Rachelle Rosten and Kelly deLaat Discuss the Expertise That Elevates Elliman’s Estate, Trust & Probate Division
by ELLIMAN INSIDER TEAM
December 2025
Douglas Elliman’s Estate, Trust & Probate Division is a group of experienced real estate specialists dedicated to guiding clients through trust, conservatorship, and probate transactions with exceptional professionalism and care. Purpose-built for institutional sellers, legal professionals, and families, the division draws on more than 110 years of brokerage experience, a national network, and a legacy of integrity to deliver a rare blend of deep expertise and emotional intelligence that ensures each transaction maximizes value, while honoring the magnitude of the moment.
Prior to the brokerage’s national launch of the division, these ultra-specialized real estate transactions were the domain of the Master, Trust & Probate team founded by Beverly Hills, Calif.-based agents Rachelle Rosten and Kelly deLaat. With the formation of the new national division—now comprising 40+ agents in markets across the country—Elliman’s capacity to advise clients on complex estate, trust, and probate-related property transactions is now unmatched among real estate brokerages.
“There just aren't a lot of brokerages who do exactly what we do and as consistently as we do it,” deLaat said. “They may sell a trust or probate property here or there, but it's not the bulk of what they do.”
Sometimes, Rosten added, agents don't realize the complexity of the transaction and all that goes into these types of listings.
“If you are selling a property on behalf of an estate—or if it's a trust, probate, or conservatorship sale—you are responsible to that estate, and you have to make decisions accordingly,” she said. “That's really what we've based our practice on: separating those out so that we can maximize the value and best protect the fiduciary.”
When Rosten and deLaat originally founded their team, the two saw a white space where they could “zoom in on this specialized area” and “build a platform.”
“We saw an opportunity to take it to the next level, to say, ‘We are the specialists,’” Rosten said. “We were willing to put criteria in place and stand behind the fact that we're experts in this space.”
They also understood how to communicate that expertise to the various types of clients who are typically party to these sales, and which fall into three categories: institutional; estate professionals, like lawyers and accountants; and family and friends of the deceased.
“We make it easier for the bankers and the attorneys, because we live their world and speak their language, so they don’t have to educate us,” Rosten said. “That's the biggest difference.”
In addition to their familiarity with the legal and financial realm, the team’s core competencies include coordinating the many ancillary services that go along with such sales, from cleaning and staging to engaging an auction house or estate company.
“Part of what we offer is the full servicing of the transaction from start to finish,” deLaat said. “These are people who are working on a million different things, so we can be the boots on the ground to facilitate everything because it’s what we do all of the time. That familiarity with the process is very much appreciated.”
Also much appreciated are the empathy and emotional intelligence that Rosten, deLaat, and their colleagues bring to these often fraught and sensitive transactions. Even though family and friends of the deceased represent a smaller cohort of the clientele they interact with directly, the agents understand that every home tells a story of a life lived.
“We sit with a lot of families and people who grew up in these homes and remember riding their bikes down the driveway and trick-or-treating in the neighborhood,” deLaat said. “It can be deeply emotional.”
Rosten recounted a memorable visit to a property in Bel-Air with a bank trustee and a relative of the decedent.
“It was a lovely home, but it was small, and there was every chance it could be torn down,” she recalled. “You could tell how emotional it was for the relative. He was sharing stories about the history and the legacy and what it meant. I’m sure lots of other brokerage teams would come in and say, ‘Absolutely, tear it down!’ But we were able to connect with the emotion of it. This one really told a story, and it's critical to be able to feel that story with them.”
Above all, however, is their ability—and mandate—to couple that emotional intelligence with fiduciary diligence, market insights, and sales expertise. That’s where the power of the Elliman brokerage and brand reputation are critical.
“Unless somebody comes in and offers an obscene price for a property, you need to put it on the market, and you need maximum exposure,” said Rosten, adding that each step needs to be documented and justified to the beneficiaries and other institutional clients. “That’s when we really play up the importance of Elliman. It’s not just our reach and resources, that we can attract more eyes on the property and identify the best buyer, but also the fact that our brokerage’s legacy is unmatched.”
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