\u201cBe ready and prepared emotionally for the process to begin, first and foremost,\u201d advises Greensboro, North Carolina agent Beth Sauer<\/a>, who also has firsthand knowledge as the seller of an inherited home.<\/p>\n If you need to sell a house you\u2019ve inherited<\/a> from your parents, you have a long to-do list in front of you. However, you can reduce some of the stress by working through the process step-by-step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Get a no-obligation all-cash offer to buy your home and close in as few as 7 days. No cleaning, repairs, or showings. You\u2019ll also receive an expert estimate of what your home might sell for using a top-rated agent.<\/p>\n \n Most adult children know they\u2019ll be inheriting their parents\u2019 home<\/a> one day, but too few understand exactly how the house will pass into their hands. You need to know the steps your parents took to give you ownership of the inherited property before you can even think about selling the house<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t just turn around the next week and put the home on the market,\u201d says Sauer. \u201cYou have to make sure that you have the legal right to sell the home.\u201d<\/p>\n You can inherit a house from your parents in three main ways: through the <\/span>probate process<\/span><\/a>, by a transfer on death deed, or via a living trust.<\/span><\/p>\n Many families mistakenly believe inheriting property is as simple as listening to an official reading of their parents\u2019 will. That may work in the movies, but in reality, real estate inherited via a will is usually subject to the long, complex probate process<\/a>.<\/p>\n And if your parents didn\u2019t leave a will, then probate is pretty much a given.<\/p>\n So, what is probate<\/a>?<\/p>\n Probate is a court-supervised process that oversees the dispensation of your parents\u2019 entire estate, including the sale of the house. This is done so that the proper people are granted the right to and responsibility for the estate and so that your parents\u2019 debts are paid as part of the process.<\/p>\n While probate laws vary from state to state<\/a>, expect the complex process to take a while, from several months up to a year or two.<\/p>\n Depending on the laws in the state where your home is located, the courts may play a role in when and how the home is sold during probate<\/a>. So be sure to do your probate research<\/a> and enlist the help of a probate attorney.<\/p>\n There is one way for the ownership of your deceased parents\u2019 home to transfer to you as easily as it does in the movies: the transfer on death deed<\/a>.<\/p>\n Also known as a beneficiary deed<\/a>, this type of deed lets you inherit the property directly and immediately without the time, hassle, and expense of probate. With this type of deed in place, you can proceed with the sale of your parents\u2019 home as soon as you\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n![\"homelight](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/logo-small-cta.png\"){kind=logo}
\n <\/div>\n \n Request a Cash Offer & Top Agent Value Estimate<\/h3>\n
Step 1: Establish the status of your parents\u2019 estate<\/h2>\n
Probate<\/h3>\n
Transfer on death deed<\/h3>\n