Practice Areas
Estate Planning
Practice Areas
Agoura Hills families who own rental property, a family business, or real estate in more than one state face estate questions a simple will can’t answer. Alice A. Salvo, a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, plans for those assets from her Woodland Hills office, a short drive east on the 101. Call 818-676-9572.
Passing a rental home or duplex to your children used to keep the old property tax assessment. Proposition 19 ended that for transfers after February 15, 2021. The parent-child exclusion now covers only a family home (or family farm) that the child moves into as a primary residence within a year (Board of Equalization Publication 800-1). An inherited rental is reassessed at its current market value, and so is a family home the child later rents out.
That change can turn a profitable rental into a break-even one for the next generation. Planning ahead lets you decide whether to sell, keep, or restructure the property while you can still choose. Our article on Proposition 19 and inherited property covers the family home rules in more depth.
California has no estate tax or inheritance tax. The federal estate tax applies only above $15,000,000 per person for deaths in 2026 (IRS, What’s New: Estate and Gift Tax), and a married couple can combine their exemptions. For most Agoura Hills households, the real costs are property tax reassessment and probate, not estate tax.
For families above the federal threshold, the planning is different, and it usually involves irrevocable trusts. The trusts overview explains how irrevocable and revocable trusts differ.
If you own a practice, a company, or a share in a partnership, ask who can sign checks and make payroll the week you’re in the hospital. A durable power of attorney drafted with business powers answers that question. Without one, your family may need a conservatorship just to keep the business running. Pair it with an advance healthcare directive so medical decisions don’t stall either.
At death, business interests held in a living trust pass to your successor trustee without court. Interests left in your own name go through probate, which is public and can take more than a year. Our guide to setting up a trust covers how to transfer LLC and partnership interests into it.
A cabin in Utah or a condo in Hawaii adds a second problem. Real estate is probated in the state where it sits, so a family can face two court cases. Holding out-of-state property in your trust avoids that second case. When the time comes, your trustee handles everything through trust administration.
Families with a relative who receives disability benefits should read about special needs trusts before leaving that person a share of a rental or business. If you aren’t sure how your children would inherit today, start with California inheritance law or the full estate planning page.
Alice Salvo has received Martindale-Hubbell’s AV rating and holds an LL.M. in Estate Planning from the University of Miami. Meetings can happen at the Woodland Hills office or by video, which works well for clients who travel. The firm also serves Westlake Village, Calabasas, West Hills, and Woodland Hills.
Usually yes. Under Proposition 19, an inherited rental property is reassessed at market value. Only a family home the child moves into qualifies for the exclusion.
No. California has no estate or inheritance tax, and the federal estate tax applies only to estates above $15,000,000 per person in 2026.
A trust is the usual answer. Without one, your family may need a separate probate case in the state where the property is located.
Bring your deeds, business documents, and current trust, if you have one. Call 818-676-9572 or send a message to set up a planning meeting.
Last updated November 11, 2026. Meet Alice A. Salvo, State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law.