Need advice on deal that has yet to go through probate

[Nick Saucier]

I have a lady who called me from one of my bandit signs who's ex-husband passed away without a will and now her children have a home that has to go through probate. They want to see what they can get out of the home as quickly as possible, so I go and take a look at the home and inspect the inside and outside/foundation thoroughly and didn't come up with any major structural damage, just a ton of cosmetic work to be done.

A little 804 sqr ft home with an as-is value of 41k needing about 40k in repairs before its ready to market. The only problem is it still hasn't gone through probate, do I have to wait for the property to go through probate before I can swoop in on it? Also, if I don't have to wait for it to go through probate, how long does probate generally take?