Own a Silicon Valley or Santa Cruz home you've held for decades?
I help longtime homeowners unlock their equity and make their next move — with a broker's strategy and a CFO's math. Downsizing, Prop 19, trust & inherited home sales, and the real numbers behind all of it.
Licensed since 2006 · Broker since 2021 · 150+ transactions · CA DRE #01724888
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Most agents serve everyone. I work with longtime Northern California homeowners facing one of a handful of decisions — because after decades in the same house, the money questions matter as much as the move. Every one of these leads to a real guide, free, with no form in the way.
“I'm ready for what's next, but I don't know how the pieces fit.”
Sell first or buy first? What does the equity actually buy you? How does Prop 19 protect your property-tax base? The Northern California Downsizing Roadmap walks through all of it, step by step.
Get the Downsizing Roadmap →“I'm over 55. Can I really take my low tax base with me?”
Yes — anywhere in California, up to three times. Done right it saves thousands a year. Done wrong, buying before you sell costs six figures. Plain English, real numbers, and a calculator that shows your actual new tax base.
Read the Prop 19 guide →“I've just been named trustee and I didn't ask for this.”
Full versus limited authority, court confirmation, overbid math, the notices with 60- and 150-day clocks. Plus a week-by-week task list for your first 30 days, which is mostly gathering and securing — not selling.
The probate & trust sale walkthrough →“My husband died and people keep asking about the house.”
Almost none of it is as urgent as it feels. Four clocks actually run. One federal rule is worth up to $500,000 if you sell within two years of the date of death — and a California community-property rule can be worth considerably more than that. The rest can wait.
“I inherited a house and I think I’m already late.”
You’re probably not. Most California filings punish lateness with lost retroactivity, not disqualification — but two of them are hard gates with no relief. Put the date of death in and see every deadline on one timeline.
“Should I sell now, or leave the house to my kids?”
The step-up in basis against the Prop 19 cap, side by side, in dollars. There is a one-year move-in requirement most people don’t know about — and if the kids rent it out instead, it is reassessed in full.
“I was just named trustee and I don’t know what I’m doing.”
The whole job in six steps, on video and in writing: what to secure first, which notices start which clocks, whether the sale needs court confirmation, and how the overbid actually works if it does.
A broker's strategy. A CFO's math.
Selling the home you've owned for 20 or 30 years isn't a transaction — it's a financial event. Capital gains after the §121 exclusion. Your Prop 19 tax base. What the net proceeds actually fund for the next chapter.
I've been in California real estate since 2006 and licensed as a broker since 2021, and I've spent years on the finance side — corporate property-tax consulting early on, and a stint as a CFO. That combination is why longtime homeowners — and the attorneys and CPAs who advise them — call me when the numbers have to be right.
"What will I actually walk away with?"
Sale price minus commissions, transfer taxes, and capital gains after the $250K/$500K exclusion — computed honestly, the way a CFO would. Most homeowners who've held for decades are surprised by the answer. Better to be surprised now than in escrow.
Run Your Net Proceeds“You didn’t ask for this job.”
The trustee and heir playbook — the whole job in six steps, and the one Prop 19 change that flipped the old “keep it for the low taxes” logic.
If someone died and named you trustee, you inherited a job with deadlines you didn’t set. Most of them punish lateness with lost retroactivity rather than disqualification — but two of them are hard gates, and one of those is the twelve-month move-in rule that decides whether the low property-tax base survives at all.
Silicon Valley & Santa Cruz County — street-level knowledge, both sides of the hill.
Micro-market pricing, schools, commutes, drainage — the details that move value. If you've owned here for decades, you deserve an agent who knows your street, not just your ZIP code.
What "no hype" sounds like from the other side of the table
Real reviews, verified on Zillow.
"Lance took on the sale of my property at the most traumatic time in my life… Lance was tenacious and empathetic and genuinely caring and responsive… Lance went above and beyond and 'held my hand' through the entire process. I felt like I had a family member helping me, rather than a realtor." — Seller, 2024 · ★★★★★
"I didn't need a hyper-aggressive, flashy agent; Lance offered a grounded, steady confidence and the perfect balance of warmth and professionalism that gave us total peace of mind… Lance's communication is stellar; he relies on hard data rather than empty sales pitches." — Melissa W., sold a single-family home, 2026 · ★★★★★
"He was reachable every step of the way and never once dropped the ball. I'm now the proud owner of my beachy little dream home in Aptos, and I'm already working with Lance again to sell my previous home. That says everything. If you want someone who's patient, sharp, and genuinely in your corner, call Lance." — Buyer, Aptos, 2026 · ★★★★★
"Lance truly was a light in the dark for us… He was always available on the phone, email, and in person to go over anything I ever needed to know… He is so on the ball with details, paperwork, and communication. A true professional with the utmost integrity." — Leila F., bought in Santa Cruz, 2025 · ★★★★★
Seven guides. No email required for any of them.
Most agents put a form in front of a PDF. I’d rather you read the thing. Download whichever one fits, decide for yourself whether I’m worth a phone call, and call me if I am.
The Home Seller’s Guide
The full listing process end to end — pricing strategy, prep, staging, marketing, offers, inspections, close. 37 pages, from our team.
The Home Buyer’s Guide
Financing, pre-approval paperwork, what the deposits and closing costs actually run, and how the offer and inspection timeline works. 22 pages.
The Northern California Downsizing Roadmap
Sell first or buy first, what the equity really buys, and how Prop 19 fits into the sequence.
The Trustee’s First 30 Days
A week-by-week task list — which is mostly gathering and securing, not selling.
What’s your home actually worth?
Not an algorithm’s guess from public records — a real analysis of your house, by hand, with the comps that actually compare. Free, and no obligation to do anything with it.
Request Your Home Value AnalysisNot ready to move? Stay in the loop anyway.
Once a month: what actually sold on both sides of the hill, what changed in California property-tax law, and the occasional honest “don’t sell yet.” No listings spam. Unsubscribe whenever.
Wondering what your home — and your equity — could do next?
A What's-Next Consultation is a conversation, not a sales pitch: your home's realistic value today, your net after taxes, your Prop 19 options, and a clear picture of the road ahead. No obligation, no hype.
Book a What's-Next Consultation