What if a decedent who was a resident of California owned a primary home there, but also owned businesses and vacation homes in New York and Maine? What will happen when it’s time for the California estate settlement proceedings to begin? Will there be three separate and costly probate processes? The answer is both yes and no. Probate proceedings must take place in all three states, but the probate will be primarily handled within what was the decedent’s home state, with the other states performing what is called ancillary probate. In this manner, each state’s individual laws can be adhered to without extreme further complication of the probate process.