Selling an inherited house in Kent County, Delaware

Before anyone can sign a sale contract, the person with legal authority has to be in place. In Delaware, estates go through the Register of Wills for the county where the person lived. Kent County’s office is in Dover, at the Kent County Levy Court Administrative Complex on Bay Road. The Register of Wills appoints a personal representative (executor or administrator), who can then sell the home. If the house was held in a trust or passed another way, the trustee or new owners sign instead.

An estate attorney can tell you which path applies. We can work with your attorney’s timeline.

• Keep insurance active. A vacant home may need a vacancy policy.
• Keep utilities on at a safe level, and check the home regularly.
• Don’t throw away paperwork: deeds, tax bills, receipts for improvements.

Heirs in different states? A cash sale with remote signing (where the title company allows it) can keep things simple. If the goal is the highest price, a listing may be better. We’ll show you both numbers.

Inherited property usually gets a "stepped-up" tax basis at the date of death, which can lower capital gains tax on a sale. Delaware’s realty transfer tax still applies at closing. A CPA can confirm what applies to you.