting point. Nothing on this page is legal advice.
Tell the insurer the house is empty
Vacancy and unoccupancy provisions vary between policies, and some restrict cover after a property has been empty for a stated period. Whether that applies to this policy is a question for this insurer.
Call them, say the house is now unoccupied, and ask what it changes and whether different cover is needed for the period before the sale. The California Department of Insurance has consumer information and a complaint process if you need it.
Categories that have their own rules
- Firearms. California regulates transfers, including some between family members, and the requirements around inherited firearms are specific enough that they are not worth summarising second-hand. Do not put them in a general sale. Speak to a licensed dealer, and check the current position with the California DOJ Bureau of Firearms.
- Vehicles, boats and trailers. Transfer runs through the DMV and the forms depend on how the vehicle was titled. Start with the DMV guidance on title transfers. Sell these separately from the household contents.
- Hazardous household waste. Paint, solvents, propane, pesticides, pool chemicals and automotive fluids cannot go in household trash. Counties run drop-off facilities and collection events for exactly this; CalRecycle explains what counts and where it goes.
- Electronics, appliances and mattresses. These sit under separate state recycling programs and some carry a disposal or recycling fee. Check the current arrangements through CalRecycle or your county.
- Medication. Pharmacies and law enforcement offices commonly operate take-back programs; the DEA maintains a collection site locator.
Watch the clock on the property itself
The contents are rarely what creates the deadline. The mortgage, the property tax, the insurance and any HOA dues all keep running, and if the house is going to be sold, the buyer’s timeline becomes yours.
California has rules on reassessment when property changes hands, and some related claims are time limited. Whether any of it applies here depends on the facts, so raise it early with the county assessor or a tax professional. The State Board of Equalization publishes the framework.
Inventory before you disperse
If there is more than one heir, or if the estate will be accounted for to a court, write down what was in the house and what happened to it. Photographs of each room, a list of anything of consequence, and a note of where it went.
Before contents are photographed or collected, use the estate sale privacy checklist to separate personal records, family photographs and unreviewed devices.
This is unglamorous and it is the thing that prevents a dispute two years later that nobody can resolve because there is no record.
Doing it yourself
Many people do, and the parts that genuinely need a professional are narrower than the industry suggests. Authority and tax questions need an attorney or a CPA. Firearms need a dealer. Anything you suspect is genuinely valuable needs somebody who can tell you before you sell it.
The rest is logistics, and logistics can be bought by the hour once the decisions have been made.