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The Daily Insight

What happens to real estate after parents pass away?

Author

Andrew Ramirez

Published Mar 02, 2026

Many families mistakenly believe inheriting property is as simple as listening to an official reading of their parents’ will. That may work in the movies, but in reality, real estate inherited via a will is usually subject to the long, complex probate process.

When did my mother leave the property to my brothers?

Q When my mother passed away in 2012, she left her property to me and my three brothers – the deeds have been changed accordingly. One of my brothers has lived in the property for around 25 years.

Can you live in your mother’s house after she dies?

If you don’t probate your mother’s will, her house will remain in her name even after her death. This doesn’t mean that you can’t live in it or otherwise make use of the property, but you won’t own it.

How to get property in your name after your parent has died?

In most cases, the estate will have to go through the probate process before you can officially get the property in your own name. Check the Will . Whether or not you’d get property in your name upon the death of a parent depends on the will. If you were left the property, or if you co-owned the property with the deceased.

Do you have to pay capital gains on deceased mother’s home?

Yes, you pay capital gains, but you get a stepped up basi s on the initial cost. If you didn’t own the home until she died, you each get 1/3 of the fair market value (FMV) at the time of her death. You can use county tax records to determine this amount.

What happens when you inherit your parent’s house?

That means you’ll owe more in capital gains, if there are any, and that you also won’t qualify for the capital gains exclusion since the house isn’t your principal residence. But you and your renters will have good times in your parent’s former home, and that’s priceless.

Can you sell a house inherited from your parents?

When you sell a house you’ve inherited from your parents, you’ll have a long to-do list in front of you. However, you can reduce some of the stress if you simply work through the process step-by-step: Let’s review each step in detail. We’ll take it slow. Selling your parent’s home?

Can you sell your parents home while they are still alive?

The document names your parents as the trustees (allowing them to manage all assets while they are still living), and you as the beneficiary. If you inherit property where there’s a living trust in place, you can bypass probate, avoid some estate taxes, and it sets you up to sell the home immediately.

What does it mean to sell House of someone who has passed away?

In some parts of the country, estate sales are called “tag sales” as well. Selling the home of someone who passed away recently is similar in many ways to selling any other home, but there are some extra considerations. Knowing how to address all the potential hurdles of the estate sale will make the process easier.