You inherited a house. Now what?

We’ve bought a lot of inherited homes. Some sit empty for years because nobody knows where to start. Here’s the checklist we wish more families had during the first 90 days.

Week one: the basics

• Find the will or trust. If you can’t find one, that’s okay — you’ll just go through what’s called intestate succession. Every state has a clear process for this.
• Confirm there’s homeowners insurance. Empty homes lapse insurance fast. Call the carrier and let them know there’s been a death; many will keep coverage in force temporarily under a vacancy endorsement.
• Secure the home. Change one lock. Forward the mail. Set timers on a couple of lamps.

Weeks two through four: paperwork

• Open probate in the county where the deceased lived. In most counties, this is straightforward and you don’t strictly need a lawyer if the estate is simple.
• Get a tax ID for the estate (an EIN — free from the IRS website).
• Order a death certificate — actually, order ten of them. You’ll need certified copies for the title company, the bank, the utility company, every retirement account, and so on.

Month two: the house itself

• Don’t throw anything away. Not yet. Photograph each room before you start clearing. Things look like junk and then turn out to be heirlooms or evidence of something a creditor will ask about later.
• Get a contents appraisal if you suspect anything is valuable. Most estate sale companies will do this for free in exchange for the right to run the sale.
• Talk to a CPA about the stepped-up basis. Most heirs pay zero capital gains tax on a home if they sell soon after inheriting — but the rules are very specific.

Month three: what to do with it

Now you actually have to decide. The three usual options:

Keep it

Maybe rent it out, maybe move in. Run the numbers honestly — property taxes, insurance, deferred maintenance, the cost of a property manager. Many heirs underestimate what owning a rental actually requires.

List it traditionally

If the home is in good shape and you have 90+ days, this is often the highest-dollar outcome. Be ready for staging, inspections, and a few rounds of “buyer wants seller to fix…”

Sell it as-is to a direct buyer

If the home needs work, has tenants, is out-of-state for you, or you just want it done — a direct sale is usually fastest. You don’t need to clear the house. You don’t need to make repairs. We’ve closed inherited estates with the deceased’s clothing still in the closets, the food still in the fridge.

“My mom passed in October. We spent six months not knowing what to do with the house. Birch handled the cleanout. They were kind. I should’ve called them in November.” — Diane M., verified seller

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If you’d like to talk through the options for a specific home, you can send us the address and we’ll work up a cash number with no pressure either way.