In estate homes since age eight.
At eight years old I was working for my father in the auction, estate sale and cleanout business, helping families deal with all their stuff. I learned to buy and sell before I could drive — it paid my way through college. From that work to construction to real estate, I've been inside thousands of homes, most of them at the hardest moment a family can face. That's where I picked up what most people never get the chance to learn: what things are actually worth, what to do with a house full of a life, and how to move through it with some dignity.
Thirty-three years in construction and over a decade as a Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist (CPRES) came after. But the estate work came first, and it's still the part of this I understand best.
I work with families across Los Angeles — the Westside and the Pacific Coast corridor especially — but wherever a client needs me, that's where I go.
David Bruce — "DB" · REALTOR® · Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist (CPRES) · Probate Homeowner Advocate
Two educations that rarely come together
How I know what things are worth
I started in the estate world working auctions and estate sales for my dad. I was buying and selling before I could drive, and it helped pay my way through life and through college. That early education is still the difference between a house getting cleared out and a house getting understood first.
Gold jewelry stamped "750" isn't fake — it's how 18-karat gold is marked in Italy. Most people, and most agents, would assume costume jewelry. I know the difference.
How I can see through walls
I was a carpenter, working ground-up builds and remodels as the right hand to a general contractor. That means I can look at a wall and know where the studs are, whether it's load-bearing, and how to open it up and support it properly and to code.
Building, flipping, and walking through thousands of homes has taught me what makes a buyer fall for a house — good flow, the right finishing touch, the moment it feels like theirs.
years of hands-on construction experience
years selling real estate in Los Angeles
years as a Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist
How I work
The attorney handles the court. I handle the house.
Nothing gets thrown out before it's understood
The contents get looked at and valued first. Then the right things go to the right buyers, specialists handle anything with legal rules attached, and the cleanout handles the rest.
Licensed trades do the work
I scope what the house needs and which repairs will pay for themselves, then coordinate licensed, bonded contractors to do it. One point of contact, not five strangers to manage.
I work alongside your attorney
Court filings, creditor claims and distribution stay with your probate attorney. I don't give legal or tax advice. I take the property side off your plate.
I don't buy the houses I list
If a cash sale is the right answer, investors can make offers and I'll say so plainly. I stay on the estate's side of the table.
Start wherever you are
Not ready to talk? The Estate Quick Check takes about a minute and gives you a straight answer about where the estate stands. Ready for real numbers on the house and its contents? Call me.