Selling a probate or inherited property

Free guide · 6 min read

Why a probate sale is different

Selling on behalf of someone's estate is not the same as selling your own home. There is usually more than one decision-maker, the property may not have been updated in years, and everyone involved is often dealing with a bereavement at the same time as a transaction. None of that makes the sale harder to complete — it just means the pace and the tone need to be right.

Getting probate before you market

You can usually put a probate property on the market and even accept an offer before the Grant of Probate (or Letters of Administration, if there's no will) comes through — but in most cases you will not be able to exchange contracts until the grant is in hand, because that is what confirms the executor's legal authority to sell.

Applying for the grant as soon as possible is the single biggest thing you can do to keep a sale moving. If there are multiple executors, agree early who leads on day-to-day decisions so instructions to us do not arrive from three different directions.

Probate valuation and market valuation are not the same thing

HMRC requires a valuation of the property at the date of death, for probate and any inheritance tax due — that figure is usually provided by a RICS valuer, not an estate agent. What we provide is a separate market appraisal: what the property is likely to achieve for sale today. The two figures can differ, particularly if time has passed since the date of death, and that is normal.

Clearing and preparing the property

Probate properties are often full of a lifetime's belongings, and sometimes need updating that the previous owner never got round to. You do not need to renovate before selling — most buyers of these properties factor the work into their offer — but a genuine clear-out and a good clean make a real difference to how a property shows, and to how quickly it sells.

What to expect on timing

Realistically, allow a few weeks for the grant application if it has not already been started, then a normal sale timeline on top. We can start marketing in parallel with the probate application rather than waiting for it to complete, which is usually the biggest time saving available.

General information, not legal, financial or tax advice — every situation is different, so speak to a solicitor or accountant about your own before you act on it.