A PROBATE REAL ESTATE AGENT SELLS ON THE STRENGTH OF LETTERS, NOT A COURSE BADGE.

The promise: the authority comes from the court's Letters, not from a certificate.

Colorado licenses real estate brokers; it does not license probate specialists. The state's lookup shows one broker license per person and no probate endorsement on it, so a probate specialist designation is a private course, not a state credential (PROBABLE; check any agent on the Division of Real Estate lookup). What is special about a probate sale is the seller, not the salesperson. The probate process does not change what the house is; it changes who can sign for an estate asset, and probate property sells on the same market as any other house once the Letters exist.

The seller is the personal representative, and the power to sell arrives with the court's Letters. Until the appointment ends, a personal representative has the same power over the title to estate property that an absolute owner would have, without a court order (C.R.S. 15-12-711, VERIFIED), limited only by a restriction in the will or an order in a formal proceeding (C.R.S. 15-12-715, VERIFIED). A power of attorney the decedent signed ended at death (C.R.S. 15-14-710, VERIFIED); nobody lists on it.

So the first thing a probate agent asks for is the Letters, and the first thing an agent who does not know the lane asks for is the will. The difference shows in week one.

The proof: what the job is, in order, with the statute beside each step.

Letters first: read them, confirm who signs, and note that the title company will want the recorded Letters at closing. Then protect the asset, because the estate is paying from the day Letters issue: vacancy insurance on the actual address, keys controlled, utilities on, mail redirected, anything actively causing damage stopped. Then the record: condition, permits, systems, the repairs the family remembers and the ones they do not.

Then the agreement. Since 2026-08-12 a Colorado broker may not perform licensed duties without a signed written agreement stating the amount or rate of compensation (HB26-1426, bill and date VERIFIED, amended text PROBABLE), and the personal representative signs it in that capacity. Then the price, against what closed and against the clock: the Denver metro median days on market was 57 in August 2026 (VERIFIED, Realtor.com via FRED, on the days on market page), and the creditor notice period keeps running in the background, four months from first publication or one year from death (C.R.S. 15-12-801, VERIFIED).

Then the sale itself, inside the statute. A sale to the personal representative, or to that person's spouse, agent or attorney, is voidable by any interested person unless the will authorized it or the court approves it after notice (C.R.S. 15-12-713, VERIFIED). An heir who wants to buy is a normal wish and a specific procedure, and a probate agent knows which before the offer is written. Proceeds go to the estate account, not to a person.

The plan: five questions, then send the date the Letters issued.

Ask for five specific answers. Show me the Letters you will list on, and tell me what you do if they have not issued yet. What changes on day one for insurance, keys and utilities, and who pays for it. How will you price a vacant house against the listings active the week we launch, not against the neighbor's sale from two summers ago. If an heir wants to buy it, what is the procedure and who approves it. And what does your listing agreement say about compensation, as a number.

An agent who answers all five in the statute's terms is doing the job. An agent who answers with the certificate is selling the certificate. Send Robert the date Letters issued, or the date you expect them, and whether the house is vacant; the sequence starts from authority instead of from a number.