How to Sell an Inherited House in Georgia: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you’ve inherited a house in Georgia, you’re probably wondering, “How do I sell this thing?”

The answer isn’t always as simple as putting a sign in the yard and calling a real estate agent. In many cases, there’s a probate process to deal with first, and you need the legal authority to sell the property before you can actually move forward.

I’m Brad, the Probate House Guy. I’m an active real estate investor and a licensed real estate agent in Georgia. Over the years, I’ve helped hundreds of sellers get their properties sold, either through a cash sale or by listing the property traditionally.

I’ve learned a thing or two about probate and inherited properties, so in this article, I want to walk you through how to sell an inherited house in Georgia, the different options you have, and what the process can look like. 

One quick disclaimer: I’m not an attorney, and nothing in this article should be taken as legal advice. Every estate is different, so you should talk with a probate attorney or real estate attorney about your specific situation.

Step 1: Get the Legal Authority to Sell the Inherited House

The first thing you need to figure out is whether you actually have the legal authority to sell the house.

A lot of inherited houses are still owned by the estate. In those situations, the estate generally needs to have a legally appointed representative.

In many Georgia probate situations, that means going through the probate process and having someone appointed as the executor or administrator of the estate.

You may need Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration before you can sell an inherited house owned by the estate. There are exceptions, but those are the documents that commonly establish the authority needed to handle estate assets.

So that’s number one:

Get the legal authority to sell the house before you start trying to sell it.

You can handle parts of the probate process yourself, but I generally recommend consulting an attorney. Yes, it costs money, but having an attorney involved can make the process much easier and help you understand what applies to your particular estate.

Step 2: Decide How You Want to Sell the Inherited House

Once you’ve got the legal authority to sell, the next question is:

How are you going to sell the house?

You’ve got several options.

You could:

• Renovate the house and get it ready for the market
• Sell it as-is with a real estate agent
• Sell it as-is directly to an investor
• Renovate it and then list it traditionally

Which option is best?

Well, I’m going to leave that decision up to you.

What I can do is give you some facts and ideas that may help you figure out which route makes sense for your situation.

Selling an Inherited House for Top Dollar

Let’s start with the obvious one.

Generally speaking, if your goal is to get the most money possible from the property, you need to make the house appealing to buyers.

That could mean repairing the roof, updating an older HVAC system, making repairs, cleaning everything up, and generally getting the property into good condition.

Then you want professional photographs and a good real estate agent who knows the neighborhood and understands the local market.

I’m not talking about your cousin Suzy who happens to have a real estate license.

She might be great. I’m not saying she’s not.

But you really want somebody who understands your particular area and knows how to market a property properly.

If you do all of those things—make the house look good, get professional photos, price it correctly, and work with a good agent—you have a better opportunity to get top dollar.

But there’s a catch.

All of that takes time, money, and effort.

And that’s not always something an estate or family wants to deal with.

Why Many Families Choose to Sell an Inherited House As-Is

I’ve seen this over and over again with probate and estate properties.

Sometimes the heirs simply don’t have the money to put $40,000, $50,000, $60,000, $70,000, or even $100,000 into a property to get it ready for the market.

And sometimes they technically have the money but simply don’t want to deal with it.

You’ve got your own house. Your own family. Your own job. Your own problems.

And now you’ve inherited a house that needs to be cleaned out, repaired, photographed, listed, shown, negotiated, and eventually closed.

That’s a lot.

And with an estate, there’s another factor people sometimes overlook: grief.

The family may have just spent months dealing with probate after losing someone they love. They’re emotionally exhausted, and everyone handles grief differently.

I’ve experienced loss in my own family, so I understand that this isn’t always just a real estate transaction. Sometimes selling the house is one more thing a family has to deal with during a really difficult period.

Need Help Selling an Inherited House in Georgia?

If you’re dealing with an inherited property in Georgia and trying to figure out what your options are, we’d be happy to talk with you about it. Simply fill out the form on this page. A member of our team will be in touch with you as soon as possible.

Selling an Inherited House As-Is on the Market

Let’s say you don’t want to renovate the property, but you also don’t want to sell it directly to an investor.

