Selling an Inherited House in Connecticut
When a house comes to you along with everything in it
Inheriting a house often means inheriting a lot more than the house. There are rooms full of belongings, repairs nobody kept up with, and decisions you have to make while you’re still grieving. Here’s one family’s story, and how we helped.
The story: two brothers, one house, and a lot of stuff
The situation
Late last year, two brothers inherited a house near us after their younger brother passed away. He was single with no children, so the house went to them.
The house had been neglected for a while. Some of the work done on it over the years wasn’t up to code, including obvious electrical problems. And it was full: the house, the barn and the yard were all packed with belongings.
What worried them
Two things weighed on them.
The first was the cleanout. Just thinking about how to empty the house, the barn and the yard, and then get the place ready to sell, was overwhelming.
The second mattered even more to them. The house had sentimental value. They didn’t want to hand it to someone who would just patch it up to flip it, or move in and leave it the way it was. They wanted it taken care of.
There was also a practical problem. With the electrical issues and the code problems, a bank wasn’t likely to lend on the house. That meant most regular buyers were off the table. Realistically, it was going to be a cash sale.
How they found us
The brothers were working with an attorney on the estate. His office happens to be a few doors down from a house we restored on Main Street in Ellington, and he had handled that sale. He told them we had done an excellent job and that we’d be good buyers for their brother’s house.
The brothers drove by the Main Street house to see it for themselves. They liked what they saw.
Why they chose us over a higher offer
Another buyer offered them more money than we did. They chose us anyway.
They told us why. We were paying cash, so the sale would be simple. We would handle the entire cleanout. Their attorney trusted us. And they had seen with their own eyes how we take care of a house.
What we did
We took care of the cleanout from top to bottom. By the time we were done, about six dumpsters of belongings had come out of the house, the barn and the yard. The brothers took what mattered to them first, and we handled the rest.
They didn’t want to rush, because they needed time to go through the things they wanted to keep. So we let them set the pace. We closed in about 45 days, on their timeline.
How it turned out
There was no mortgage on the house, so the brothers split the proceeds from the sale. They didn’t have to make a single repair or haul a single box to the dump.
During the renovation, they stopped by several times to see how the work was going. They told us how thankful they were to see the house being cared for the way they’d hoped. Today a new family lives there and has kept making it their own.
If you’ve inherited a house
Every estate is different, but here’s what we’ve learned helps.
You don’t have to clean it out first. Take the things that matter to you. We can handle the rest, whether that’s one room or a barn full.
You don’t have to fix it. We buy houses as-is, including houses with work that isn’t up to code.
You set the pace. If you need time to go through belongings or wait on the estate, we can work around that. If you need to move quickly, we can do that too.
Talk to your attorney about the estate. Questions about who can sign, probate timing or splitting proceeds belong with your attorney. We’re happy to work alongside them.
Ask any buyer how they’ll treat the house. If that matters to you, say so. It mattered to these brothers, and it matters to us.
Questions we often hear
Can we sell before probate is finished?
That depends on your situation and the estate. Your attorney can tell you what’s possible. We can talk with you about the house in the meantime and be ready when you are.
Do we have to remove everything?
No. Take what you want to keep. We’ll take care of the rest.
What if the house has problems we don’t know about?
That’s okay. We’ll walk through it once and price the house for what it needs. Our offer has no inspection contingency, so the number won’t drop later.
What if someone else offers more?
Compare what you’ll actually walk away with, and how each buyer will handle the house. If another offer is better for you, we’ll understand.
Let’s talk about the house
Tell us a little about the property and where you are in the process. We’re here to listen.
Call Jesse at 860.990.4509 or start with the address below.