Inherited and probate property
Selling an Inherited House in Florida
Probate open, heirs in three states, forty years of belongings inside and a roof that needs replacing. We have closed that file more times than we can count.
- We buy with the probate file still open and time closing to the court
- Heirs in different states sign remotely, no travel needed
- Leave everything inside, including furniture and a full garage
The Short Answer
Yes, you can sell an inherited house in Florida, but the personal representative needs letters of administration from the court before they can sign a deed. You can go under contract before that and close once the letters are issued. If the estate qualifies for summary administration, which in Florida generally applies when the estate is under 75,000 dollars or the death was more than two years ago, the timeline is considerably shorter than formal administration.
Why inherited houses are hard to sell the normal way
An inherited Florida house usually arrives with several problems at once, and any one of them is enough to stall a traditional listing.
- Nobody lives nearby. Heirs are often out of state and cannot manage repairs, showings or a cleanout from a thousand miles away.
- The house is thirty years behind. Original electrical panel, original plumbing, a roof past its insurable age. In Florida that combination fails a four-point inspection and makes the house uninsurable for a financed buyer.
- It is full. Decades of belongings that nobody has the time or the stomach to sort.
- More than one heir. Three siblings with three different opinions about price and timing, and a listing that requires all of them to agree on every counteroffer.
- Carrying costs are running. Taxes, insurance on a vacant home at vacancy rates, utilities and lawn care, all coming out of somebody’s pocket every month.
What we do differently
We buy the house as it stands, contents included. You take what matters to you and leave the rest. We do not ask for repairs, a cleanout, an estate sale or a dumpster. One offer, one closing, and the proceeds are distributed by the title company according to the estate.
We work with Florida probate attorneys regularly and can coordinate directly with yours on timing. If you do not have one yet and the estate needs formal administration, say so and we will tell you what that typically means for the calendar rather than guessing at it.
Multiple heirs, different states
This is the norm, not the exception. Florida allows remote online notarization, and a mail-away closing package works for heirs who prefer paper. Every heir who needs to sign can do it from where they live. Nobody books a flight to close.
Where heirs disagree on price, an independent offer in writing tends to be useful: it gives the family a real number to talk about instead of three different guesses.
How it works
How the Sale Works From Here
Three simple steps. No obligation at any point.
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Tell us about your house
Enter the address and answer five quick questions. It takes about 60 seconds and costs you nothing.
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Get your written offer
We check recent comparable sales and the condition, then send a written, no-obligation cash offer, usually within 24 hours.
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Close on your date
Pick the day. We close at a Florida title company, cover the closing costs, and you leave with cash, in as little as 7 days.
The honest comparison
Selling to us vs. listing with an agent
| Item | Sell House Quickly | Listing with an agent |
|---|---|---|
| Written offer in about 24 hours | Yes | No |
| No fees or commissions | Yes | No |
| You choose the closing date | Yes | No |
| No repairs needed | Yes | No |
| Sell your house as-is | Yes | No |
| We cover the closing costs | Yes | No |
| No showings or open houses | Yes | No |
| No financing that can fall through | Yes | No |
Local pages
Where This Comes Up Most
The markets where we see this situation most often, with local detail on each.
Questions
Questions sellers ask us
Do I need to go through probate before selling?
In most cases yes, because the deed has to be signed by someone with legal authority. If the property was held jointly with right of survivorship, in a living trust, or had an enhanced life estate deed, probate may not be required at all. A Florida probate attorney can tell you in one conversation which applies.
Can you buy before probate is finished?
We can go under contract early and close once the personal representative has authority. That lets you lock in a price and a buyer while the court process runs, instead of starting from scratch afterwards.
What if one heir will not agree?
Every owner on title has to sign. If the heirs cannot agree, that is a legal question for the estate’s attorney and not something we can solve. What we can do is give you a written offer that the family can evaluate together.
Do I have to empty the house first?
No. Take what you want. We handle everything left behind, including furniture, appliances, a full attic and a garage nobody has opened in a decade.
What about the capital gains tax?
Inherited property in the United States generally receives a stepped-up basis to its fair market value at the date of death, which often means little or no capital gain if you sell soon after. We are not tax advisors and you should confirm this with a CPA, but it is the reason many families find the tax bill smaller than they feared.
The house has a reverse mortgage on it. Can you still buy?
Often yes. A reverse mortgage becomes due when the borrower dies, and the estate typically has a limited window to sell or repay. Tell us the servicer and the payoff figure early, because that window drives the whole timeline.
No obligation
Find out what we would pay for your house
No obligation, no fees, and no repairs. Find out what your Florida house is worth in cash today.
Rather talk? Call or text (305) 488-2530