You inherited a house in Houston. Now what?
Usually the house arrives with a funeral, a family, and a stack of paperwork nobody wants to open. The good news is that almost nothing here is urgent — and the tax treatment is probably better than you fear.
Read this first
If the house is in decent shape, the heirs agree, and nobody is carrying an urgent cost, list it. An inherited house with a stepped-up basis and no mortgage is the single best case for a retail sale — you keep the difference and the tax bill is usually small or nil. Come back to us if the family can't agree, the house needs more work than anyone wants to fund, or the carrying costs are eating the estate.
- 01
You probably can't sell it yet — and that's normal
Texas property usually has to pass through probate before it can be conveyed, unless it was in a living trust, held with a transfer-on-death deed, or owned as community property with a right of survivorship. Independent administration in Harris County is the common path and is faster than most people expect, but it is a step, not a formality. A probate attorney will tell you in one conversation which path applies.
- 02
The step-up in basis is the part people don't know
For federal tax purposes the property's basis generally resets to its fair market value on the date of death. Sell near that value and there's often little or no capital gain, even on a house bought decades ago for a fraction of it. This is worth understanding before you decide anything — ask a CPA, not a buyer.
- 03
Multiple heirs is the real complication
Not the house — the agreement. Any sale generally needs everyone with an interest to sign, and one reluctant sibling can stall it indefinitely. If that's where you are, the conversation to have is with a probate attorney or a mediator, not with a cash buyer.
- 04
Meanwhile the house still costs money
Taxes, insurance (often at a higher vacant-property rate), utilities to keep it from deteriorating, and yard upkeep so the city doesn't cite it. Empty houses also attract break-ins and copper theft. This is the pressure that turns a no-rush decision into a rushed one, so name the monthly number early.
Talk to a probate attorney before anything else
Many will do a short initial consult free or cheap. Which probate path applies changes your timeline by months, and no article can tell you which one you're on.
Where we're genuinely useful: the house needs work no heir wants to pay for, the family wants a clean split and a date, or the estate is bleeding carrying costs. We buy as-is, we can close once the estate has authority to convey, and we'll coordinate with the attorney handling it.
Or call (832) 307-1738. No obligation either way.
Then list it — and I’d rather help you do that than talk you out of it.
For plenty of houses a prepared sale on the open market nets more, and the calculator above says so in dollars. If that’s your house, selling to me would cost you money — so let’s not do that. I’m also a licensed Texas broker, and listing is the other half of what I actually do.
No obligation and no catch: if you list, I don’t buy the house. That trade is fine by me — a seller who nets more is a better outcome than a seller who felt cornered.
Both open on alanhernandezhouston.com — my brokerage side.
I’m a licensed Texas real estate broker, and I’d be buying for my own account rather than representing you as an agent.
Alan Hernandez, Licensed Texas Real Estate Broker. This page is general information about the situation described, not legal, tax, or financial advice about yours. Timelines and obligations vary with your documents and circumstances. Verify anything you intend to rely on with an attorney, a CPA, or a HUD-approved counsellor.