- Property owners who have inherited homes in Los Angeles may feel that the overwhelming responsibility that comes with the gift now make it a burden
- With the decision to sell, owner’s must prepare the house for sale with some steps that will make an impact towards a successful home sale
- Walk away from the inherited house sale with cash and fewer responsibilities
If you inherited a property that you intend to sell, make sure you read this blog post all the way through to know the 3 things you can do in Los Angeles to prepare your inherited house for the sale…
When a loved one passes, it can be a difficult time for everyone. And although inheriting a house might seem like a wonderful way for a loved one to pass something of value on to you, it can also be a burden. Houses take a lot of work to maintain, keep clean, and keep up-to-date. It might take a bit more work if you don’t really know the repair history of the house. Consider how much time you would have to manage the inherited property and what distance you live from the inherited property. Consider whether you want repair it, clean it up, and rent out the inherited home; or if it would be better to convert the equity from the inherited home into cash and make your own decisions.
If you’re thinking about selling an inherited house, or if you are still exploring your options, here are 3 things you can do in Los Angeles to prepare your inherited house for the sale…
Preparing Your Inherited House For Sale — Tip #1
Perhaps the most important thing to do is to save the cherished memories of moments in the inherited house for yourself. It’s easy to discover that you have many mixed emotions about the property, and that can actually keep people from selling an inherited property. Instead, they just pay to hold onto the property but never really enjoy the property. With the time that they hold onto the property and it’s empty, their costs just add up (e.g. property taxes, utility bills, maintenance, etc.). The best step here is to understand that you are experiencing emotions about the memories and about the person who lived here. The house itself is just the structure.
So if you’re thinking of selling but want to preserve the memories, do something special in the house — take pictures, gather some of the furniture and photographs and other mementos that you will cherish, or consider having a small family gathering day for members to take away something of value to each individual. You’ll have a few things that represent your memories and you’ll still be able to sell the house to keep it from becoming a burden.
Preparing Your Inherited House For Sale — Tip #2
Chances are, you inherited the house from someone who lived there for a while. When this happens, you’ll find out that the person who lived there may have taken very good care of the house, but after living in the same house for a while there might be areas of the house that they didn’t use very much, or perhaps areas of the house that they used for storage. Or possibly, they collected many things and didn’t have the time or energy to organize or maintain the belongings.
The best way to help your inherited house sell is to clear the house out, clean it up thoroughly, and present a beautiful empty house to buyers.
Below are some steps to consider to clear up the inside of the inherited house:
- Rent a storage unit
- Decide what to keep
- Set aside important documents
- Gather the junk
- Hire a junk hauler
- Host an estate sale
- Donate items
When you unlock the available space in the house and on the property, you are make it easier for a buyer to realize the full size of the house they would want to buy and live in.
Preparing Your Inherited House For Sale — Tip #3
Last, you should think about giving your house a paint job. If you inherited the house from someone who lived in it a while, they may have cared for the house but the wall colors may have faded. As the home owner aged, it’s likely they did not refresh the interior paint on a regular basis. In addition to the cost, both the effort needed to relocate furniture and also, find a place to live were just too burdensome and time consuming with the remaining time in their life. So now it’s up to you. A $5,000 paint job might be affordable for you (or you can do it yourself) and it’s an easy way to help a house feel fresh and lived-in, even if you choose not to make any other updates or renovations to the house.
Summary
When your loved one passed the house on to you, they did so because they wanted to give you this gift. If the responsibility that comes with the inherited house feels actually like a burden, it’s okay to sell it to unlock the actual gift which is the cash. The cash is the gift that you might enjoy more, with no burden. So if selling the inherited house is what you’ve decide, you’ve just read 3 things you can do in Los Angeles to prepare your inherited house for the sale.
Aside from the physical house itself, here are additional things to consider when you inherit a property.
- Options with an Inherited Home: Sell, Rent, or Donate
- Reasons to Sell an Inherited Home
- Probate Process When You Inherit a Home
- Process of Selling an Inherited Home
- Tax Implications of Selling an Inherited Home
Wondering how to sell your house quickly and easily without any hassle or dealing with an agent? That’s where we can help. We are professional house buyers and we’ll make you a no-obligation cash offer for your house.
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