Probate and estate sales in South Florida
For executors, personal representatives and heirs: a probate or estate sale organized around the court, the attorney and the family.
Probate and estate sales in South Florida: who this is for
Probate and estate sales in South Florida usually land on someone who never asked for the job. You may be a personal representative named in a will, a trustee, or one of several heirs. You're grieving, and you've been handed a house, a set of legal steps and a family waiting for news.
An estate sale adds people and deadlines to an already hard time. There's an attorney, sometimes a court, sometimes relatives in other states or other countries. There's a house that may have been lived in for decades, full of belongings nobody has had the heart to sort. My job is to organize the sale around all of that so it doesn't land on you.
Whether the sale runs through probate, through a trust, or both, is a question for your attorney. The answer sets who can sign, what approvals are needed and how long it takes. Once your attorney tells us which path applies, I build the sale around it.
How I handle an estate sale
I work with your attorney, not around them. Before anything is listed, I confirm with the attorney who has authority to sign, which documents the title company will need, and whether any step needs the court's approval. The listing and the contract are built to fit that timeline.
I help with the house as it is. Inherited homes are often full, and sometimes they've been empty for a while. I can connect you with vendors who clear, clean, repair and secure the property, and they bill the estate directly. You approve the work. You don't have to be there to supervise it.
I keep the whole family informed. When several heirs have a stake, suspicion grows fastest in silence. I send updates in a form you can share with every family member, including the pricing analysis with the comparable homes and the reasoning shown. Everyone sees the same facts.
A client once described a probate sale with me this way: "Nanci is amazing! This is our second time working with her. This time it was a very complicated case involving probate. She was an angel in how she was able to work with my attorney, the buyers, and everyone else involved in the process. Words cannot express how grateful I am! You are an angel!" (Patrick P.)
Coordination like that is the heart of this work.
I've handled probate, estate, short sale and foreclosure transactions over twenty years, and I'm fluent in English and Spanish, which helps when family members live abroad. The first step of my process, listen and map, is where an estate's extra moving parts get organized.
What happens, step by step
A first conversation. We talk about the property, the family, the attorney and any deadlines. You can include other heirs if that helps. Nothing is signed at this stage.
Protecting the property. A vacant house needs attention. I'll help you arrange for the lawn, the locks and regular checks.
Planning for signers who live far away. If the personal representative, the trustee or an heir lives outside Florida or outside the country, tell me early. Signing and returning documents from a distance takes planning, and the title company and your attorney can tell us what will be needed.
Clearing and preparing. The family takes what it wants first, at its own pace. Vendors handle the rest. Then we decide together which repairs are worth making and which are better disclosed, because an estate doesn't always want to invest in a house it's about to sell.
A price the family can see. I build the number on absorption rate and days on market, adjusted for the home's age and condition, and put the reasoning in writing so it can go to every heir and to the attorney.
The listing and the reports. Once the home is live, reports go out on a set schedule. Offers are compared on terms and price, and every buyer's financing is verified before an offer is accepted.
A closing that matches the paperwork. I stay in touch with the attorney, the title company and the buyer's agent so the closing documents line up with what the estate or trust requires.
Estate sales across the towns I serve
Every estate is different, and so is every house. In Homestead, an inherited home in the older part of town is often a modest single-story house built in the mid-1900s, where the roof and systems deserve a close look before pricing. More on probate and estate sales in Homestead.
In the Redland, an estate may include agricultural land with a home on it, and what the land allows can matter more than the house. See estate sales in the Redland. In Palmetto Bay, many homes date from the 1960s and 1970s and may still have original layouts, which changes who the likely buyer is. Read about estate sales in Palmetto Bay.
In Pinecrest, a family ranch home on a large lot may be valued as much for the land as for the house. See probate sales in Pinecrest. In Miami, an estate home in Coconut Grove, Coral Way or Flagami each calls for a different message to buyers. More on probate and estate sales in Miami.
When you're ready, start the conversation or call or text me at 786-237-9904. You can also read more about Nanci Gilbert, PA.
This page describes how I handle the sale. It isn't legal or tax advice. Please rely on the estate's attorney for legal decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I list an inherited house before probate is finished?
Sometimes. It depends on the will, the court's orders and whether the home is held in a trust. Your attorney can tell us when the personal representative or trustee has authority to sell, and I build the timeline around that.
Do we have to fix up the house before selling it?
No. We decide together which repairs are worth making and which are better disclosed. Many estates sell a house largely as it is, priced to reflect its condition.
Who pays for clearing and repairs?
The estate does. The vendors I recommend bill the estate directly, and the personal representative or trustee approves the work.
Several of us inherited the house. How do you keep everyone informed?
I send updates and the pricing analysis in a form you can share with every heir, so the whole family sees the same information.
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