California  |  Wills and Trusts

You can check court records in your county to see whether a probate has been filed, by searching for her name, and contact the estate administrator to see if it will be sold in the probate. If you don't find anything, try looking at the deed to see whether it was in a trust or just in her name (which would require probate). If she had no relatives, you can contact the county's public administrator's office to see whether they'll be handling the probate, and finally, if no one is stepping up, you may consider filing the probate yourself to get the process started.