Should you sell an inherited house to a cash buyer?

Good to know first: you don't need to do any of this to ask us for a number, and a title company handles the closing paperwork. This page is here if you want the background.

When it can make sense, and when it doesn't

What listing does better

An agent exposes the house to many buyers, and when it shows well, competition can push the price up. Buyers like us have to leave room for repairs and resale, so a direct offer will often be lower than a good listing result. For a decent house with a patient family, listing may well leave you with more. Get a local agent's opinion. It's normally free, and it's a good number to hold up against ours.

What a direct sale does better

• As it sits. We buy without repairs or cleaning. Take what you want and leave the rest, furniture included.
• No showings. One visit from us, with no sign in the yard unless you want one.
• No commission. There's no agent commission and no listing fee. A title company handles the closing like any other sale and lays out standard closing costs in writing before you sign.
• Your date. We close as fast as the title work allows and never faster than you want. If the estate needs more time, the date can wait.

How to protect yourself with any cash buyer

Including us. This business has some bad actors, and a family in grief is exactly who they look for.

• Ask who is buying. Is it the company, or will it sell your contract to someone else? In Wisconsin, a buyer planning to assign a contract has to give you written notice.
• Ask for the offer in writing, and for how they got the number.
• Close at a title company you can call yourself.
• Don't sign until whoever holds authority has it. A signature from someone without authority helps nobody.
• Never pay a buyer an upfront fee to sell your own house.
• Show the contract to your attorney. Any honest buyer will wait for that.
• Get a second number from a local agent or another buyer.

What we do, and what we don't

Duluth Inherited Home Buyers buys houses directly. We look at the property and recent nearby sales, talk it through with you, and put a written number in front of you with the math explained. You can take it, get other opinions, or walk away. Talking to us doesn't obligate you to anything.

We can't tell you who inherits, whether probate fits, or what the state can claim. Those are questions for a probate attorney, a court self-help office, or a county office. We are glad to work with whoever you bring.