Palm Springs Trust Administration Attorney

Palm Springs homes bring their own questions

A lot of Palm Springs property is a second home, owned by someone who spent winters here and lived somewhere else the rest of the year. When they pass, the trustee is often in another state, trying to manage a house they don't see every day.

Condos add HOA dues and HOA rules, and the trustee needs to keep those current while the trust is being settled.

Deciding what to do with the home

Families often aren't sure whether to sell the Palm Springs house, keep it, or have one beneficiary buy out the others. There's no rush to decide on day one. The trustee's first job is to protect the property and understand what the trust says.

Once the notices are out and the home has been valued, I'll help you and the family weigh the options, then coordinate with the realtor and escrow if you sell.

What the trustee does first

Secure and insure the property, gather the trust and account statements, and send the required trustee notice. Then record an affidavit of death with the county recorder and file the change in ownership statement with the assessor within 150 days after the death.

For the full step-by-step list, see my trust administration overview.

How I work with trustees

Most trustees don't need to come in. We can handle it by Zoom, phone, and email, and I coordinate with the realtor, escrow, and your CPA.

Most of the work is handled for a flat fee, quoted up front before you hire me. If something out of the ordinary comes up, like a dispute or a court petition, we'll talk about it before any extra work starts.

Common questions

The trustee lives out of state. Is that a problem?

No. It's common with Palm Springs property. Most of the work can be done remotely.