Executors and trustees sometimes ask me how they can compare real estate professionals when everyone appears qualified on paper. My suggestion is to make the interview specific to the estate property rather than relying only on a general listing presentation.…
"Should we fix the house before we sell it?" Executors and trustees ask me this frequently, and I don't believe the question should be answered from appearances alone. Before committing an Inland Empire inherited property to a renovation path, I…
One of the most important things I have learned from estate-property work is that the person responsible for the property often needs clarity before they need marketing. I have more than 24 years of residential real estate experience, including more…
Families often believe the biggest inherited-property decision is the asking price. In my experience, the more important decision often comes earlier: deciding what should happen to the property before it is offered for sale. I have worked in residential real…
When an attorney refers an executor, trustee, fiduciary, or family to a real estate professional, the property may be only one part of a much larger estate matter. A useful real estate referral resource should understand that context. For probate…
Not necessarily. An inherited house should be renovated before selling only when the expected improvement in the estate’s overall outcome reasonably justifies the money, additional time, carrying costs, management demands, and uncertainty involved. The question is not: “Will the house…
When an inherited property needs work, the question is not simply: “Will repairs make the house worth more?” The better question is: “Are those repairs likely to leave the estate better off?” That is a very different calculation. Before an…
Before selling a distressed inherited house in Victorville, evaluate the property and the realistic sale options before spending estate money on major repairs. A house that needs significant work does not automatically need to be renovated before it can be…
A higher sale price after renovation does not automatically produce a better net outcome for an inherited property. A trustee should compare the realistic alternatives before committing estate funds to improvements. What should a trustee compare before renovating an inherited…
Neither option is automatically better. For an inherited home with deferred maintenance, needed repairs, clean out needs, or uncertain condition, I would compare what each path requires and what it could realistically produce before recommending that estate resources be spent.…