Should You Clean Out an Inherited House Before Calling a Realtor?

One of the most common things I hear when someone inherits a house is:

“We need to get it cleaned out before we have you come over.”

Please don't.

Or at least, don't feel like you have to.

I've walked into plenty of estate properties with closets full, dishes in the cupboards, furniture everywhere, garages packed to the ceiling, and 40 years of accumulated stuff in the basement.

That's OK.

In fact, I'd rather see the house before you start making decisions.

There May Be More Value There Than You Think

When you're standing inside your parents' house looking at decades of possessions, it can be overwhelming.

Your instinct may be to rent a dumpster and start making things disappear.

But slow down.

I've seen families throw away things that had value. I've also seen them spend an enormous amount of time sorting things that frankly didn't have much value at all.

Depending on what's in the house, an estate-sale company, auction company, donation service, junk-removal company, or some combination of those may make sense.

The important part is figuring out the order.

Don't Start Fixing Everything Either

This is another one I see.

Someone walks through the house and starts making a list:

Paint everything. Replace the carpet. Remodel the bathroom. Fix the deck. Replace the appliances. Landscape the yard.

Pretty soon you're talking about spending $30,000 on a house you haven't even had professionally evaluated for resale.

Some of those projects may absolutely make sense.

Others won't.

The question isn't, “What could we improve?”

You can improve almost anything.

The better question is, “Which improvements will actually put more money in the estate than they cost?”

Those are two very different questions.

Let Me See the House As It Is

When I first walk through an inherited property, I'm trying to understand the entire picture.

Condition. Location. Deferred maintenance. Major systems. Contents. Yard. Marketability. Likely buyer. Potential repairs. And, importantly, how much work the family actually wants to take on.

Sometimes my recommendation is to clean it out, make some strategic repairs, paint, landscape and prepare the house beautifully for market.

Sometimes it's the exact opposite.

Sell it essentially as-is, disclose what we know, price it appropriately, and let the next owner take it from there.

There isn't one answer that works for every estate.

You Don't Have to Figure This Out Before Calling Me

If you're handling a probate, trust or inherited property in Bellingham or Whatcom County, you don't need to have the house ready before we talk.

That's part of what I help families figure out.

I'll walk through the property with you, help identify what appears worth doing and what probably isn't, and help you put the steps in the right order.

Schedule a 15-minute call with me. We can talk about the property, where you are in the process, and what I would recommend doing next.