Selling a parent’s home from out of town
The order of things when you are selling a parent’s home, or any home, from away: the paperwork, the house, the sale.
READ THE GUIDE ↓Tell us about the home and your timing; we will tell you what it needs and what it would sell for.
Families selling a parent’s home are often living somewhere else. The house is here; the decisions, the keys and the paperwork have to work from a distance.
This is the order of things as we handle it: what to settle first, what your lawyer or notary does, what happens to the house, and how a sale runs without you in the room.
It is general information, not legal advice. Your lawyer or notary confirms what applies to the estate.
Who can sell, and when.
If the home was in your parent’s name alone, the executor named in the will sells it, and the sale cannot complete until the grant of probate is in hand. If it was held in joint tenancy, it usually passes to the surviving owner without probate. Your lawyer or notary will confirm which applies, how long it is likely to take, and when the home can be listed.
Tell the insurer the home is empty. Many policies change once a home has been vacant for a while, and the insurer will say what it needs, such as regular checks and the heat on.
Clearing, repairing, presenting.
What stays, what goes
The family decides what to keep; the rest goes to sale, donation or disposal. It always takes longer than expected, so start early and set a date.
What a buyer will notice
A home lived in for decades usually needs small repairs, paint and cleaning before it is photographed. Spend where a buyer will see it, and leave the renovation to the next owner.
Staging and photographs
An empty house photographs cold and a full one cluttered. Light staging, professional photography, video and a floor plan let buyers, and the family, see it properly.
Someone local
Keys, alarm codes, mail, the garden, the gutters and a regular look inside. If you are not here, decide early who looks after them.
A sale that runs without you in the room.
Listing documents can usually be signed electronically. Showings run on a schedule with the home locked between them, and offers are reviewed by video or phone with everyone who has to agree. The documents that transfer the home are signed in front of a lawyer or notary, wherever you are; if you are outside BC, ask your lawyer early how that is done.
If several family members are involved, agree in writing who decides what: the price, the offers, the repairs. It saves arguments later.
We can coordinate the cleaning, the repairs, the staging and the photography, and report back at each step, so you are not managing a house from away.
Selling a family home from away? Ask it here.
The house, the timing, what it needs and what it would sell for. Twenty years on the peninsula; a plain answer, usually the same day.
More for sellers.
What is the home worth?A private appraisal, in person or from photographs and the details.
Downsizing on the peninsulaRanchers, townhouses with the bedroom down and condos with an elevator, and what the move frees up.
The market reportThe monthly White Rock and South Surrey report: benchmarks, sales, supply and what they mean.The questions families ask us most.
Can an executor sell a house before probate in BC?
If the home was in the deceased’s name alone, the sale cannot complete until the grant of probate is issued. Your lawyer or notary will tell you when the home can be listed and how the contract should read.
Do I have to come to White Rock to sell my parent’s home?
Not usually. Listing documents can be signed electronically, showings and offers can be handled from a distance, and the transfer documents are signed in front of a lawyer or notary where you are. Ask your lawyer early how signing works if you are outside BC.
Should we renovate before selling?
Usually not a full renovation. Cleaning, small repairs, paint and staging make the most difference for what they cost; the next owner will choose their own kitchen.
What happens to the home insurance when the house is empty?
Tell the insurer. Many policies change once a home has been vacant for a while, and the insurer will say what it needs, such as regular checks and the heat on.
How do we find out what the house is worth?
Ask for a private appraisal: recent sales nearby, the homes it would compete with, and the condition of the house. It can be done in person or from photographs and the details.
General information, not legal advice. Probate, title and signing requirements depend on the estate; your lawyer or notary confirms what applies.