Decluttering
Homes often need to be prepared for sale so they are presentable to buyers. Generally, it is advised to any client – not just in estate sales – to remove personal items from a home that prevent a potential buyer from seeing it as their home. Appreciate that this may be an emotionally challenging phase, as it is likely you will encounter sentimental items. This is also the time where you might encounter conflict as there may be people with differing opinions on who gets what from either the belongings in the house or the proceeds from the house. Make sure you are aligned with a real estate lawyer, a real estate agent, and lots of patience as you go through this process.
One solution that can help while things are being resolved is to use a storage locker to store certain belongings that are currently being contested over. Alternatively, this can be good if you and your family need extra time to go through organizing the deceased’s belongings rather than rushing to prepare the house for sale.
Repairing
As folks get older, they might not have the strength or financial capability to repair their home to the highest standards. It may be the case that when you come upon the home, after decluttering, that it will require repairs before it can sell. The general rule of thumb is that a home that is in better condition will sell for more than one that requires lots of renovation. Take this into consideration and speak with a contractor to understand which repairs will give you the highest return on your investment to ensure you are getting as much as you can for the property.
Waiting For Probate
While you are preparing the home for sale, it is important to know that you will be waiting for the title to pass to the executor. You cannot sell the property until this happens. Your real estate lawyer will be involved, as will probate lawyers. They won’t get involved with the actual deal, but rather with the legalities around the sale. The process of confirming the will and moving the title to the executor is called “probate”. Once the will has been approved by a court, the title can pass to the executor and you can rightfully and legally sell the home. Preparing an estate home for sale can be an emotional experience. You want to make sure you have people on your side whom you can trust, and not just take your money. If you are looking for a real estate agent with experience, patience and respect for you and the sale of your estate, please reach out to me here. We’d love to help you make this process as smooth as possible.
