For heirs, personal representatives & trustees
Selling the estate's real property, explained plainly.
If you are settling a loved one's estate, often from another state, often for the first time, the house can feel like the hardest part. This page lays out the two common paths and lets you compare, in plain numbers, what each is likely to leave the estate. Take the time you need; nothing here asks you to hurry.
Talk to Justin
You do not have to be local, and you do not have to decide anything today. If it would help to talk it through, reach out by email or phone.
Justin Cicero, Managing Broker
NW Luxury Homes · Real Broker LLC
The honest starting point
In most cases, listing the property on the open market nets the estate more than a cash buyout. This comparison exists to show you the actual difference for your property, not to argue for either path. If the numbers say a retail sale is worth the added time, they will say so plainly.
Cash buyout vs. retail listing: estimated net to the estate
Adjust every figure to your situation. These are estimates for discussion, not a net sheet, and not an offer.
Retail listing
Cash buyout
A direct cash sale is not a listing, so no commission applies.
Estimated difference: $198,294
In this scenario, a retail listing is estimated to net the estate about $198,294 more than a cash buyout.
Estimates for discussion only, not a net sheet, and not an offer. State REET is shown marginally, tier by tier. Confirm every figure with your closing professionals before relying on it.
About the cash column
The cash figure is an estimate of what a third-party cash buyer might offer, shown as a percentage of the retail price you enter. It is adjustable, and it is not an offer.
I am not the buyer. I coordinate and negotiate offers from third-party buyers on the estate's behalf. The offer, and the decision, are never mine.
I am paid by the estate, as its listing broker. If an investor buys a property I have listed, I earn the listing commission, and that is disclosed. I take no referral fee, no spread, and no co-op payment from any buyer, cash or otherwise. This comparison is worthless if I am paid for the outcome, so I am not.
When a cash buyout can still be the right decision
Most of the usual reasons to accept a cash offer are addressable, and worth testing before you decide:
- A fixed filing or payment deadline with no cash on hand: pre-listing costs are advanced, so the estate can prepare and list without liquidity of its own.
- Heirs out of state with no one to manage the work: preparation, vendors, and showings are handled locally on the estate's behalf.
- A property whose condition narrows the buyer pool: preparation before listing brings it back within reach of financed buyers.
Two things a cash sale can answer that a listing cannot:
- Family circumstances that make a months-long marketing period untenable.
- Situations where certainty of closing outweighs price.
These are considerations, not advice. Weigh them with your attorney or CPA.
See where things stand, without having to ask
Showings, feedback, offers, and what has been spent, in one view for the property. If you are out of state and feel shut out of the process, it is a way to follow the sale without calling to ask.
It is updated as things happen, and a written summary is sent while the property is listed.
See a sample dashboardStep-up in basis: the starting point for gain or loss
When someone inherits real property, its cost basis is generally adjusted to the fair market value as of the date of death, a step-up. Any gain or loss on a later sale is measured from that stepped-up value, not from what the deceased originally paid.
The difference can run either way. If the property sells above its date-of-death value, the taxable gain is measured only from the stepped-up basis, often far less than heirs expect. If the market has declined since the date of death, a sale below that value may produce a loss rather than a gain.
This is an explainer, not tax advice, and every estate is different. For what it means for yours, and before you sell, talk with your CPA or estate attorney.
Seller experiences
I live out of state, so the process was stressful and my property required quite a bit of repair. Justin held my hand throughout.
Steve H.
Seller, Kirkland
Justin was incredibly helpful and patient throughout a complicated real estate situation. He worked closely with me every step of the way, offering guidance and professionalism.
Lisa S.
Seller
He gave good advice and communicated well. He walked me through every step of the process and answered all questions I had in a timely manner.
Kim N.
Seller
A real deliverable
Estate Property Report
Date-of-Death Valuation & Asset Disposition Package
- 01Property identification
- 02Valuation, date of death and current
- 03Washington estate tax exposure
- 04Sewer or septic, and the time-of-sale requirements
- 05Publicly recorded items
- 06HOA or condominium
- 07Condition and preservation
- 08Preparation scope and estimated range
- 09Authority path and disclosure obligations
- 10Sequenced path to closing
- 11Fiduciary checklist
Further reading
If you want the background, this guide walks through what changed for estate real property in Washington in 2026, in plain language and with the statutes: the estate tax, the septic rules, the disclosure form, and who has authority to sell.
Read the guideSeparately, larger estates may owe Washington estate tax, due nine months after the date of death. That is a different tax from the step-up above; the attorney page explains it. See the Washington estate tax note