The house becomes a decision nobody planned for.

Care homes we know

Over the years we have built relationships with care operators across the Bay Area and into the greater Central Valley. If you are still looking, we are glad to make introductions — including to places further out, where the same level of care often costs meaningfully less than it does in Santa Clara County. For some families that difference is what makes the math work.

We will also tell you plainly whether we have any financial relationship with a home we suggest. You should ask that question of anyone who recommends a facility to you.

We are not care advisors or placement agents, and we do not assess medical needs. What we offer is introductions to operators we know, and honesty about what we know and what we do not.

Before you sell anything, read this part

Selling the house is often the wrong first move, and it is the move families make fastest, because care is expensive and the bills start immediately.

The house may be protecting itself. While your parent lives in the home, or intends to return to it, it is generally exempt from the Medi-Cal asset limit. California reinstated that asset limit on January 1, 2026 — $130,000 for an individual and $195,000 for a couple, after two years with no limit at all. The moment the house sells, an exempt asset becomes countable cash, and that can push someone over the line who was eligible the day before.

Transfers are being watched again too. The look-back period is phasing back in. Transfers made during 2024 and 2025 are not reviewed, but transfers from January 2026 forward are, with the review window growing month by month toward the full 30 months.

And estate recovery has not gone anywhere. After death, California may seek reimbursement for care costs from whatever remains of the estate. That is frequently the house.

None of this means do not sell. Plenty of families should sell, and selling is often exactly right when Medi-Cal is not part of the picture at all. It means the order of operations matters enormously, and one conversation with an elder law attorney before you list is the cheapest insurance available. We will happily wait while you have it.

Who can actually sign

This is where these sales usually stall, and it is worth sorting out early.

• Your parent, if they have the capacity to understand and sign. Capacity is a real legal question, not a family opinion.
• An agent under a power of attorney — but the document has to specifically authorize real property transactions. Plenty of general POAs do not.
• A successor trustee, if the house was properly deeded into a living trust. That process is here.
• A conservator, appointed by the court, when there is no valid POA and no trust. Slower and more expensive, which is why the documents matter.

If you are not sure which of these applies, pull the last recorded deed and find the estate documents before you talk to anyone about selling. The title company will ask.

What we can do with the house

Buy it as-is, no commission. We purchase directly, so there is no listing side and no commission coming out of the proceeds. No repairs, no cleanout, no staging, and no strangers walking through your parent's house on a Sunday afternoon. Contents included — take what matters to your family and leave the rest.

Or list it, if that serves you better. If the house shows well and nobody is in a hurry, the open market usually nets more. We hold the brokerage license too, and if that is the better outcome for your family we will say so and handle it that way.

Or fix it first. We are a licensed general contractor, so we can price the work honestly and tell you whether it returns more than it costs. Often it does not, and that is worth knowing before anyone spends the money.

When we are buying directly rather than representing you, we say so in writing. That is both the law and the only fair way to do it. You should always feel free to have your own agent or attorney review any offer we make — we would rather you did.

Common questions

Do we have to sell the house to pay for care?

Not necessarily, and it is worth slowing down before you do. While your parent lives in the home — or intends to return to it — it is generally exempt from the Medi-Cal asset limit. Once it sells, the proceeds are cash, and cash counts. Talk to an elder law attorney before listing anything.

Who can sign to sell a parent's house?

Your parent, if they have capacity. Otherwise it depends on the documents: a power of attorney must specifically authorize real property transactions, a successor trustee can sell property held in a trust, and without either you may need a court-appointed conservatorship. Title companies check this carefully and it is the most common reason these sales stall.

Does moving into a care facility affect the capital gains exclusion?

There is a specific provision for this situation. Normally you must have lived in the home two of the last five years to claim the exclusion, but if the owner became physically or mentally incapable of self-care, time spent in a licensed care facility can count toward that use requirement, provided they owned and used the home as their principal residence for at least one year of the five. Have a CPA confirm it applies to your situation.

Can you really buy it with everything still inside?

Yes. Take the photographs, the jewelry, the documents, and anything that matters to your family. Leave the furniture, the garage, the shed, and the forty years of everything else. Nobody needs to fly in for a cleanout weekend.

What if we would rather list it on the market?

Then we list it. If the house is in decent shape and the family is not in a hurry, the open market usually nets more, and we will tell you so. We hold the brokerage license as well.

How quickly can this happen?

A cash purchase can close in a couple of weeks once authority to sign is confirmed. It can also take months if that suits you better — families often want to wait until a parent is settled before touching the house.