If you need to sell a house in Kansas City owned by a deceased party, you need more than the typical real estate agent. You need a real estate professional with experience working with probate.
Not all real estate agents are experts or even knowledgeable in probate transactions. Probate transactions differ greatly from ordinary real estate transactions. Despite what your agent may claim, you need to ensure that they know what needs to be done.
How Is a Probate Sale Different From a Regular Real Estate Transaction?
At a glance, a probate sale and a regular sale may seem like identical transactions. In truth, they are diametrically different. What separates a probate transaction from a regular property transaction is legal oversight.
In Kansas City, probate transactions receive oversight from probate courts. These courts ensure that probate transactions are legal and carried out according to the deceased’s last will. Also, probate courts in Kansas City determine the price of a property, so property pricing is regulated. Real estate agents do not exactly have free rein over probate property prices, for this reason.
Lastly, given the legal nature of a probate transaction, a real estate agent cannot act alone. You may have to transact with your agent and, quite possibly, a probate attorney in the city.
In short, different sets of rules govern probate home sales. Not all property agents in the city are knowledgeable on probate’s legalities. You might need to ask several questions to tease out the probate expert in your agent.
What To Look For in Your Probate Realtor
You need to establish the following when looking for an agent to help you with a probate home sale:
Familiarity With Probate
The keyword here is familiarity — not proficiency. Ask about whether or not your agent has heard of or is educated in probate, and you can proceed to the next few questions.
For the most part, real estate agents in Kansas City will have heard of probate. If the one you are speaking expresses familiarity, you can ask the next question.
A Track Record in Probate Transactions
When looking for probate help that Kansas City real agents can provide, ask about their probate experience. You will want to hire an agent with more than a few years of probate experience under his or her belt; you need to ask about their track record as well.
There is no point in hiring an agent who claims to have attempted multiple probate transactions for years only to have closed none of them.
In-Depth Knowledge of Probate Property Sales
Just like a lawyer performing cross-examination, never ask a question to which you do not know the answer. Speaking of legalities, you need to hear your real estate agent mention something along the lines of laws in his answer.
Probate differs in the legalities involved. A probate transaction encompasses various provisions and stipulations like a last will. If your agent can speak about these and more, you may be speaking to one that can help you with probate.
Skip the Headaches – Buy or Sell Your Home As-Is!
Through a real estate agent, a probate transaction can be a long and drawn-out process. As you have learned, even finding the right agent to hire requires a bit of detective work on your part.
By selling or buying a home as-is, you can shorten the process and close a transaction quicker.
We buy houses in Kansas City for cash. Request an offer online today and spare yourself the headaches of a complicated legal transaction.