When a home goes into probate — after the death of a loved one — you may have a need for a real estate agent to sell your probate property.
Probate is a formal court-approval process for fairly and legally distributing a decedent’s (a person who has died) assets, such as a house.The process can be long and complicated — as is often the case where there is no legal will and little estate planning was done prior to the death of a loved one. Or, it can be relatively simple, as is sometimes the case when there is a legal will that has been verified by the courts.
If a home needs to be sold in order to settle the estate, you will need to find and enlist the help of an experienced probate real estate agent.
In this article, we’re going to chat about how to find a probate real estate agent who can successfully sell your probate property and why it’s important to find an experienced agent.
Ask An Attorney
Often a probate attorney — having worked with various real estate agents — can be a good source for finding a probate real estate agent.
Simply ask them for a referral.
One caveat…
Make sure that you are specific in your referral. It’s important to ask an attorney if they know of any experienced probate realtors.
If you ask for a broad recommendation, like “do you have a real estate agent you can recommend,” then you may get the recommendation for a generic non-probate experienced real estate agent.
Most attorneys know of A real estate agent, but perhaps not the type of real estate agent you need for your specific circumstances — selling a home in probate.
For example, it’s not outlandish for an attorney to have worked with a real estate agent through a divorce case. As a result, they may recommend this real estate agent, even though they may have little experience in the probate process.
I’ve found that clients get the best recommendations from attorneys that specialize in probate law. The more niche your attorney, the more likely you are to find a probate real estate agent through a recommendation.
If your attorney is a general practice lawyer, it’s still okay to get a referral. Just explore some of your other options for finding an experienced agent.
Do A Quick Google Search
Ahhh, Google. A plethora of information right at your fingertips. Google can be a good source for finding a probate realtor, too.
Note: Yes, I am saying Google, but other search engine websites work, too. For example, Bing and DuckDuckGo.
Right inside the search box, type in terms like “probate realtor + [your city]” or “probate real estate agent”.
You will instantly receive some results of agents in your area that MIGHT specialize in probate real estate.
The reason I say might is because your results are based on a computer algorithm that isn’t foolproof. Therefore, it’s 100 percent possible to see results for real estate agents or brokers that do not specialize in probate.
Take the search term “probate realtor” when I typed it into my search bar while living in the Lansing area.
At the bottom of the map results, you can see us: Dolinski Group.
The other two results aren’t of real estate agents that specialize in probate real estate. The first recommendation, Key Realty, likely showed up in the map results due to my proximity to the company.
Key Realty is a real estate brokerage company that I live right around the block from. Here they are being recommended because I am close to them rather than because they specialize in probate real estate.
In fact, as far as we know, we are the only company to specialize in dealing with inherited homes such as those that might pass through probate.
So, Google Search will give you a list of potential real estate agents, but you will need to filter through these results to verify these real estate agents can help you sell a probate property.
Hire The Dolinski Group: Probate Real Estate Agents
If you happen to be in our service area — vaguely described as the Central part of Michigan (Ingham County, Eaton County, etc) or in the Southeastern part of Michigan (most of Metro Detroit), then you could just hire us to help you sell your probate property.
All you have to do is get in touch with us and we’re happy to help you get your probate property sold for the maximum amount while eliminating hassles and delays through the probate process.
We have experience helping a range of clients sell their inherited home. From probate and trusts, to a home that was transferred as a result of a joint tenancy on the title.
Which brings me to an important question that we need to talk about.
Can I Hire Any Real Estate Agent?
In your journey for finding a probate real estate agent, you might wonder if you can just hire any real estate agent? Why should you hire a real estate agent that specializes in probate real estate?
This is a common question that comes up if you’ve followed the advice above, but couldn’t find a real estate agent that specializes in probate properties.
Here is my answer…
I wouldn’t hire just any real estate agent.
Selling a probate property isn’t like selling your traditional home.
You can’t simply call up an agent, sign an agreement, have them list the home, and start receiving offers.
Nah, you have to go through some legal hurdles. First, you have to make sure you have the proper authority to sell the house. There can be some serious legal issues if you act without having the proper legal authority.
Since it’s a special process, it requires a special kind of real estate agent. I wouldn’t go out and work with an ol’ real estate agent.
Why Work With A Probate Real Estate Agent
An experienced probate real estate agent is going to save you time, save you money, and reduce some of the hiccups along the way.
The probate process involves a lot of deadlines that need to be met and specific documents that need to be completed. An experienced agent knows this and will complete tasks in a timely manner so that there are no delays throughout the probate process.
The process is already long enough. Don’t let an inexperienced real estate agent slow down and bog the process.
Second, a good probate real estate agent will save you money. As they say, “time is money”. The less the home sits in probate, the less money needs to be spent to maintain the home — such as maintenance costs, taxes, insurance, etc.
A long probate process can eat away at the money left in the estate. An inexperienced probate realtor will cause the process to take longer, costing the estate money, and leaving less for distribution after the estate is settled.
Lastly, an experienced agent is going to help you avoid some of the hiccups and frustration along the way. They will not be able to alleviate all of them, but they can reduce them much more than an inexperienced agent.
Do They Need Probate Real Estate Certification?
Some sources around the web will recommend that you find a real estate agent who is certified in probate real estate. For example, an article I stumbled across on HomeLight, a company that offers to connect you to real estate agents, but doesn’t actually participate in real estate, mentions finding an agent certified through U.S. Probate Services.
Here is a blurb from their site:
We don’t recommend this because the certification actually carries no weight and doesn’t come from an accreditation authority.
Yes, the site is called the U.S. Probate Services, but upon further fact checking the site is NOT run by a government agency that is part of the United States. In fact, this website and the certification can be a bit misleading.
There really is no certification or specific training to become a probate real estate agent. So, in our opinion, the probate certifications that an agent may or may not don’t make any difference.
Instead, we recommend that you focus on experience, testimonials, reviews, and case studies of an agent. Look at these areas to help determine if a real estate agent can help you sell your probate property.
Look for an agent with experience helping clients sell homes that have been inherited. These usually have common characteristics of homes in probate. Of course, if they have experience selling a home in probate, the better.
From experience, I just understand that it’s not always possible to find a specific probate real estate agent.
Conclusion
There you have it. You can find an experienced probate real estate agent through your attorney, doing a quick Google Search, or if you’re lucky, working with our agents at the Dolinski Group.
The Dolinski Group is a group of professional and upbeat real estate agents that provide representation to their clients throughout central and southeastern Michigan. With a focus on probates, trusts, and conservatorships, we can help you sell your home. Find a Lansing probate real estate agent.
Contact us today or give us a call at 517-244-6044.
