Knowledge · 4 min read · Updated
What is a California probate referee?
A court-appointed appraiser who values estate assets for the Inventory and Appraisal — not the person who sets your list price.
California Probate Code provides for probate referees: independent appraisers appointed to value estate assets as of date of death. Their work lands on the Inventory and Appraisal filed with the court. That inventory is a legal and tax document. It is not a marketing CMA.
Referee values matter. They can affect statutory fees, tax basis conversations, and, in a court-confirmed sale, how the court and interested persons look at the proposed price. They are not a substitute for a current market analysis when you list six or twelve months after date of death.
A specialist broker coordinates with counsel around timing: when to list relative to the referee’s work, how to talk about date-of-death value versus today’s market, and how to avoid promising a number the confirmation hearing will not support.
Families sometimes see the referee’s number and assume they must list at that figure. That is not how a sale is priced. The market, the condition, the occupancy, and the authority (IAEA vs. confirmation) drive the asking price. The referee’s number sits in the legal file.
Educational only. California probate and trust administration are fact-specific. Confirm authority, court requirements, and tax consequences with the estate’s attorney and tax advisor. Procedure is set out in the California Probate Code and the California Courts probate self-help.