Why homeowners need a trust more than anyone

California is a high-value real estate state. Placer County homes routinely sit in the $600,000–$1,200,000 range, and the older neighborhoods of Granite Bay and Loomis can run substantially higher. That value is exactly what makes probate so painful here.

California's statutory probate fees are calculated on the gross value of the estate — not the equity, not the value minus the mortgage. So a $900,000 home with a $400,000 mortgage still triggers probate fees calculated on $900,000.

The math, plainly

$900,000 home, $100,000 other assets → ~$23,000 in California statutory probate fees alone. A complete trust package costs $1,995.

What "owning a home in California" actually triggers

The moment you have real estate titled in your individual name in California, you have a probate problem waiting to happen. Without a trust:

  • Your family can't sell the home until probate is opened (months, often a year-plus)
  • The court controls the sale, the timing, and sometimes the price
  • Statutory fees come out of the proceeds whether the family wanted them or not
  • Everything becomes public record — sale price, debts, who inherited what

What a complete plan looks like for a Placer County homeowner

The standard package we prepare for Roseville-area homeowners includes:

  1. Revocable living trust — holds the home and any other titled assets you transfer in
  2. Pour-over will — backup that catches anything left out of the trust; also names guardians for minor children
  3. Advance healthcare directive — names your medical decision-maker and your wishes
  4. Financial power of attorney — names someone to handle finances if you're incapacitated
  5. Property transfer deed — moves your home from your individual name into the trust's name
  6. Recording with the Placer County Recorder — makes the transfer effective in public records

If you own a rental property

Rental real estate can absolutely go into your living trust. Each property needs its own grant deed, prepared and recorded in the county where the property sits. We can prepare deeds for property in any California county; recording fees vary slightly by county.

If you own property with someone else

Real estate held in joint tenancy with right of survivorship transfers automatically to the survivor at the first death — but does nothing to plan for the second death. We typically recommend that married couples deed the home into a joint revocable trust together, which solves both deaths in one step.

If your home has a mortgage

Most homeowners worry about the bank "calling the loan" if they transfer title. For owner-occupied residential property, this is not a real risk. The federal Garn-St. Germain Act prohibits lenders from accelerating a mortgage when an owner-occupant transfers the home into a revocable trust they control.

Will the assessor reassess your property?

No. California Revenue and Taxation Code §62(d) specifically exempts transfers into a revocable living trust where the settlor is a beneficiary. We complete the Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (PCOR) so the assessor knows the transfer is exempt from reassessment.

What it costs vs. what it saves

$1,995 today vs. tens of thousands and a year-plus in court later. For a Placer County homeowner, that's not a hard decision — it's a question of when, not whether.

The trust is the one estate planning purchase that consistently saves families 10 to 20 times what it costs.