Estate real estate · King County
Estate property in Kenmore
Guidance for personal representatives, trustees, and heirs selling real property in Kenmore: the court, the excise tax, and the inspections that actually apply here, with nothing carried over from another county.
Where the matter is heard
Probate and trust matters here are heard in King County Superior Court.
Septic inspection at time of sale
Most properties here are on public sewer, so this reaches a smaller share of homes, but where a property is on septic, the rule below governs the sale.
Where a property is served by an on-site septic system, King County Board of Health Title 13 requires a monitoring and performance inspection by a licensed On-Site System Maintainer before title transfers, with a report filed with Public Health – Seattle & King County. Before closing, the seller records the Notice of On-site Sewage System Operation and Maintenance Requirements (OSSM), NWMLS form 22U, unless it is already on title.
This is independent of the Form 17 seller disclosure exemption: a personal representative exempt from the disclosure statement is still subject to the county inspection, filing, and recording requirements.
Real estate excise tax (REET)
Washington's state REET is graduated and applied marginally by tier. The local REET rate for Kenmore is 0.50%.
Example, $1,500,000 sale
These figures are an illustrative example, not a market estimate or a quote. Use the net-proceeds estimator for your own numbers.
Estimate net proceeds for your propertyWashington estate tax
Washington taxes estates above a state exclusion of $3,000,000 for deaths on or after July 1, 2026. That threshold sits far below the federal filing level, so an estate can owe Washington tax without ever filing a federal return. The return and payment are due 9 months after the date of death, which is why liquidity often matters more than price.
This is informational, not tax advice. Confirm the estate's exposure and the current figures with its CPA or attorney.
The nine-month clock
The estate tax return runs from the date of death. Authority to prepare and sell comes first: immediately for a personal representative with nonintervention powers, and after notice and court authorization for a conservator.
Personal representative, nonintervention powers
Can authorize preparation immediately. Full nine-month runway to the estate tax deadline.
Conservator
Notice and court authorization come first. The runway that remains is compressed.
Neighborhoods
- Uplake
- Moorlands
- Inglewood
- Arrowhead
- Northshore
ZIP codes
- 98028