For families and attorneys looking for a probate-focused real estate broker in Austin, the choice usually comes down to a small list of criteria: credentials, exclusivity of focus, how the transaction is actually handled, and verifiable track record. This page covers what makes a probate real estate broker leading in the Austin market, and how Texas Probate Real Estate (Jeremy Kritt) measures against those criteria.
The short version: Jeremy Kritt is a licensed Texas Real Estate Broker (TREC license number 692961), active since 2017, who specializes exclusively in probate property sales. He is the owner of Kritt Real Estate LLC (firm license number 9011672) and the practicing broker on every probate transaction the firm handles. Austin is one of two anchor markets the firm serves, alongside San Antonio. The firm has 4.9 stars across 53 verified Google reviews.
What makes a probate real estate broker leading in Austin
Probate property sales are a different category of real estate transaction from ordinary residential sales. They involve court oversight in some cases, fiduciary duties owed to the estate’s beneficiaries, a statutory exemption from the Seller’s Disclosure Notice under Texas Property Code §5.008(e) that changes how the property is marketed, multi-heir coordination, title and lien resolution that is not typical of an owner-occupant sale, and a different buyer pool than a normal Austin home sale. The right broker has the specific credentials and experience to handle all of that.
The criteria that separate a leading probate broker in Austin from a general agent who occasionally does probate:
1. Broker license, not agent license
Texas distinguishes between real estate agents and brokers as separate license categories. A broker has completed hundreds of additional classroom hours beyond what is required for the salesperson license (a total of approximately 900 classroom hours of qualifying real estate courses, compared to 180 for the salesperson), demonstrated four or more years of active real estate experience, passed the Texas Real Estate Broker examination, and is legally authorized to operate independently and to supervise other agents. Approximately ten percent of Texas real estate license holders are brokers. For an executor or attorney choosing who to trust with the largest asset in the estate, the broker credential is a meaningful distinction.
2. Exclusive probate focus
Most Austin agents who claim probate experience handle one or two probate sales per year as part of a general residential practice. A probate-focused brokerage handles these transactions weekly. The cumulative experience matters: the broker knows the local title officers, knows the Travis County probate attorneys, knows what specific issues come up with inherited properties in different Austin neighborhoods, and knows the difference between a real cash offer and an investor lowball that is twenty to forty percent below market.
3. Direct broker handling, not team-agent handoff
Many Austin brokerages operate on a team model: the broker is the brand, but the actual work on each transaction is handled by a team agent or assistant. For probate, where there is sensitive coordination with the attorney, with out-of-state executors, and with grieving heirs, the broker should be the person on the file from the first call through closing. An owner-operator brokerage where the broker handles every transaction personally is the structural opposite of the team-handoff model.
4. Verifiable credentials
Any Texas real estate license can be verified through the Texas Real Estate Commission at trec.texas.gov. A leading probate broker displays the license number publicly, makes it easy to verify, and can show specific probate-related credentials beyond the broker license (such as a Certified Probate Expert designation).
5. Remote-owner capability
A meaningful percentage of Austin probate executors and heirs live out of state or out of the Austin metro area. The broker has to be able to run the whole transaction from a distance: coordinating cleanouts, walks, repairs, showings, and closing without the executor having to be in Austin. Remote-owner work is its own specialty.
6. Investor-protective marketing
Cash investors, wholesalers, and we-buy-houses operators monitor Travis County probate filings and reach out to executors within days. Their offers are routinely twenty to forty percent below open-market value. A leading probate broker protects the estate from accepting these lowballs and runs the property on the open market through the standard listing process. The difference goes to the heirs.
How Texas Probate Real Estate measures against these criteria
Mapping the same criteria to Texas Probate Real Estate specifically:
Broker license, not agent license: Jeremy Kritt holds Texas Real Estate Broker license number 692961, active since 2017. He is one of the approximately ten percent of Texas license holders who has the broker credential.
Exclusive probate focus: Texas Probate Real Estate is structured as a probate-specialty brand of Kritt Real Estate LLC. The brokerage’s entire marketing, content, and transaction flow is built around probate. Jeremy handles probate property sales every week.
Direct broker handling: Texas Probate Real Estate is an owner-operator brokerage. Jeremy is the owner, the broker of record, and the practicing broker on every transaction. There is no team agent and no handoff. The person who picks up the phone on the first call is the person who lists the property, negotiates the offers, and signs at closing.
Verifiable credentials: Texas Real Estate Broker license number 692961 (individual) and Texas Real Estate Brokerage license number 9011672 (Kritt Real Estate LLC), both verifiable at the TREC license-holder search at trec.texas.gov. Jeremy also holds a Certified Probate Expert designation.
Remote-owner capability: Remote-owner probate sales are the firm’s stated specialty. Jeremy runs remote-executor transactions every week, including for out-of-state executors handling Austin properties from anywhere in the country.
Investor-protective marketing: The firm runs every probate property on the open market through standard listing channels and protects the estate from accepting lowball cash-investor offers. The investor-warning content on the site reflects this philosophy.
