Who should I hire to sell an inherited house in Pasadena?

In what order should you bring in the team?

Start with the person who can confirm who signs, then protect the house, then hire for the sale.

1. Call the estate's attorney. They confirm who can sign for the house and what approvals the sale needs.
2. Secure the house. A locksmith rekeys it, the utilities stay on, and you call your insurance agent about coverage while it sits empty.
3. Bring in your CPA early. Ask them about timing before the house is listed.
4. Interview two or three listing agents. Use the questions below and compare their plans in writing.
5. Let the heirs go through belongings first. Keepsakes, photos and papers come out before any cleanout or estate sale.
6. Hire vendors through the plan. The agent coordinates them, and the person in charge approves each one.
7. Decide as-is or light preparation, then list. Compare the likely price both ways before anyone spends money.

What does the listing agent handle, and what stays with the attorney?

The agent handles the house and the sale; the attorney handles who can sign and what the sale needs before it closes.

The person in charge of the estate signs the listing agreement, approves the price and accepts an offer. Confirm with your attorney who holds that authority, whether it is an executor, an administrator, or a trustee when the house is held in a trust. Your attorney handles this part, and I work alongside them. Bring tax questions to your CPA or tax adviser.

While the paperwork moves, I can still walk the house, prepare a written pricing opinion and plan the work, so no time is wasted. When several heirs are involved, each one gets the same pricing opinion and the same cost estimates, which keeps the conversation about the house.

What I do:

• Walk the house and give a written pricing opinion from recent nearby sales.
• Compare selling as-is with light preparation, item by item, before anyone spends money.
• Coordinate the cleanout, estate sale, repairs and inspections, with the person in charge approving each step.
• Prepare photos, marketing and showings, and keep an empty house checked between visits.
• Present every offer side by side and manage escrow through closing.
• Keep the attorney and CPA in the loop so the sale fits the estate's plan.

What I don't do:

• Stand in for your attorney or CPA. Ask them directly about their side of the sale.
• Sign for the estate or decide who inherits.
• Buy the house. A listing agent lists homes; I don't buy them.
• Provide an appraisal. A pricing opinion is not an appraisal; if your attorney or CPA asks for one, a licensed appraiser does it.

I'm Sidney Manzo. I've been in real estate since 1990, and I'm a RE/MAX Hall of Fame member. I belong to the Pasadena Association of REALTORS® and the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.), and I've closed 155+ sales. I also work with clients in Spanish: hablo español. For an inherited house, Sidney Manzo can walk the house and prepare one written pricing opinion, as-is and with light preparation, for the person in charge and every heir.

How do you choose and vet an agent in Pasadena?

Choose the agent whose plan for this specific house is clearest, not the one with the highest number.

Interview two or three agents and ask each for a written plan. A good plan names a likely price range with the recent sales behind it, says what to fix and what to leave, estimates the costs to prepare and hold the house, and lays out a timeline that fits the attorney's steps.

Local knowledge matters in Pasadena. The City of Pasadena says landmark district designation does not affect the use or sale of a property, but demolitions, new construction and exterior changes visible from the street need a Certificate of Appropriateness before a building permit is issued. The City says that review generally delays a building permit by about two months, and that interior work, paint colors, landscaping and routine maintenance are exempt from it. An agent who knows this steers the preparation toward work that needs no review, so the listing isn't waiting.

Check any agent's license, and the broker they work under, on the California Department of Real Estate public license lookup.

Questions to ask before you hire:

• Have you sold homes for executors or other people in charge of an estate? What was different about those sales?
• How will you work with our attorney and CPA, and how often will you update the person in charge?
• Which repairs would you make, which would you skip, and what does each change in the likely price?
• Who coordinates the cleanout and estate sale, and do you receive anything from the vendors you suggest?
• How will you keep the house secure while it is empty?
• How will every heir see the offers?

Red flags:

• Pressure to take a quick investor offer before the house has been shown to the open market.
• An agent who offers to buy the house or steers you to one buyer before marketing starts.
• A price far above recent nearby sales, offered to win the listing, with no sales to back it up.
• Legal advice from the agent, such as telling you who inherits.
• A rush to clear the house before the heirs have looked for keepsakes, papers and valuables.
• Large payments up front to any vendor before work starts.
• No written plan or costs, only reassurances.

Vendors an inherited house usually needs

Most houses need four to six vendors, and a written quote plus a quick license check prevents most problems.

Vendor table as of October 2026.

Reader tip: ask every vendor for the full fee in writing, in dollars or as a percentage, before work starts, and ask whether anyone else receives part of it. I coordinate these vendors, but the person in charge approves each one and pays them directly or through escrow.