Probate purchase process - Bay Area

[Robert Ortiz]

Hello everyone, 

I came across a property that's a probate sell but I'm not too familiar with the process or the associated costs and I was wondering if I can get some insight on this type of purchase to see if this is something I want to look into. My main concern is the additional costs I will incur from the this type of purchase. Do the fees come from an attorney I may need to hire to help with the process or fees I will just need to pay fees to some institution? 

What I do know: 

• - Personal Representative (PR) should have full authority to sell the property; this gives them the right to sell the property instead of going through the court.
• - If there are no heirs, others who are interested, or litigations, I don't have to provide a Notice of Proposed Action and I can move on. 
• - Even if my offer is accepted, there will be other bidders that I should be aware of.
• - A 10% downpayment is required when providing an offer. Is there anything I can do to protect this deposit?

Thank you all for your insight!