CERTIFIED PROBATE AND TRUST REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST
Need to Sell an Estate or Probate Property?
When you are handling a home after a loss, you need more than a Realtor. You need someone who can bring calm, clarity, and a real plan.
If you’re sorting through what to do with a house, I’m happy to listen and help you think through the next steps. Let’s talk.
Jolene Baijot | Real Estate Agent, CPRES, ABR
Probate and Estate Real Estate in Bellingham and Whatcom County
Probate and estate properties can come with additional details that make the real estate process different from a typical home sale. Having an experienced local agent who understands both the property and the process can make a real difference.
I’m Jolene Baijot, a Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist (CPRES) with more than 25 years of real estate experience. I help families, personal representatives, and estate professionals with probate, estate, and inherited properties throughout Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale, Blaine, and Whatcom County.
From deciding what to do with the property before listing to pricing, marketing, negotiation, and closing, I handle the real estate side from start to finish.
For probate and estate homes in Bellingham and Whatcom County, you can also find me at Josh & Jolene Real Estate. See our Bellingham probate real estate agent page.
WHO I HELP
A local estate and probate real estate specialist who helps you simplify the next steps
You may have been named the personal representative of an estate or the successor trustee of a family trust. You may be an heir sharing a house with siblings, or a family member handling a parent’s home from another state.
Each of these roles comes with its own decisions about the house. My part is the real estate: understanding the property, showing you your options, and managing the sale from the first visit to closing.
If you are still learning whether the home will go through probate or a trust, that is a great place to start. Your attorney guides the legal side, and I work right alongside them.
HOW I HELP
From the first visit to the closing table
01
See the property first
I visit the home, review its condition and value, and give you a clear picture before you spend time or money.
02
Choose what is worth doing
Some homes sell best as is. Others shine with light cleanup or staging. We focus on what pays off.
03
Prepare and market
I coordinate cleanout, repairs, photos and showings so the home is presented at its best.
04
Negotiate and close
I review every offer with you and keep the attorney, title company and family informed through closing.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
Steady support from start to finish
More clarity
Know what to do first, what matters most, and what options make the most sense.
Less overwhelm
Have someone steady in your corner when there are a lot of moving parts.
Smarter sale strategy
Make informed choices about timing, pricing, cleanup, repairs, and whether to sell as is.
Strong local guidance
Get advice based on the Bellingham and Whatcom County market, not generic real estate talk.
What I Handle for You
My role is to manage the real estate side of the property and keep the sale moving from preparation through closing.
That includes evaluating the property, reviewing comparable sales, deciding what is worth doing before listing, preparing the home for market, coordinating with family members and representatives, marketing the property, negotiating offers and managing every detail through closing.
Every Kind of Property
Estate properties come in all shapes and sizes. My experience includes longtime family homes, waterfront and view properties, acreage, duplexes, apartment buildings and other investment properties.
Each one is evaluated, prepared, priced and marketed in its own way. A waterfront home on Lake Whatcom and a fourplex rental call for very different plans, and I bring the right one to each property.
A Designer’s Eye for Estate Homes
I grew up in a family of interior designers, and that background shapes how I prepare a home for the market.
Often a few thoughtful choices, like clearing the right rooms, refreshing paint or staging the main living spaces, help buyers see a home’s best qualities. We put your time and budget into the changes that bring the strongest return.
Your Local Contact, Wherever You Live
Many of the families I work with live in another city or state. I become your local point of contact, meeting vendors, checking on the property and keeping everything moving.
You will always know what is happening, what needs your attention and what comes next.
Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist
As a Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist (CPRES), I have additional training in real estate involving probate, estates and trusts. Together with over 25 years of experience and more than 1,000 real estate transactions, it helps me anticipate the details these sales often include.
My focus stays on the real estate. For legal, tax and accounting questions, I work right alongside your attorney, accountant and other estate professionals.
GETTING STARTED
Three simple steps
1. Schedule a free call
Tell me about the property and your situation in a free 15 minute call by phone or video.
2. Visit the property
I see the home in person, or by video if you live out of the area, and share its value and your options.
3. Make a plan together
We choose the approach that fits your family and your timeline, and I take it from there.
PROBATE AND TRUST GUIDES
Helpful reading
These guides walk through the questions families ask most, so you can read at your own pace.
Related reading
The First Week After Inheriting a House
Can You Sell a House Before Probate?
Can an Executor Sell a House?
Do All Heirs Have to Agree to Sell?
Cleanout, Repairs or Sell As Is
Taxes on Inherited Property
Testimonials
What clients appreciate most
Questions People Often Ask
LET’S TALK
Start with a conversation
The house can stay just as it is for now. In many cases I would rather see it first, before anything is cleaned out or repaired.
Tell me about the property and your situation, and together we will map out a plan that fits your family and your timeline.