You can still sell the house as-is on the traditional market.

But there are some things I’d recommend doing first.

Clean Out the House

This is a big one.

A lot of inherited houses are full of stuff.

The family usually goes through the property, takes the things they want, and then you’re left with everything else.

I’ve seen this constantly with probate properties. In fact, the majority of the probate estate properties we buy have a lot of stuff left behind.

So, if you’re going to list the property as-is, you should at least think about getting the house cleaned out.

Should You Use a Dumpster or Junk Removal Company?

You can certainly do it yourself.

You can rent dumpsters, recruit people to help, load everything up, wait for dumpsters to be picked up, and coordinate the whole thing.

But I’ve done this enough times to know that I’d rather hire a professional junk removal company.

The companies I use have multiple people and multiple trucks. They can load one truck while another truck is being taken to the dump, then keep the process moving.

A normal house can sometimes be cleaned out in a day. Even larger or heavily cluttered houses can be handled in just a few days.

That’s a lot easier than trying to coordinate dumpsters and labor yourself.

What About an Estate Sale?

An estate sale is another option.

But in my opinion, they can sometimes be more trouble than they’re worth.

An estate sale may involve multiple weekends, coordinating the company, preparing everything, and dealing with the entire process just to make some money from the contents.

There are certainly estate sale companies that specialize in this, and they can take a lot of the burden off your shoulders.

But you need to consider the time and hassle involved before deciding whether it’s worth it for your situation.

Sometimes the Best Choice Is Simply Getting the House Clean

Take my grandfather’s house as an example.

It’s an older house. Parts of it look like they’re from the ’60s, some from the ’80s, and some from the ’90s.

He built the house around 1965 and lived there for a very long time.

But he took extremely good care of it.

So, we’re not talking about a house that needs to be completely renovated. There are some minor things that need to be done, but we’re planning to clean it out, have professional cleaners come through, and then list it as-is.

Could the family clean the entire house ourselves?

Sure.

But we’ve all got our own lives, families, kids, and grandkids.

Sometimes it’s just easier to call a professional cleaner and let them handle it.

Pricing an Inherited House in Today’s Georgia Market

Another important part of selling an inherited house is pricing it correctly.

Today’s market isn’t the same as it was a few years ago.

Buyers are more selective, and you can’t necessarily throw any house on the market at any price and expect somebody to buy it.

For an as-is property, you need to understand what comparable houses are selling for in the area and price the property accordingly.

In some situations, pricing a house strategically can create more interest and potentially result in multiple offers.

That’s the approach we’re taking with my grandfather’s house.

I know what similar houses in the area are selling for when they’re fully renovated. I also know what houses are selling for as-is.

If the goal is to sell it quickly, rather than trying to squeeze every possible dollar out of the property, pricing it correctly can help generate activity.

That’s an important distinction.

Should You Renovate an Inherited House Before Selling?

You can absolutely renovate an inherited house before selling it.

But you need to consider whether it’s actually worth doing.

Renovations can be expensive, especially if you don’t already have relationships with contractors and subcontractors.

If you have to hire everything out at top-dollar rates, you could spend a significant amount of money getting the house ready.

And then you have to deal with the time and hassle of managing the renovation.

Only you can decide whether that’s something you want to take on.

The Inherited House Selling Process When Working With an Investor

Now let’s talk about the actual process from the time someone dies to the time the inherited house gets sold.

I’ll break it down into two different scenarios.

The first is selling to an investor.

1. The Property Owner Passes Away

The estate process begins after the property owner passes away.

2. The Estate Goes Through Probate

In many cases, the estate needs to go through probate so that someone can receive the legal authority to handle the estate’s assets.

3. You Receive Your Probate Letters

Once you have your Letters of Administration or Letters Testamentary, you’re generally in a position to move forward with selling the property, assuming the specific circumstances of the estate allow it.

Sometimes sellers reach out to us before they actually receive their letters.

They’ll say, “We’re almost ready. We can’t sell yet, but we’ll have our paperwork soon.”

That’s something we can work with.

We’ve had situations where we’ve looked at the property ahead of time, agreed on the purchase, and scheduled the closing for shortly after the seller receives the necessary authority.

