Sell · Inherited and estate homes

Selling an Inherited or Estate Home in Houston

Compean Group helps executors, administrators, heirs and surviving spouses sell inherited homes across Greater Houston from our Heights office at 802 W. Patton St. We work alongside your probate attorney and title company, handle the cleanout, repairs and showings, and keep the whole family updated.

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Who can sign What we handle Texas rules Case studies Questions

Step one: confirm who can sign

Before an inherited home can be listed, someone needs legal authority to sell it. We open title early, often before the home is on the market, so the family learns exactly what the title company will require.

Situation	Who signs, and what title usually needs
Will with an independent executor	The executor signs using letters testamentary. Court approval of the sale usually isn't required.
Court-supervised (dependent) administration	The administrator signs, and the probate court approves the sale after a report of sale is filed.
Will probated as a muniment of title	The beneficiaries named in the will sign. No executor is appointed; the court's order and the will are recorded in the county records.
No will and no probate	All of the heirs sign, usually backed by an affidavit of heirship the title company accepts. Some files need a court determination of heirship instead.
Transfer on death deed	The beneficiaries named in the recorded deed sign, with the death certificate and an affidavit of death.
Small estate affidavit	The heirs named in a court-approved affidavit sign. It works only for a homestead that is the estate's only real property, and some title underwriters won't insure it.
Surviving spouse	It depends on how title was held and on the family. With no will, the late spouse's half of community property passes to the surviving spouse only when all of the late spouse's children are also the surviving spouse's children. Title companies usually ask for an affidavit of heirship either way.

We're real estate brokers, not attorneys or CPAs. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your probate attorney and title company decide what your file needs.

What we handle for the family

Title and paperwork

We open title early and work with the title company and your attorney on letters testamentary, heirship affidavits, death certificates, court orders and anything else the underwriter asks for.

Pricing from real sales

We price from recent nearby sales and the current competition, and show you the likely proceeds selling as-is versus after cleanup or repairs.

Cleanout and repairs

We line up estate sale companies, junk removal, cleaning, yard work and repairs when they make sense. Homes can also sell with the contents included.

Care of a vacant home

We check on the house, keep utilities on for inspections and appraisals, and control showings with a lockbox and scheduling system.

Marketing and showings

Professional photos, a 3D tour and floor plan, MLS and online advertising, plus showing feedback and a written update every week.

Signing from anywhere

Out-of-town executors and heirs can sign by mail, with a mobile notary or by remote online notarization, so no one has to travel to close.

Texas rules that come up in estate sales

Seller's disclosure. Texas Property Code §5.008(e)(5) exempts a sale by a fiduciary administering a decedent's estate from the seller's disclosure notice. Heirs who inherit and sell in their own names generally still complete one, answering from what they know.
Four-year window to probate a will. A will generally must be offered for probate within four years of death (Texas Estates Code §256.003). After that, the options narrow.
Affidavits of heirship. A recorded affidavit of heirship becomes prima facie evidence of the family facts after it has been of record for five years (Texas Estates Code §203.001). Title companies set their own requirements, often including disinterested witnesses who knew the family for many years.
Small estate affidavits. One can pass title to a homestead only when the homestead is the estate's only real property (§205.006), and the estate, not counting the homestead and exempt property, can't exceed $75,000 (§205.001).
Carrying costs. Property taxes, insurance and utilities keep running while the home is for sale. Many insurance policies limit coverage once a home sits vacant, so tell the insurer.
Taxes on the sale. Inherited property generally takes a new tax basis equal to its value on the date of death (IRS Publication 551). Ask a CPA how that applies to your family.

Estate and inherited home case studies

Five recent files from our team. Names and street addresses are left out for the families' privacy.

Sunset Heights · 77009 · Executor sale

Closed November 2025

An executor sale with a house full of belongings

Situation: The executor lived out of town and needed to sell a family home that still held decades of belongings. Older family history also had to be documented before a title company would insure the sale.
What we did: Opened title early, worked with the title company on the heirship affidavits it required, and marketed the home as-is with its contents included. Because the seller was an executor administering the estate, no seller's disclosure notice was required. We made sure title had the estate's tax ID and set up remote signing.
Result: Sold as-is to a cash buyer with the contents included. The executor never had to empty the house or travel to closing.

