{"id":45574,"date":"2024-07-11T12:49:27","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T19:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=45574"},"modified":"2026-04-02T18:35:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T01:35:06","slug":"selling-an-inherited-house-in-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/selling-an-inherited-house-in-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Sell an Inherited House in Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re selling an inherited house in Florida, you may be balancing the titling scales of emotions, money, and time. You\u2019re likely eager to get sales agreements signed and move things forward as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon&#8217;t sign anything until the judge signs off,\u201d advises <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amybvanfossen.com\/about\/\">Amy B. Van Fossen<\/a>, a Florida estate planning attorney with more than 20 years of experience. \u201cUsually, it&#8217;s called an Order to Determine Homestead Status, which legally puts that ownership of the house into the kids\u2019 [or other relatives\u2019] names. Then you&#8217;re free to do whatever you want at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In this post, we\u2019ll provide real-world insights on how to sell an inherited house in Florida. We\u2019ll suggest clear steps and straightforward tips to help you decide which selling path is best for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"geo-cta widget-cta widget-cta--content     widget-cta--dark widget-cta--dark-blue-gradient\">\n    <div class=\"widget-element--content\">\n        <div class=\"widget-element--content-header\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"homelight logo\" class=\"widget-element--logo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/logo-small-cta.png\" width=\"106\" height=\"25\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        \n                <h3 class=\"cta-headline widget--bold\">Sell Your Inherited Florida Home Quickly For Cash<\/h3>\n                        <p>Request a no-obligation cash offer from HomeLight&#8217;s Simple Sale platform and receive a purchase quote in 24 hours. Sell when you\u2019re ready without the hassle of paying for repairs, prepping for listing, or dealing with showings.<\/p>\n        \n                <div class=\"widget-element--buttons\">\n            <a data-type=\"In Content CTA\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/simple-sale\/quiz#\/qaas=0\/\" class=\"cta-click-track widget-element--button\">Request Offer<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>Editor&#8217;s note: This post is for educational purposes. If you need assistance navigating the legalities or tax implications of selling an inherited home in Florida, HomeLight encourages you to consult a professional advisor.<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"section--1\" data-toc-header=\"1. Confirm the mortgage\" data-toc-type=\"head\"><\/div>\n<h2>1. Confirm where the mortgage stands<\/h2>\n<p>As the new owner of the house, it\u2019s essential to fully understand the status of the mortgage. You need to know the outstanding balance, monthly payments, interest rate, and other existing loan terms.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll also need to surface any other liens or judgments attached to the property, such as unpaid taxes, a home equity line of credit, or a reverse mortgage. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-what-is-a-property-title-search\/\">title search<\/a> will help determine what you need to address, and your next steps.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour real estate agent will likely order a title search immediately using their favorite title company,\u201d explains <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/agents\/thomas-taranto-fl-03096946\">Thomas Taranto<\/a>, a top Florida real estate agent who works with 83% more single-family homes than the average agent in his Melbourne market. \u201cThe seller can choose the title agent; however, Realtors often have a lot more experience with title companies and know which ones are great at handling different situations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Taranto adds, \u201cIf there is any question whatsoever about if the title was properly conveyed to the heir, you should definitely get with an estate planning attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These experts can assist with legal requirements and filing procedures in Florida.<\/p>\n<div id=\"section--2\" data-toc-header=\"2. Anticipate your timeline\" data-toc-type=\"head\"><\/div>\n<h2>2. Anticipate your ownership timeline<\/h2>\n<p>Even if you know you\u2019ll inherit the home, it may take some time before you legally own the property. Your ownership timeline depends on how you inherited the house, whether through a probate inheritance, living trust, or a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/wex\/transfer-on-death_(tod)\">transfer on death deed<\/a>, also referred to as a beneficiary deed.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll take ownership more swiftly if you\u2019ve inherited the property through a living trust or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/wex\/life_estate\">life estate deed<\/a> because no court approval is required. This allows you to sell the property immediately or at a time that fits your objectives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf an estate plan is in place, the next steps are much easier and usually less expensive,\u201d Taranto says.<\/p>\n<p>Probate inheritance, on the other hand, is far more complicated. It\u2019s a judicial process that can take anywhere from a few months to a year or more, depending on the complexity of the estate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShould a probate need to be performed, that time might be well used to clean out the property and do repairs to get it ready to list and sell,\u201d Taranto suggests.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut if an estate plan is not in place, an attorney needs to be consulted prior to listing the home for sale,\u201d he cautions. \u201cYou would not want to sign listing paperwork and market a property before it\u2019s confirmed who the new rightful owner is and that they legally have the right to list and sell the property.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you list too early before confirming ownership, Van Fossen says your attempt to move things along may actually stall or cancel a potential sale.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhenever you sign things early, what happens is \u2014 if you get a buyer \u2014 then the buyer gets frustrated because it might take weeks or months for all the legal stuff to get ironed out, and then the buyer may back out.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Simple steps to follow if you plan on selling an inherited house in Florida, plus helpful selling tips and insights from two Florida market experts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":45577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1207,323,319],"tags":[1206],"class_list":["post-45574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-florida-real-estate","category-quick-tips","category-selling-advice","tag-selling-a-house-in-florida"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Sell an Inherited House in 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