First: whose name is the house in?
How you sell depends on how the house passed to you:
- Through probate: the court-appointed executor or administrator signs for the estate. See selling a house in probate.
- Through a trust: the successor trustee usually has authority to sell without going to court.
- By a transfer-on-death deed or joint ownership: title may pass to you more directly, often with a recorded affidavit and death certificate.
- Already deeded to you: you sell it like any other property you own.
If you aren't sure, that's fine. The title company will search the records and tell everyone exactly who needs to sign.
The hidden cost of keeping an empty house
An inherited home starts costing money the day you get the keys: property taxes, insurance (vacant homes often need special coverage), utilities, lawn care, and repairs that surface when nobody's living there. A small leak in an empty house can become a big claim. Every month it sits is a month of carrying costs, and of driving or flying in to check on it.
Selling it without the clean-out, the repairs or the trips
- Leave the contents. Take the photos and heirlooms; leave the furniture, the garage and the attic.
- No repairs. Old roof, original kitchen, 40-year-old furnace: we buy as-is.
- Remote-friendly. We can evaluate by video, coordinate access with a neighbor or lockbox, and many closings allow mobile notaries or remote signing.
- Pick your date. Close in as little as 15 days, or later if heirs need time.
Multiple heirs? One number everyone can see
When several siblings or relatives inherit together, the hardest part is often agreeing. We put the offer in writing with the full math: what similar homes sell for, the repair estimate, the costs to resell. Everyone looks at the same facts. At closing, the title company or attorney can split the proceeds according to ownership, so no one has to hold money for anyone else.
Cash offer or Retail Buyer Program?
If the house needs significant work or you want it done quickly, a cash offer is usually the cleanest exit. If it's in decent shape and the heirs can allow 30–45 days, the Retail Buyer Program often nets more. You get a fixed net in writing, and we handle storage, cleaning, lawn care and showings while it's on the market. We'll show you both numbers.
A note on taxes: inherited property often receives a "stepped-up" cost basis, which can reduce capital gains tax when you sell. Rules vary, so check with a tax professional before you sell.