Estate, probate & trust sales
Executors, administrators and trustees are usually grieving, frequently out of state, often dealing with a sibling who has opinions, and personally accountable if the sale is handled badly. I take the property off your plate and keep the record clean.
You are not selling your own house. You are selling someone else’s, on behalf of people who may not agree with each other, under a duty that exposes you personally if you get it wrong. The standard is not “I got a decent price.” It is “I can show that I acted reasonably, and here is the documentation.”
On top of that, the practical mess is real. Nobody has the keys. There’s a tenant nobody knew about, or a cousin living in the basement. The deed has a name on it that doesn’t match anything. There are forty years of belongings inside. Two of the four heirs want to sell now and two want to wait. And you’re trying to manage all of it from Georgia.
I’ve been handling these since 2004. Most of what goes wrong is foreseeable, which means most of it is preventable.
Before anything else: has the court issued letters, and do they let you sell? Is the property in the estate or did it pass outside it? Are there restrictions? Your attorney answers this. I ask about it first, because listing a property you can’t yet convey wastes everyone’s time.
Locks, utilities, insurance status, occupancy. A photographic record of condition on day one. If someone is living there, we establish what their status actually is before, not after, we go to market.
A written Fair Market Valuation with the assumptions stated. If you need a value as of the date of death for basis or accounting purposes, I prepare Retroactive Valuations too — whether that’s sufficient for a given tax purpose is a question for your attorney or accountant, and I’ll say so plainly rather than pretend otherwise.
Empty and paint, or sell as-is? I’ll price both and tell you which one nets more after cost and carrying time. Sometimes as-is wins by a wide margin, and heirs are relieved to hear it.
Full MLS exposure, professional photography and floor plans, and written updates that go to every interested party at the same time. When four heirs all hear the same thing on the same day, most of the friction disappears.
A record of what was done, when, and why — so if anyone questions the sale later, the answer already exists on paper.
Sometimes yes. Often it’s twenty to thirty percent below what the open market would pay, and the “hassle” being avoided is mostly mine, not yours. Get a written Fair Market Valuation before you sign anything. If the cash offer holds up against it, take the cash offer with my blessing.
No. Sometimes it’s worth it and sometimes it’s money burned. I’ll give you the two numbers and let you decide. If we do clear it out, I’ve got people I’ve used for years and I take nothing from them for the referral.
Yes, and most of my estate sellers are out of state. Remote signing, video walkthroughs, and someone local who actually goes to the property. You’ll fly up if you want to, not because the transaction requires it.
Then everyone gets the same written valuation at the same time, with the reasoning shown. Disagreement usually turns out to be a disagreement about information, not about value. When it’s genuinely about value, at least the argument is now about something specific.
I prepare Retroactive Valuations, yes — and I’m one of the few people who will, because most appraisers either decline retroactive work or price it steeply. What I give you is a Fair Market Valuation prepared by a licensed broker, not an appraisal. You and your accountant decide whether it’s sufficient for the purpose you need it for. I’ll tell you honestly where it may not be.
Five minutes, and it answers most of the first call.
Death and real estate — what actually happens
Recorded on camera, not written down and edited by me.
Estate seller“I inherited a property and needed help”
Estate clientTwo-family in the Bronx
Estate sellerServing the NYC metro
Diallo took over the renovation and sale of our parents’ properties and carried through even past the final sale and continued making necessary contacts in order to finalize unforeseen administrative details.
Very considerate during a difficult time, prompt, courteous; the consummate professional… service is exemplary.
Call me before you agree to anything — before the cash offer, before the cleanout, before you sign with anyone. I’d like to handle it for you, and if I’m not the right fit I’ll tell you who is.
