Probate leads by county, from new estate filings the same day they're filed

What a probate lead is

Probate is the court process that proves a will is valid and then oversees the estate: paying debts and taxes and distributing property to heirs or beneficiaries under court supervision (Probate). A probate lead is a newly opened estate where the person who died owned real estate.

Inherited houses are sold for practical reasons. The heirs may live in other states, the house may need work nobody has time for, there may be several heirs who want cash rather than a shared property, or the estate may need money to pay its bills. Heirs also receive a stepped-up tax basis: inherited property generally takes its fair market value at the date of death (26 U.S.C. § 1014), so a sale soon after death often produces little taxable gain. Some families keep the house, so treat each lead as a conversation, not a sure sale.

How probate works and how long it takes

Every state writes its own probate code, but most estates move through the same stages:

1. A petition opens the estate. A family member or the person named in the will asks the court to open the estate and admit the will, if there is one. This filing is where a Keystone probate lead begins.
2. The court appoints a personal representative. The personal representative is the person, named in the will or appointed by the court, who administers the estate (Personal representative). When there is a will, the court issues letters testamentary, the document that authorizes the named executor to act (Letters testamentary).
3. Notice to creditors and an inventory. The representative gives notice to creditors, who have a claim period set by state law, and lists the estate's assets, including any real estate.
4. Selling the house. Whether the representative can sell real estate on their own or needs the court's approval depends on the will and on state law. Either way, the representative is the person who signs.
5. Distribution and closing. Once debts and taxes are paid, the remaining property goes to the heirs or beneficiaries and the court closes the estate (Probate). Simple estates can close within months; contested or complicated ones run longer.

A house can pass to a relative on the owner's death without the lender calling the mortgage due: the Garn-St Germain Act lists a transfer to a relative resulting from the borrower's death among the transfers a lender may not treat as a due-on-sale trigger (12 U.S.C. § 1701j-3(d)).

Probate and pre-probate

Pre-probate leads are homeowners who have recently died but whose estate has not been opened in court yet. They come earlier, often before the family has decided whether to open probate or sell. Keystone includes pre-probate alongside probate in the counties where it is available; each county page lists the lead types it carries.

What a Keystone probate lead includes

Court cases the same day they're filed, matched to the real owner, tracked stage by stage, and pushed straight into your CRM. Every lead carries:

• The decedent and the petitioner or personal representative named in the case, with the owner matched to the property
• The property address, plus a mailing address where one is available
• The case type, filing date and court case reference, so you can confirm the filing yourself
• The current case stage, updated as the case moves
• An estimated property value and equity picture where available
• Delivery to your dashboard, a CSV export, or straight into your CRM

Phone and email lookups are available as an optional paid add-on.

How to work probate leads with respect

Give the family time. A letter that arrives the week of the funeral rarely helps anyone; a short, kind letter a little later, addressed to the personal representative, does far better than repeated calls to every relative.

Talk to the person who can actually sign: the personal representative. Be clear that you buy houses or help families sell, offer practical help (clean-out, repairs, an as-is sale, a flexible closing date), and accept a no gracefully. Many heirs come back months later when the estate is ready.

Remember that the court may need to approve the sale, so build that time into your offer and do not promise a closing date the estate cannot meet.

Contact rules for every lead

Every owner behind these leads is a person going through something hard. The investors and agents who do well with court-filing leads are the ones who are easy to say no to: a clear letter, a polite call, an honest offer and no pressure. The rules below are the floor, not the goal.

Before you dial, scrub your list against the National Do Not Call Registry and keep your own do-not-call list. The FTC tells sellers and telemarketers to synchronize their lists with the Registry every 31 days and to stop calling anyone who has asked not to be called (FTC Telemarketing Sales Rule guide). The same rule limits calls to between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. in the owner's local time (16 CFR 310.4).

Do not use an autodialer or a prerecorded or artificial voice to call a cell phone without the owner's prior express consent; the Telephone Consumer Protection Act prohibits it (47 U.S.C. § 227). Commercial email must identify itself as an advertisement, carry a valid postal address, and honor an opt-out within 10 business days (FTC CAN-SPAM guide).

States add their own telemarketing, mail and real estate rules on top of the federal ones, and some are stricter. This page is general information, not legal advice; talk to a lawyer in your state before you start a calling or texting campaign.

Probate leads: frequently asked questions

What are probate leads?

Probate leads are newly opened estate cases where the person who died owned real estate. The estate's personal representative often needs to sell the house to pay debts or divide the estate among heirs, which makes these some of the most motivated sellers in real estate.

Can I get probate leads by county?

Yes. Keystone is sold county by county: you subscribe to the counties you work and get new probate filings there the same day they're filed. Each county page shows the lead types that county carries, and the links below go to popular counties and every state we cover.

Who should I contact on a probate lead?

The personal representative, the person named in the will or appointed by the court to administer the estate. They are the one with authority to sell the property, subject to the will and state law.

Can an executor sell a house before probate closes?

Often yes. Once the court has appointed the personal representative, they can usually sell estate real estate while the estate is open, either on their own authority or with the court's approval, depending on the will and the state.

What are pre-probate leads?

Pre-probate leads are recently deceased homeowners whose estate has not yet been opened in court. Keystone includes them alongside probate leads in the counties where they are available.

What comes with each probate lead?

The decedent and the petitioner or personal representative named in the case, matched to the property; the property address and a mailing address where available; the filing date, case reference and current case stage; and an estimated value and equity picture where available.

Which states does Keystone cover for probate?

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Coverage is county by county: each county page lists exactly which lead types that county carries.

Do Keystone leads include phone numbers?

The core lead is the court case itself, matched to the owner and the property, with a mailing address where available. Phone and email lookups are an optional paid add-on, not part of the base subscription. Many customers send leads straight into their own CRM and work them from there.

Can I send these leads to my CRM?

Yes. Leads show up in your Keystone dashboard, export to CSV, and can be pushed straight into your CRM so they land in the workflow you already use.

How much does a county subscription cost?

County subscriptions run $39 to $279 per month, set county by county from that county's court activity. One flat monthly price per county covers every lead type the county carries. The 7-day free trial needs no credit card, and nothing is billed unless you choose to subscribe.