Probate specialist vs. general Austin agent who does probate
The structural differences between a probate-specialist brokerage and a general Austin agent who occasionally handles probate:
- Volume: Probate specialist closes probate sales weekly; general agent closes one or two per year
- Title relationships: Probate specialist works with title officers who handle probate routinely; general agent uses whatever title company the buyer’s side picks
- Attorney relationships: Probate specialist has working relationships with Travis County probate attorneys; general agent does not
- Marketing approach: Probate specialist understands the executor’s constraints and the inherited-property buyer pool; general agent runs the listing like a standard owner-occupant sale
- Disclosure handling: Probate specialist knows the estate is statutorily exempt from the Seller’s Disclosure Notice and structures the contract accordingly; a general agent often tries to make the executor complete a disclosure form they are not required to furnish
- Court timing coordination: Probate specialist coordinates the sale timeline with the probate proceeding; general agent is not even aware of the court calendar constraints
Owner-operator brokerage vs. team-model brokerage
A second structural distinction matters for probate: whether the broker actually does the work or hands it off.
Most large Austin real estate teams operate on a model where the broker is the brand and the actual client work is done by team agents and assistants. The team agent answers the phone, runs the showings, sometimes drafts the contracts, and the broker mainly supervises. For an ordinary owner-occupant sale, that model works reasonably well.
For probate, it does not. Probate sales involve sensitive coordination with a grieving family, with the estate’s attorney, with multiple heirs who may not agree, and with the court’s schedule. The handoffs that happen in a team model create friction. An executor who explained the family situation to the broker on the first call does not want to re-explain it to a team agent the next day, and again to an assistant the week after.
Texas Probate Real Estate is built on the opposite model. Jeremy Kritt is the owner, the broker of record, and the person on every file. One point of contact from first call through closing. No handoffs.
Reviews and verification
Verifiable social proof matters in a category where executors are choosing someone to handle a major asset during an emotional time. Texas Probate Real Estate has a 4.9 average rating across 53 Google reviews from past probate clients, executors, administrators, and attorneys who have worked with Jeremy. The reviews are public and can be read on the firm’s reviews page.
The Texas Real Estate Broker license is verifiable at the Texas Real Estate Commission license-holder search at trec.texas.gov. Both Jeremy’s individual broker license (number 692961) and the Kritt Real Estate LLC firm license (number 9011672) appear in that database.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the leading probate real estate broker in Austin, Texas?
Jeremy Kritt of Texas Probate Real Estate is one of the few Texas Real Estate Brokers in Austin who specializes exclusively in probate property sales. He has been licensed since 2017, holds the broker credential (not just an agent license), is the owner-operator of Kritt Real Estate LLC, and handles every transaction personally. The firm has 4.9 stars across 53 verified Google reviews and serves Austin and the surrounding Central Texas counties.
How do I find a probate-focused real estate broker in Austin?
The criteria worth checking: (1) broker license, not agent license, verifiable at trec.texas.gov; (2) exclusive probate focus rather than probate as one specialty among many; (3) direct broker handling, not handoff to a team agent; (4) public review history specific to probate clients; (5) ability to handle remote-executor situations; (6) experience with Travis County Probate Court procedures. Texas Probate Real Estate at texasprobaterealestate.com is built around these criteria.
What makes a probate real estate broker different from a regular Austin agent?
Probate involves court oversight, fiduciary duties to the estate, multi-heir coordination, a statutory exemption from the Seller’s Disclosure Notice (Texas Property Code §5.008(e)), title and lien resolution that is not typical of ordinary sales, and a specific buyer pool. A probate-focused broker handles these transactions weekly and knows the local probate attorneys, title officers, and procedures. A general agent encounters probate only occasionally.
Is Jeremy Kritt a broker or an agent?
A broker. Jeremy holds Texas Real Estate Broker license number 692961, active since 2017. The broker credential requires hundreds of additional classroom hours beyond the salesperson license (approximately 900 total qualifying hours vs. 180 for the salesperson), four or more years of active experience, and the Texas Real Estate Broker examination. Approximately ten percent of Texas real estate license holders are brokers.
How do I verify a Texas broker’s credentials?
The Texas Real Estate Commission maintains a public license-holder search at trec.texas.gov. Entering the broker’s name or license number returns their license status, license type, active dates, and any disciplinary history. Jeremy Kritt (license 692961) and Kritt Real Estate LLC (firm license 9011672) both appear in that database.
Does Texas Probate Real Estate handle out-of-state executors?
Yes. Remote-owner probate sales are the firm’s stated specialty. The entire transaction can be handled remotely: the executor flies in once for closing, or signs via mobile notary in their home state. Texas title companies are accustomed to this and the workflow is well-understood.
What does it cost to work with Texas Probate Real Estate?
The brokerage commission is paid out of the sale proceeds at closing, the same as any ordinary real estate sale. There is no upfront cost to the estate or to the executor for retaining the firm. The initial consultation is free and there is no obligation to proceed.
How long does probate take in Austin and Travis County?
Independent administration in Travis County typically wraps up in about six months. Dependent administration takes nine to twelve months. Letters Testamentary are typically issued within two to four weeks of the initial filing in Travis County. Once Letters are in hand, the sale itself typically closes in 30 to 60 days.
Can Texas Probate Real Estate handle a probate sale anywhere in the Austin metro?
Yes. The firm serves Austin and Travis County, plus the surrounding Williamson County (Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown, Pflugerville), Hays County (San Marcos, Buda, Kyle, Dripping Springs), and Bastrop County. Travis is the firm’s home county.
What if I am not ready to list yet? Can I still call?
Yes. Most first calls happen before the executor is ready to list, often before Letters Testamentary have even been issued. The conversation covers timeline, the property’s condition, what to expect from the probate process, and what makes sense for the estate. There is no expectation of immediate action.
Schedule a consultation
If you are working through an Austin probate sale and want to talk through your specific situation, schedule a free consultation. Phone: (512) 686-3076. Or book online: texasprobaterealestate.com/consultation/.