The First 90 Days in a Parent’s House: Finding Balance

The first thing is to make the house look lived in. In Sacramento County, that means keeping the yard from shouting that nobody’s home. Pick up the mail, cut the grass, put a light on a timer. If you’re local, stop by every few days. If you’re not, ask a neighbor you trust to keep an eye on it, and give them your number. Empty houses attract problems, and you don’t need that on top of everything else.

Get the insurance sorted out fast. Call the company that insured the house and tell them what happened. Ask whether the policy stays in force while the estate is being handled, and what they need from you. Sometimes coverage continues for a while, sometimes it doesn’t, and it depends on the policy and the situation. Don’t let the house sit uninsured for even a week. If the house will be empty for a stretch, ask about vacancy coverage, because a standard policy may not cover a house nobody’s living in.

Utilities and mail are small chores that matter. Keep the power and water on, especially in summer, because a house with no air conditioning in Sacramento heat can get damaged fast. Keep the mail going to a place where someone actually picks it up. You can have it forwarded to you, or ask the post office about holding it. Either way, you want bills and notices coming to a real person, not piling up on the porch.

Find the deed and the will. The deed is usually recorded with the county, so the recorder’s office can help you get a copy if you can’t find the original. The will might be in a file cabinet, a safe deposit box, or with the lawyer who wrote it. If there’s a trust, find that too. Don’t guess about what these papers mean. Once you have them, sit down with a lawyer who handles estates in California. They’ll tell you what needs to happen next, and what you can and can’t do on your own.

Here’s the part people rush: don’t sell anything yet. Not the house, not the car, not the furniture. The estate has to be sorted out first, and the person handling it has legal duties. Selling too early can create tax problems, family problems, or both. If money is tight, talk to a CPA about the tax side and to the county about any property tax questions. If you’re worried about keeping the house, a HUD-approved housing counselor can explain your options. Take your time. The house isn’t going anywhere, and neither should your decisions.

More notes on this topic are at the first 90 days with a parent’s house.