Neighbor's house in probate, NOW HAS SQUATTERS, in California

[Oscar Miguel]

Hello everyone, there is a neighbor whose grandmother (legal homeowner) passed away without a will or trust.  The neighbor doesn't live there anymore and now the house has a squatter.  I asked her if she'd be interested in selling and she is, but here is some of the hair on this potential investment:

*There are 3 siblings, two are in contact and receptive to selling, the third is estranged but came out of the woodwork looking for a piece of the pie.  Have not had any luck getting a hold of this person.

*As mentioned, there is now a squatter in the home.  Police were called and the squatter knows his rights and now has to be evicted.

*The house is just about to go into probate.

I would love some advice from people with experience here.  Is there a way for me to buy the house and start the eviction process myself?  This house is in a gentrified neighborhood but has not been touched since 1960.  It'd be almost a full teardown and rebuild, but the neighborhood it sits on is definitely worth it.  Not to mention that I'd like to help keep the neighborhood safe.  Most of the other neighbors are elderly and don't seem to want to get involved.  So I see an opportunity for a value add flip or rental, but not sure how to deal with the house being in probate, and now the squatter.

Any advice is welcome, thank you!

[Brian Napierala]

I had to deal with a similar situation.  I bought a house at auction, then when I went to check out the property, there was someone living there that shouldn't have been.  Long story short, I had to use the sheriff dept multiple times to get the property cleared, so I could go to work.  It can be done, be patient, and use the law to assist you.