In some cases, we’ve even had sellers go to probate court in the morning, receive their letters, and then head straight to the closing attorney’s office to sell the house.

4. Open the Estate Account

The estate representative will generally need an estate bank account, along with an EIN, to handle the estate’s funds.

The sale proceeds don’t simply go directly into the heir’s personal bank account.

The money goes to the estate account, and the estate representative then handles distribution to the heirs according to the estate process.

5. Sign the Purchase Agreement

If you’re selling to an investor, the investor will inspect the property and make an offer.

If you accept the offer, you’ll sign a purchase and sale agreement and schedule the closing.

From there, the closing attorney handles the title work, payoffs, and other requirements necessary to complete the transaction.

6. Close on the Property

We’ve closed some investor purchases very quickly.

The fastest deal I’ve personally closed went from contract to closing in eight days.

That’s not typical, though.

Our average closing is closer to around 21 days, with many deals falling somewhere in the 14-to-21-day range.

There’s a lot happening behind the scenes.

The closing attorney may need to obtain mortgage payoffs, property tax information, water bill payoffs, and information about any liens attached to the property.

Once everything is cleared, you go to closing, sign the documents, and the property is sold.

Remote Closings for Inherited Houses

One thing people sometimes don’t realize is that you don’t necessarily have to be physically located in Georgia to sell an inherited property.

We’ve handled remote closings many times.

I’ve even done a remote closing myself while I was on vacation in North Carolina.

I had to drive to another town to find a place that could notarize and overnight the documents back to Georgia.

For sellers who live outside Georgia, a mobile notary can often meet them at their home, a coffee shop, or another convenient location.

The seller signs the documents, the original paperwork is sent back to Georgia, and once the attorney receives everything, the closing can be completed.

So, being out of state doesn’t necessarily mean you have to travel back to Georgia just to sell the house.

Selling an Inherited House Through a Real Estate Agent

The process is a little different if you decide to list the inherited house with an agent.

The basic process looks something like this:

1. The property owner passes away.
2. The estate goes through probate.
3. You receive the legal authority to sell.
4. You clean out and prepare the house.
5. You choose a real estate agent.
6. You list the property.
7. You wait for an offer.
8. You negotiate and go under contract.
9. The buyer completes their financing and due diligence.
10. You close the transaction.

The biggest difference is that you don’t necessarily know how long the house will sit on the market.

It could sell quickly.

Or it could take much longer.

I currently have a condo in Alpharetta that came from a probate estate, and I’ve had it on the market for over a year. I’ve adjusted the price multiple times, but the condo market has been difficult.

That’s the reality of selling traditionally: you don’t completely control how quickly a buyer comes along.

Once you have a buyer, the closing process is generally similar to other real estate transactions. If the buyer is getting a mortgage, the financing process can take around a month in many cases, although some lenders can move faster.

So, What’s the Best Way to Sell an Inherited House in Georgia?

There isn’t one answer that works for every family.

If your goal is to maximize the sale price and you’re willing to put in the time, money, and effort, renovating the house and listing it may make sense.

If the house is in decent condition, you might clean it out, make some minor improvements, price it correctly, and sell it as-is through an agent.

Or maybe you don’t want to deal with renovations, cleaning, repairs, showings, or waiting for a buyer.

In that situation, selling the inherited house as-is to an investor may be the simpler option.

The right choice depends on your circumstances, your goals, the condition of the property, and how much time and effort you’re willing to put into the process.

Need to Sell an Inherited House in Georgia?

If you’ve inherited a house in Georgia and you’re trying to figure out what to do with it, we’d be happy to talk with you about your options.

We buy houses for cash and can also discuss the possibility of listing the property. I’m a licensed real estate agent with One Source in Woodstock, Georgia, so I can approach the situation from either side.

If you’re ready to talk about selling your inherited house, go to ProbateHouseGuy.com and fill out the form on the page.

A member of our team will get in touch with you, schedule a time to see the property, and discuss your options—including making you a cash offer.

Whether you want to sell your inherited house as-is for cash or explore listing it on the traditional market, let’s talk about the property and figure out what makes sense for you.