Targeting Probate Leads - Wills vs No Wills

[Kyle Westbrook]

Anyone knowledgeable with Probates? I'm currently researching these records in my county and have found that some of the deceased's real property was moved into a Living Trust. I have heard that this keeps the property from going through probate, but either way, is it still worth reaching out to the executor listed to see if they would be interested in selling, or would I be wasting my time and money?

Secondly, many of my county's records have these case types classified as "Letters of Testamentary." From my understanding, these cases are no different other than the deceased had a will. My question is that do I reached out to the named Executor just as I would in a "non-willed" probate case to see if they would be interested in selling the property, or is more research needed to see if the property was willed to another individual (not the executor). I know the executor has legal right to settle the estate, but unsure how this would work if all debts were settled, the house has not been sold, and the deceased's will stated that they wanted to leave their property to a different person (or multiple) other than the executor.

Thanks in advance BP for any information you can provide!