Can You Sell A House Before Probate In Wigan?

Inheriting a property can be a legal and emotional minefield. Especially if there are multiple beneficiaries, dealing with the estate of a loved one who has passed can quickly become extremely complex. For most of us, it’s something we’re only likely to have to deal with once or twice in our lifetimes, which means a lot of the legal requirements are going to be new to us, and having to navigate the process at a time of emotional stress isn’t easy.

One part of the process that might seem especially daunting is acquiring a grant of probate — or, if the deceased didn’t leave a will, getting letters of administration. However, it is an essential step in dealing with someone’s estate, and you’ll need to get it done sooner rather than later if you want to sell an inherited property in Wigan.

What is a grant of probate?

When someone dies, there’s usually a person (or several people) who’ll be left to handle their affairs. “Probate” is the name for the legal right to do that. For obvious reasons, this needs to be established before large amounts of money can change hands.

To get that legal right, you’ll need to follow a series of pre-established steps. First, the estate needs to be valued. This might be simple, depending on what the person owned, but if it’s more complicated, you might need to hire a professional estate administration firm to help. Once you have the approximate value of the estate, you can check whether Inheritance Tax is due, and, if so, start paying it.

Once all that’s done, then you can apply for probate. Usually, applications are processed and a grant of probate (or letters of administration) are issued within 16 weeks. 

Can you put a house on the market before getting probate?

Technically, yes, you can list a property for sale before receiving the grant of probate. You won’t be able to complete the sale before you have it, though, so you’ll need to make sure that your estate agent and solicitors are aware that you’ll need to wait for it. If you’ve already put in your application, that may not be a problem. 

However, it might be off-putting to buyers if they’re aware that probate hasn’t yet been granted, because it’s another potential delay in a process that already contains a lot of different steps and potential pitfalls. If there is a holdup in getting probate, a potential sale could fall through. It’s probably simpler for everyone involved if you have the legal right to sell the property before you put it on the market.

The one exception to this rule is if you owned the property jointly with the deceased — that is, if you were legally “joint tenants”. In this case, possession of the property would pass directly to you, and you would be legally able to sell it immediately. 

Is there an easier way to sell an inherited property in Wigan?

We know that sometimes you just want to sell an inherited property quickly, without all the hassle. The idea of having to wait sixteen weeks for probate to be granted even before you can start the indefinitely long process of selling a house might be disheartening. That’s where SellHouseFast.co.uk can step in. 

We buy any house, in any condition. While you will need to apply for probate, once you are legally able to sell the property we can complete that sale within a week. We can take all the stress of dealing with estate agents, solicitors, and even prospective buyers off your plate. Our experts will handle all of that. You’ll get the money in your account, at which point it can be distributed to any other beneficiaries.

To get started, why not fill in our simple form today? We just need some basic information from you about the property, and then our in-house experts will get to work putting together an offer for you. We’re cash buyers, which means we have funds ready to go. All you have to do is get in touch.