Administering an estate
Estate administration in Pennsylvania is the act of opening, managing and closing someone's estate. It takes months, sometimes years, and it lands on whoever is named executor — usually while they are grieving.
- We can tell you whether the estate needs to be opened at all
- Our own title company handles the property side
- We buy the house whenever in the process you are ready
Ask about an estate property
Free, no obligation, and we answer fast.
What the executor actually has to do
Pennsylvania estate administration is governed by statute and case law. In broad terms the executor has to open the estate with the Register of Wills, identify and secure the assets, notify creditors and settle valid debts, file the inheritance tax return, deal with the real estate, distribute what is left to the beneficiaries, and close the estate.
Every one of those steps has forms and deadlines. Miss the inheritance tax discount window and it costs the estate money.
Formal probate is not always required
With careful planning, a family settlement agreement or a small estate settlement can sometimes be used instead of full formal probate. It is worth finding out which track you are on before you start, because the difference is months of work.
The house is usually the hard part
It is the biggest asset, it costs money every month it sits, it often needs work, and it cannot be sold until the executor has authority. Beneficiaries get impatient. Insurance on a vacant property is expensive and some carriers will not write it at all.
How we help
- We can help you work out whether the estate needs to be formally opened.
- Our title company handles the title work, heir tracing and lien clearance that estates generate.
- We buy the property as-is, contents and all, at whatever point you are ready.
- We close at a date that fits the estate's timeline, not ours.
A note: we are not your attorney and this is not legal advice. Estate matters turn on specific facts and deadlines. Use a Pennsylvania estates attorney — we can point you to one if you do not have one.
Also see: inheriting a property.
How selling to us works
Tell us about the house
Two minutes on the form or one phone call. Address, rough condition, and what is going on. You do not need to have anything cleaned up or figured out first.
We check the numbers
We pull the comparable sales, the tax and lien position, and whatever else is on record for the property. Usually same day, always within one business day.
You get a real cash offer
A written, no-obligation number with the math behind it, so you can see how we got there. No fee to hear it and no pressure to take it.
You pick the closing date
Two weeks, two months, or after the holidays. We settle at a title company, you get certified funds, and you leave whatever you do not want behind.
Other situations we handle
Facing foreclosure
Stop the clock. We can close before the sheriff sale date and settle what you owe.
Inherited a property
A house you did not ask for, in a city you may not live in. We handle it end to end.
Liens, judgments & title problems
Tax liens, water bills, old mortgages, clouded title. We own a title company.
House needs work
Roof, water damage, full gut, hoarder cleanout. We buy it exactly as it stands.
Problem tenants
Not paying, will not leave, trashing the place. Sell it with them still in it.
Squatters
Someone is living in your property who has no right to be. We deal with it.
Moving to senior care
Free up the equity to pay for care, on a timeline that fits the move-in date.
Out-of-state owner
You do not have to fly in. Everything can be handled remotely and notarized where you are.
Relocating for work
A start date in another state and a house that has not sold yet.
Find out what your house is worth in cash
It takes about two minutes to ask and there is no fee for the answer. If a cash sale is not your best move, we will say so.