Selling an Inherited Home, at Your Own Pace

If you've inherited a home, you may be handling grief, paperwork, and family conversations all at the same time. The house can wait while you take care of what matters first.

When you're ready to think about it, we can help you understand what's involved and what your options are. Asking questions doesn't commit you to anything.

Selling an inherited home in Georgia: the general steps

1. Talk with the estate's attorney about who can sell. Before a home that's part of an estate can be sold, someone needs the legal authority to sign for it. That's often the executor or administrator, and the attorney can tell you what's needed in your case.
2. Secure and insure the home. Lock it up, keep the utilities that need to stay on, and call the insurance company. An empty home may need a different kind of policy.
3. Get a value. Find out what the home is worth today, as it is. The estate's attorney or accountant may also ask for a value for their records.
4. Decide what to keep, donate, or sell. Give the family time to choose keepsakes before anything leaves the house.
5. Compare cash vs. listing. Look at a cash offer for the home as it is next to an estimate of what listing could net after repairs, prep, and costs.
6. Close. The person with authority to sell signs the paperwork with a closing attorney, and the money is handled as the estate's attorney directs.

Working with executors, attorneys, and family

Estate sales often involve several people: an executor, an attorney, and family members who may live out of state. We're glad to talk with everyone involved, together or one at a time, and to send the same written numbers to each person.

We'll keep the estate's attorney informed and follow their lead on timing and paperwork. Nothing gets signed until the person with authority to sell is ready.

Clean-outs and estate sales

Many inherited homes still hold a lifetime of belongings. You don't have to sort it all before you talk with us. If you'd like help, we can suggest local resources for estate sales, donations, and clean-outs, and you choose whether to use them.

Cash or list? You'll see both

Some families want a simple, as-is sale on a date they choose. Others would rather prepare the home and list it to aim for a higher price. We'll put both numbers in writing so you can compare. See an example of how cash and listing compare.

If our team or a company we're connected to makes the cash offer, we're buying for our own account, and we'll tell you so in writing before you sign anything. Read our disclosure.