Selling an Inherited House in Washington State in 2025

You’ve inherited a home. Perhaps you grew up there, or you’re the only surviving relative of a distant family member. Whether that property has meaning to you or not, it’s not uncommon to need to sell it. That’s a complex process, one that often takes people up to a year to do. Selling an inherited house in Washington State means you’ll need to navigate the legal process, prepare the home, and then market it as any other.

There are alternatives to the traditional process. The key is understanding what those options are so you can make the best choice for you. If you’re planning on selling an inherited house in Washington State, this guide will help you do so.

Understanding Probate in Washington

When a person dies in Washington, their assets and debts, called their estate, go through the probate process. This is a legal process with the goal of dispersing remaining assets to the heirs after creditors and lien holders are paid. 

Commonly, titled properties, like houses and land, are willed to another person based on the wishes of the owner. That’s often communicated within a will. If there is no will, the probate process considers it an intestate estate. That means it’s up to the court to determine how the assets pass to heirs.

Before you can sell an inherited house in Washington State, it must go through the three stages of the probate process:

• Validation of contracts
• Collection of bank and brokerage accounts from all known creditors
• Dispersing assets to named beneficiaries 

A representative for the estate, such as a surviving family member, must file for probate with the local county court. The court can appoint someone called the estate’s executor or personal representative, or if no one steps forward, the state’s representative will take this role.

To navigate this process, you may need to consider the following:

• You can (and often should) invest in an attorney to help you through probate. That means you’ll need to pay an attorney fee unless it is allotted for in the will.
• You will need to pay court filing costs, which can be $240 for the probate filing itself. You can find these costs on the Clerk’s website. 
• You may also need to pay other fees associated with the process, depending on costs.

Once the executor is assigned to the property, that person is given the right to market and sell property that has been left behind. Often, this is necessary to pay debts that the deceased person left behind. For example, before you can sell your deceased parent’s house, their debt obligations must be met within the letter of the law.

Legal Considerations for Selling an Inherited House

There are a number of legal considerations to keep in mind throughout this process. 

Community property

Washington State is a community property state. That means that all property acquired during a marriage is considered jointly and equally owned. However, this does not apply to inherited property. Inherited property is not distributed during a divorce in the same manner.

Who inherits property in Washington State

Under Washington State law, property is inherited in the following manner by the first person available on this list in order:

• The surviving spouse automatically becomes the owner of any property. That means the surviving spouse takes over the one-half share of the deceased party. 
• If some of the assets of the home are considered separate property from the marriage, the spouse does not automatically receive all of that property. Instead, it is split during the probate process.
• Half of the separate property will go to the spouse and the other half to the surviving children 
• If there are no children, three-quarters go to the surviving spouse and one-quarter to the parents.
• If there are no children or parents, three-quarters go to the surviving spouse, and the rest goes to siblings 

Wills can supersede these rules in many situations. If you own property for any of these reasons, you have the right to sell that property in the way that fits your needs and goals. That could include using a cash home buyer.

Preparing the Property for Sale

Selling an inherited house in Washington State takes some prep work. It’s critical to consider your objectives and goals at this stage.

• Do you want to sell the property fast and move on?
• Do you want to sell the property for the most possible and move on?

If you plan to get the highest possible value for the home, you’ll walk a fine line between cleaning out and preparing the property for sale and doing too much that won’t pay you back once the property sells. Consider the following steps:

Decluttering the home

Removing all of the furniture and belongings of the person who died is the first and often a monumental task. Whether or not you were close to this person, they probably have boxes, attics, and basements full of stuff. Don’t forget the garage. 

You can rent a dumpster and do the work yourself. That may take some time depending on the amount of material present. Alternatively you could hire a professional estate company to clean out the property for you. They charge a hefty fee, but you’ll need to weight that fee against your time.

Cleaning

After everything is removed, the property needs cleaned and sanitized. This can be done yourself or you can hire a professional to do so.

Repairs

Depending on the sale process you decide upon, you’ll need to determine which repairs are necessary and which are desirable. For example, large repairs like cracks in the foundation may be required to sell on the open market, but updates like painting are not always necessary.

Valuing the Property

The best way to determine the value of a property isn’t to use online sites but instead to turn to an appraiser. If you plan to hire an agent, they can handle this process for you initially. 

The right price depends, again, on your goals. How fast you wish to sell, the amount of work necessary, and your overall long-term objectives play a role here.

Selling Options

Next, determine how you wish to sell. There are a few key opportunities to consider here:

• List on the market with an agent: Using a real estate agent to sell an inherited house in Washington State is one option. Expect to pay about 6% to the agent. They will make recommendations for upgrades and marketing methods.
• Sell FSBO: Selling the home for sale by owner means you do all of the work the real estate agent typically handles. You may still need to pay an attorney for the legal contract.
• Sell to investors: With this option, you forgo just about all of the repairs and marketing costs and sell to an investor who will do the work for you. You don’t pay anything in this situation.

Tax Implications

It’s a good idea to sit down with a tax professional, such as your accountant, to discuss the tax implications of selling an inherited house in Washington State. The taxes you pay will depend on Washington laws related to your current income and assets, as well as how much the property’s value has increased over time.

Washington imposes a real estate excise tax of 1.10% to 3% of the sale price of the property. For high-value properties over $4.58 million, an estate tax of 11.2 to 16% is also required. 

Closing the Sale of an Inherited House

Once you find a buyer, the closing and sales process is much the same as it is for any home. However, if there are multiple inheritors, that can complicate the process. 

• All parties must agree to sell the property.
• If one person wishes to keep the home, they must buy out the other inheritors
• A non-beneficiary could sometimes be used to head the sale of the house to keep it fair. 
• Keep the process transparent.
• Enter into an agreement with the buyer and all inheritors to close on the sale. 

Selling an Inherited House in Washington State

There’s much to consider about selling an inherited house in Washington State. When considering these steps, you may be hoping for something faster and more direct. There are alternatives to companies like Opendoor, and we are one of them.

If you want to eliminate the costs of real estate agents, marketing, and even cleanouts and repairs, consider selling the property to an investor. At iBuyer, we buy homes from those who inherited them by providing a fast value on the property without any of those complicated processes or costs.

If you’re looking for a faster, easier way to get the most out of an inherited property, provide us with some information about the type of home, the condition, whether you’ve signed a listing agreement, and your timeframe.

We’ll provide you with access to an offer range. Selling an inherited house in Washington State certainly takes time and work, but if you use iBuyer, you can move on with your life with the money you need in your pocket and devote less time and energy to this process.

Reach out to us today for a free, no-obligation quote on how much your property is worth right now.