What is my house worth?
Portal estimates are a quick look. A free broker price opinion is how estates should set a list price.
Can you just check the value on Zillow or Redfin?
Yes — but that may vary from the actual price by 7–10%, more if your property is significantly better or worse than average, or significantly larger or smaller than average.
Zillow’s Zestimate, Redfin Estimate, and similar consumer numbers are useful as a gap check. They are built to generate leads. They are not an appraisal, and they are not a substitute for a walkthrough and a conversation about who has authority to sell.
On-market, those models can look tight because they can see the human list price already on the MLS. Off-market — which is where many probate and trust homes start — the miss grows. Machines also miss condition, updates, odor, settlement, thin data pockets, and whether the sale is under Independent Administration of Estates Act authority or needs court confirmation.
Related reading: Your Zillow Zestimate is wrong. Here’s why.
What I offer instead: a free comprehensive broker price opinion
When the house is the largest asset in the estate, the pricing conversation matters more than a screenshot. I prepare a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) — a written broker price opinion — using the same approach I use for probate and trust listings:
- MLS-first closed comps from TheMLS / MLS — similar beds and baths, living area, lot, year, and location. That is the primary closed-comp set.
- Public-record and inventory context — actives and pendings weighed carefully; days on market considered.
- Consumer AVMs as a gap check only — Zestimate, Redfin Estimate, and similar tools cross-check the packet; they do not set the number.
- One written conclusion in plain language — a fair-market range and a recommended list price tied to how long the property has already been exposed (if it has).
Standing pricing guidance I use on listings: a property listed 30+ days that has not gone Under Contract or Pending during that time is at least about 5% overpriced, and more often closer to 10% overpriced. Portal estimates rarely explain that.
This is a marketing CMA / broker price opinion. It is educational. It is not a Probate Referee appraisal and it is not the court’s Inventory & Appraisal under the Probate Code. Confirm tax and court questions with the estate’s attorney and tax advisor.
Would you like a free comprehensive broker price opinion from me?
Send your contact info and the property address. I will review the lead and start a CMA packet for that address. You can also call (310) 210-0008.
Educational only. California probate and trust administration are fact-specific. Bill Gross is a licensed California real estate broker (DRE #01022275) with eXp Realty of California, Inc. (DRE #01878277). He is not an attorney and is not a Probate Referee; he does not perform court Inventory & Appraisal valuations. Confirm authority, court requirements, and tax consequences with the estate’s attorney and tax advisor.