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If you have sold one or more houses after elderly relatives died, what did you learn that can help me to make it as easy as possible? (linux.community)

submitted 4 weeks ago by vestmoria@linux.community to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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I’m preparing for a worst case scenario (parents refuse to downsize, refuse to move to LTC, keep kicking the can down the road because everything is fine...). If they disregard my advice to downsize now that they’re cognizant all I can do is let them fail and use an emergency like a fall or an accident to talk to the ER doctor, convince him they're not safe at home and move them to LTC or AL, somewhere they’re supervised at.

At least 2 fully furnished houses would have to go, these are large, old, but renovated houses: one is 2,700 square feet and the other 1,600, both measurements without counting the front garden and backyard. Completely furnished with stuff from several generations, most of it regular stuff not worth much.

I have zero experience dealing with estate sales and to me it looks daunting: How do I make sure potential buyers don’t low-ball me? Should I ask several local realtors first? How do I choose one to trust? Do I need a realtor? I live on another state and would want to expedite this but I just don’t know if waiting for a better offer would make sense.

How much time did you need to close the sale?

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[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 9 points 4 weeks ago

It takes about 45 days from offer acceptance to closing.

Have an estate sale, sell what you can, donate what didn't sell or just fill a roll-off bin and be done with it.

Don't put much money into the house, just clean it out, paint it, and put it on the market. In almost every case, you won't get your money back on renovations, you're lucky to break even, and it just ends up a waste of time and money. If it needs big repairs, do just what's needed to bring it up to code, or put it on the market as is. For most areas, the value is in the land, not the structure, remember that. You don't determine the price, the market does.

You need a Realtor. It's very unlikely a Realtor will screw you over, as long as you understand up front what they charge. It's heavily regulated. If the price is right when it's listed, it will sell in a few days or weeks, depending on the market. If you insist on pricing it higher than market value, it will sit until you give up and lower the price.