Park Place · 77017 · Four heirs

Closed September 2026

Four heirs, an older heirship affidavit and a stubborn title question

Situation: A 1940 home on an oversized lot near Sims Bayou passed to four siblings after their father died, years before, with no probate case. An affidavit of heirship recorded in 2015 didn't satisfy the title underwriter, and one underwriter turned down a small estate affidavit.
What we did: Worked with the family's attorney and the title company on a new affidavit of heirship, arranged a mobile notary so a neighbor could sign a quitclaim deed that cleared a title question, and answered the title company's questions about possible claims against the estate. When the buyer asked for repairs, we negotiated a closing credit instead, so the heirs didn't have to manage contractors.
Result: All four heirs signed, and the sale closed on September 2, 2026.

Richmond · 77406 · Estate on acreage

Closed August 2026

An estate on acreage after an expired listing

Situation: The family's acreage had not sold with a previous agent. Title work ran late because of the estate, the existing survey had been done without a title commitment, and the family worried about an unknown easement or pipeline. The buyer asked for detailed records on the house and systems.
What we did: Gathered the death certificate and estate documents title needed, assembled foundation pier invoices, the HVAC registration and equipment service records, arranged a septic cleanout, documented the agreed changes in a contract amendment, and checked the title commitment against the survey.
Result: Contingencies cleared, the title commitment came back clean, and the sale closed in August 2026.

Northeast Houston · 77093 · Surviving spouse

In progress

A surviving spouse with title still in both names

Situation: A widow wants to sell the home she owned with her late husband. County records still show both names, and nothing about his death has been recorded.
What we're doing: The title company found no liens. We sent the family an heirship questionnaire and are preparing an affidavit of heirship with the death certificate, including facts about a child who has also passed away, with two witnesses who knew her husband for more than ten years.
Next step: Once the affidavit is recorded, she can list the home with clear title.

Spring 77379 and Conroe · Court-supervised estate

Closed December 2022 and October 2023

Two homes sold through a court-supervised estate

Situation: The estate was in dependent administration, so a probate court had to approve each sale. The administrator and the estate's attorney were both outside Houston.
What we did: Put each home under contract, then gave the attorney the title company's closing cost estimate for her report of sale to the court. Title found the late owner's former spouse still on one deed, so the divorce decree was located and recorded to clear it, and one home needed a new survey and legal description.
Result: The court approved both sales, and both homes closed with the administrator signing by remote online notarization.

More seller stories are on our Client Results page.

Questions families ask about inherited homes

Can I sell a house that's still in my late parent's name?

Yes, once the person with legal authority is established. That may be an executor or administrator appointed by a probate court, the heirs through an affidavit of heirship the title company accepts, or the beneficiaries of a transfer on death deed. We open title early so you know exactly what will be required.

Do I need to go through probate to sell an inherited house in Texas?

Not always. Depending on the family and the estate, an affidavit of heirship, a transfer on death deed, a small estate affidavit (homestead only) or a will probated as a muniment of title may work. The title company decides what it will insure, so talk with a probate attorney and open title early.

How long does it take to sell an inherited house in Houston?

It depends on the paperwork. An independent executor with letters testamentary can list right away, and the sale then runs on a normal timeline. Heirship files often add a few weeks for affidavits and recording, and court-supervised sales add a court approval step before closing.

Do we have to clean out or repair the house before selling?

No. Many estate homes sell as-is, sometimes with the contents included. We can also line up cleanout, estate sale, cleaning and repair vendors, and we'll show you the likely proceeds both ways before you decide.

Does an estate have to give a seller's disclosure in Texas?

A sale by an executor or administrator in the course of administering an estate is exempt under Texas Property Code §5.008(e)(5). Heirs who inherit and sell in their own names generally still provide one, answering from what they know.

Can heirs who live out of state sign remotely?

Usually, yes. Title companies can arrange mail-away signings, mobile notaries or remote online notarization, and we coordinate the timing so everyone can sign without traveling.

What if one heir doesn't want to sell?

Every owner on title has to sign unless a court orders otherwise. We can give the family a pricing analysis and estimated proceeds to help with the decision. Disagreements are a question for a probate or real estate attorney.

Who pays the property taxes and bills while the home is for sale?

The estate or the heirs keep paying property taxes, insurance and utilities until closing. Prorated taxes and any liens are settled on the closing statement.

Talk with Evan about an inherited home

Tell us about the property and where the paperwork stands. We'll explain the likely path, what title will need and what the home could sell for, in English or Spanish.

Call or text (832) 777-3904 Get a home value