When you inherit a house
Selling an inherited house in West Michigan
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About two minutes. No obligation, no fee, and your details stay with us.
When a house comes to you through a loss, the house itself is usually the easy part. We buy estate homes across West Michigan, we're glad to wait on probate, and we won't hurry a family that isn't ready.
A local team, no obligation, and a real answer either way.
Why do inherited houses get complicated?
The house itself is usually the simple part. What makes an estate sale hard is everything around it: three siblings in three states, one who wants to keep the house and two who want it gone. A personal representative in Kalamazoo trying to manage a property in Muskegon by phone. Forty years of belongings in the basement and nobody with a free weekend, let alone a free month.
We are based in Kent County and we buy estate properties across West Michigan. Estate sales usually go like this: the family is grieving, the paperwork is unfamiliar, and the house sits there costing money the whole time. Taxes, insurance, utilities, a lawn that keeps growing. Our job is to take the house off that list of problems, and only the house. We do not pretend to fix the rest.
Can you sell a house before probate is finished?
In many cases, yes. In Michigan, the personal representative (the person the probate court has given Letters of Authority) can sell estate property, and in the common unsupervised process, once those Letters are issued the sale can usually move forward without a separate court order. A probate attorney can confirm whether your Letters carry any restrictions.
Some houses never go through probate at all. Michigan makes heavy use of Lady Bird deeds (enhanced life estate deeds) and joint ownership, and either one can pass a house outside the estate entirely. If your parents set something like that up, you may be able to sell sooner than you think. This is general information, not legal advice. A probate attorney can tell you exactly where your situation lands, and it is worth the hour.
What if the estate cannot sell yet?
We can agree on a price now and close when the estate has the authority to sell. We are glad to wait while probate runs. In the meantime, keep the heat on and have someone look in on the place, because an estate house does not wait patiently. An empty house through a lake-effect winter is a burst pipe waiting to happen, and one frozen line in January can cost the estate more than months of patience ever would. Knowing the sale is already lined up lets the family stop wondering what to do with the house and get back to everything else.
Do you have to empty the house first?
No. Take what matters and leave the rest. We clear it. Most families take the dining table, the photo albums and a toolbox, and leave everything else, down to the canned goods in the pantry. Sorting a parent's house is slow, heavy work, and it is worse when the siblings doing it live in three different time zones. Do not let a full basement be the reason the house sits for another year.
What happens with the property taxes?
When a Michigan house changes hands, the taxable value can uncap under Proposal A, which can raise the tax bill going forward. Transfers to close family members may qualify for an exemption. That matters for as long as the family holds the house; once it is sold, the new tax bill is the buyer's. The rules are specific and the details matter, so that is a question for the county (Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon or wherever the house sits) or for a probate attorney, not for a house buyer. We raise it only so it does not surprise anyone while the house is still in the family.
How does selling to us work?
It starts with a phone call, and a look at the house only if we actually need one. Usually we do not. If we do, we are looking at the roof, the structure, the mechanicals and the water, not at what needs dusting or what is stacked in the garage. From there you get a cash offer within 24 hours. If the estate is ready, we can close in as little as 14 days; if it is not, we wait. There is no obligation at any point, and if the numbers do not work for us we will say so plainly rather than drag it out. Call (616) 300-2586 or use the form on this page, and we will go from there.
When we're the wrong call
Not every estate needs us, and some are better off without us. If the house would pass an appraisal, the heirs are of one mind, and nobody is counting on the money by a certain date, listing with an agent will usually bring the estate more, and a few extra months is a fair price for that. If one sibling truly wants to keep the house, that's a talk for the family first, and sometimes for a probate attorney, before any buyer belongs at the table. We'll tell you that on the first call. A family home shouldn't be sold because a buyer was in a hurry.
Everything on this page is general information about these situations in West Michigan, not legal advice. For your own case, a Michigan attorney (or, if you are facing foreclosure, a HUD-approved housing counselor) is the right person to confirm your options, and we'll never talk you out of calling one.
Straight answers
Inherited house: questions sellers bring us
Can we sell an inherited house in Michigan before probate is finished?
Often, yes. The personal representative holding Letters of Authority can sell estate property, and in Michigan's common unsupervised process a court order is usually not needed for the sale itself. Some houses skip probate entirely. Lady Bird deeds and joint ownership are common in Michigan and can pass a house outside the estate. A probate attorney can confirm which situation yours is, and that is an hour well spent.
What if the estate does not have authority to sell yet?
We can agree on a price now and close when the estate has authority. We are glad to wait while probate runs. Having the sale lined up lets the family stop wondering what to do with the house. Until closing, keep the heat on and have someone check on it, especially in winter, when an empty West Michigan house is a burst pipe waiting to happen.
We inherited a house and disagree about selling. Can you still buy it?
Not until everyone with authority over the house is on board, and we will not pressure anyone to get there. What we can do is give you a firm cash number with no obligation, so the family is discussing a real figure instead of guesses. If one sibling truly wants to keep the house, that conversation (and sometimes a probate attorney) comes before any buyer does.
Do we need to clean out the house before selling?
No. Take the things that matter to your family and leave the rest (the furniture, the boxes, the full garage), and we clear it after closing. Emptying a parent's house of forty years of belongings is one of the hardest parts of an estate sale, especially with heirs scattered across the country, and it is a job we simply take off your list.
Will inheriting the house change the property taxes?
It can. A transfer of ownership can uncap the taxable value under Michigan's Proposal A, which can raise the tax bill going forward, though transfers to close family members may qualify for an exemption. Once the house is sold, the new tax bill is the buyer's. The rules are specific, so put that question to the county or a probate attorney. We raise it only so it does not surprise anyone later.
Whatever the situation, start with the house.
Start with a call or the short form, and you'll have a number within 24 hours and a date that works for you. If a different route would serve you better, that's what you'll hear from us first.