{"id":10011,"date":"2024-10-03T07:54:21","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T14:54:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=10011"},"modified":"2026-03-27T07:06:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T14:06:32","slug":"how-does-an-executor-sell-a-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-does-an-executor-sell-a-house\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Tips for Executors Tasked With a Difficult Job: Selling the House"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether the deceased is your dearly departed loved one or you\u2019re simply a court-appointed personal representative<\/a>, the weight of fulfilling someone\u2019s final wishes during probate is a heavy load to carry.<\/p>\n

Add in the complexity of selling a house<\/a> during the process and honoring those last requests can feel impossible.<\/p>\n

While the probate process varies from state to state<\/a>, there are ways to simplify the process no matter where you live. So, how does an executor sell a house? Follow these 7 tips for a smooth road to closing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Work With a Top Probate Agent<\/h3>\n

Top-performing agents sell homes faster and for more money than average agents. When selling a house in probate, maximizing the home sale can best serve the estate’s interests.<\/p>\n \n

\n Find Agent<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n

1. File the will with the probate court<\/h2>\n

In most states, probate laws dictate that the decedent\u2019s will must be filed with the probate court within one to four months<\/a> of the date of death.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t file within the period mandated by your state, you\u2019re in violation of the law, and the court may refuse to appoint you as the estate executor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why all executors should file the will with the probate court within the state\u2019s time frame \u2014 regardless of whether the estate will need to go through probate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say you don\u2019t file the will because you believe the estate is too small to require probate. Then, months later, you discover that appreciating assets (like the house) have increased the estate\u2019s value<\/a>, so it now requires probate.<\/p>\n

If you didn\u2019t file the will with the court by the state-dictated timeline, then you\u2019ve created a bunch of legal headaches for yourself.<\/p>\n

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2. Take control of the probate timeline<\/h2>\n

Once you file that document, the probate timeline<\/a> kicks into gear, whether you\u2019re ready or not.<\/p>\n

With all the rules, regulations, and deadlines involved in the probate process, many executors feel rushed and overwhelmed, especially considering the limited time to gather all the necessary documents, forms, and paperwork.<\/p>\n

Luckily, that timeline isn\u2019t always set in stone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere can be rules or guidelines for when a will is supposed to be filed in the probate court, but most people don\u2019t have a will, so that\u2019s often irrelevant,\u201d explains Sacramento-based probate attorney John Palley<\/a>, who has been awarded Martindale-Hubbell\u2019s prestigious \u201cAV\u201d peer review rating.<\/p>\n

\u201cTypically, the clients are in charge of when we file for probate, so we don\u2019t have to start it today.\u201d<\/p>\n

While you can give yourself a little breathing room of a few weeks before filing the will \u2014 and even more if there\u2019s no will to file \u2014 you don\u2019t want to wait too long, or you\u2019ll unnecessarily delay the lengthy, often year-long timeline.<\/p>\n

\u201cFiling the will with the court triggers many other things during the probate process, including when they\u2019ll be able to sell the house, access the bank accounts, sell the car, and do all those types of things,\u201d Palley says.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, the sooner you start, the sooner you\u2019re in control to finish the process and move on with life.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How does an executor sell a house? Follow these 7 tips to cut through the red tape and paperwork for a smooth road to closing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":48934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[326,319],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inheritance","category-selling-advice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow Does an Executor Sell a House? 7 Tips to Ease the Process<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How does an executor sell a house? 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