Probate houses in North Carolina
Sell a North Carolina probate house in the condition it is in today.
We buy houses held up in estates across North Carolina. The furniture can stay, the repairs become our job, and the closing happens once the personal representative has the power to sell.
Estates are a large share of our work
Nearly half of the houses we have bought over the years involved probate.
We know how a North Carolina probate sale moves, where it tends to get stuck and how to keep it moving. We stay with the family from the first phone call through the closing.
Many of the people who call us never expected to be in charge of an estate. A parent has died, the house sits empty, and the clerk of superior court has put you in charge of settling things.
The personal representative
Your letters from the clerk make you responsible for the estate's property, and the house is often the largest piece of it.
Heirs who live far away
Driving to North Carolina every weekend to mow the yard and test the locks is more than most families can manage. No one in the family has to live close by for us to tour the house and write up an offer.
One house and several heirs
With the offer in writing, each heir and the estate's attorney are reading the very same price.
A house that needs repairs
A tired roof, an old kitchen, rooms still packed with a lifetime of belongings. Our offer is based on the house as it stands, and the cleanout and repairs happen after we close.
If the estate is closed and the house now belongs to you and the other heirs, the page on selling an inherited home will fit your situation better. If the mortgage payments have slipped as well, our page on stopping a foreclosure explains the deadlines.
The estate and the sale
What the probate process looks like in North Carolina.
In North Carolina, an estate is opened by the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the person lived, and the clerk acts as the probate judge. The right county is not always obvious. A High Point address may be in Guilford County, yet parts of High Point reach into Davidson, Randolph and Forsyth counties.
The clerk issues letters testamentary to an executor named in a will, or letters of administration to an administrator when there is no will. Either way, that person is called the personal representative. The estate also publishes a notice to creditors once a week for four weeks, and creditors have at least three months from the first notice to file their claims.
Under North Carolina law the house passes at death to the heirs or the people named in the will, though the personal representative can take control of it and sell it when the estate needs to. If the heirs sell within two years of the death, the closing attorney will usually ask the personal representative to sign too. Depending on the will, the clerk may have to approve a sale by the personal representative.
We can see the house and put a written offer together while the estate paperwork is still moving. The closing waits until the estate is able to transfer the house. We buy probate houses across North Carolina, and our how we buy houses page lays out the whole process.
This is general information, so talk with a North Carolina estate attorney about your own estate.
- Let us know where the estate is.
Call, text or send the address. We will ask whether the estate has been opened, who the clerk appointed and whether anyone is living in the house.
- A specialist walks through the house.
There is no need to clean, empty or repair anything before we come by.
- The offer comes to you in writing.
Pass it along to the other heirs and the estate's attorney. You are under no obligation to take it.
- Closing happens when the estate can sell.
A North Carolina real estate attorney runs the closing, checks the title and reviews the estate papers. We can close in about seven days with a clear title, or set the date as far as six months out if the estate needs the time.
Families who sold an estate house
What families told us once the estate house sold.
Fast and very easy closing of my Father-in-laws estate. No problems with funding, they even helped us get connected with a very good probate attorney. All promises made were kept by Barrington and all of their associates. I strongly recommend letting Barrington Assist you when you need to sell your home fast!
They explained the process and gave weekly updates handled complicated situations quickly I never had to worry about anything I appreciated them to the fullest when all was done I highly recommend them to others and I will.
The people with Barrington are professionals, & treated me with the utmost respect. They worked with me and my family through the small snags we encountered along the way. All in all, l would highly recommend them to anyone looking to sell a home.
Estate questions
Questions personal representatives ask us.
Can the house sell before the estate is closed in North Carolina?
In many cases, yes. You can ask us for an offer at any stage, and the closing happens once the personal representative or the heirs can legally transfer the house. The closing attorney will tell you whose signatures are needed, and a North Carolina estate attorney can confirm the rest.
Does the family need to empty the house before selling?
No. Remove the photos, records and keepsakes the family wants to hold on to. Whatever is left can stay, and we clear it out after the closing.
What happens when several heirs share the house?
Shared ownership comes up in a lot of probate sales. We write the offer down so every heir and the estate's attorney work from the same number. At closing, whoever has the legal authority signs, and the closing attorney pays out the money as the settlement statement shows.
Will the estate pay fees or closing costs?
Selling to us carries no fees or commissions. We can often pay your closing costs and the attorney fees too, which helps when the estate is short on cash.
How long does it take to sell an estate house?
With a clear title we can close in about seven days. In probate, the clerk's office and the estate paperwork usually decide the timing, and we wait for them. The closing date is still yours to choose, up to six months out.
Tell us where the estate house is.
A specialist will call to talk through the house and how far along the estate is. You won't be asked to sign anything on that call.
Settling an estate
Put a written cash offer in front of the family.
No repairs, no cleanout and no commission. The closing waits until the clerk's process is done and the family is ready.