Selling.House
How to Sell My Inherited House in Houston?
how to sell my inherited house in Houston
Work Through the Will or Probate
The first step in selling an inherited house in Texas is making sure you have the legal right to do so. This means working through the will or the probate process.
If there is a will, it will specify who the executor of the estate is. Depending on the terms of the will, the executor may be responsible for selling the home or transferring its legal ownership to the correct beneficiary. If you are not the executor, you cannot sell the home until that person has finished transferring ownership to you.
If there is no will, you will need to complete the probate process to gain legal ownership of the home. Once you have ownership, it’s time to check the title.
Check the Title
Evaluate Your Options
With a title in hand and your authority to sell settled, you can address the question of how to sell an inherited house. There are two main options. You can sell via the traditional real estate process or you can sell to a cash buyer.
Most Texans are more familiar with the traditional process, but this often not a good choice when dealing with inherited property for several reasons.
Timing
Even in a bustling real estate market, selling a home via a realtor can be a slow process. This is especially true when you attempt to sell during off-seasons. This not only drags out the stress for sellers but can lead to huge costs.
For as long as the house is on the market and you are waiting for paperwork to go through, you are responsible for the maintenance, upkeep, taxes, and other expenses associated with the house.
Prep Work
You can face additional expenses in the form of extensive prep work before the home goes on the market. When you sell via a realtor, you usually sell to buyers who need a mortgage. Most mortgage companies will not fund the purchase of a home that needs any substantial amount of work.
Buyers, their mortgage lenders, and their insurers may also require that sellers do some work on the house to bring it up to code or other common standards before a sale can go through. This can be time-consuming and expensive.
Titles
Selling a home that does not have a clear title on the open market can also be challenging. Lienholders can interfere with sale pricing and sale timing, and slow the selling process to a crawl.
How to Sell My Inherited House in Houston for Cash
Selling an inherited house to a cash buyer can be faster, easier, and much less stressful on all fronts. When you sell to a Houston cash buyer you do not:
- Need to do any work on the house regardless of its condition
- Need to spend money on staging or modernizing touches to appeal to buyers
- Pay realtor fees
- Have to open the home for showings
- Have to wait for months to get your property sold
- Pay most of the other fees commonly associated with sales such as inspection fees and closing costs
Experienced cash buyers can provide you with a quote on the value of your home within 24 hours via a simple phone call or text. Since they do not need to work through mortgage lenders and insurers, they are free from the restrictions those third parties impose.
This allows them to buy homes fast, even if they are in poor repair or have complicated titles. Cash buyers also pay most of the fees associated with a sale, making them a convenient and cost-effective way to sell inherited property in Houston. Sellers who choose cash buyers can save time, save money, and get the best deal for their property with the least amount of fuss.