What If You Cannot Locate One of the Heirs?

A missing or unknown heir does not permanently freeze the estate. California probate has established procedures for exactly this. The representative and attorney make a diligent effort to locate the person, and if that fails, the court can allow notice by publication and can direct that the missing heir's share be held or deposited for them.

The sale of the home can generally proceed while these steps are handled, because the missing heir's interest attaches to their share of the proceeds rather than blocking the transaction. Genealogy and heir-search services are sometimes used in complex family situations. Your probate attorney drives this process, and we coordinate the sale around it.