Before probate
After someone passes, a house can sit in between. No estate is open, no executor has been named, and nobody in the family is sure who may sign anything. That is a normal place to be, and it does not mean you are stuck.
- Takes about 2 minutes
- No obligation to sell
What this situation usually means
Until someone is appointed to handle the estate, or the house passes another way, no one can sign a sale for the owner. How that works depends on your state and on how the house was titled, so a probate attorney is the right person to ask.
Meanwhile, taxes and insurance still come due, and an empty house needs someone looking in on it. It helps to know what a sale would look like before you spend money on filing, which is why we are glad to look at the house early.
How Covent helps
We can look at the house and share an estimated offer now, before anything is filed.
Once someone has authority to sell, we work with that executor or administrator, and we can wait while it is sorted out.
We buy as-is, so the family does not pay for repairs or a cleanout while the estate is opened.
Nothing is binding until a written contract is signed, and we close 14 to 60 days after that.
What we need to look at
- The address and a rough idea of the condition.
- Whether there is a will, and whether the family has spoken with a probate attorney.
- Who is likely to handle the estate, if that is known.
Selling to Covent is simple
Enter your address and a few details, and we email you your estimated offer.
Common questions
Usually no one can sign for the owner until someone has authority, and the rules vary by state. We cannot give legal advice, so please ask a probate attorney. Once someone has authority, we can work with them.
You do not have to. Asking now costs nothing and commits no one. We can share an estimated offer and then pause until the family is ready.
We buy the house, not a side in the family. We need a seller who has authority to sign. How proceeds are shared is between the heirs and the estate, and an attorney can help with that.
Talk to a specialist
Email Sam, Covent's AI assistant. Sam answers right away and can loop in a specialist from our team.
sam@coventhomes.com
Related situations
Where we buy
We buy houses in Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, and North Carolina.
Find out what we'd pay for your house
Enter your address to start. It takes about 2 minutes.
- No obligation to sell
- Close in 14 to 60 days