Sell the property or hand it back
Decide between selling on the open market, at auction, or a cash sale.
The route you choose changes the timescale by months and the price by tens of thousands.
- How long it takes
- Handover: a day. Open market sale: 3–6 months after probate.
- Typical cost
- Estate agent 1–2%; auction 2–3%; cash buyers typically pay under market value
- What you need before you start
- Grant of probate, if the property was in their sole name
- Property cleared and certificates in hand
If it was rented, give notice in writing, agree an end date, take photographs at handover and get the keys receipted.
If it is being sold, there are three usual routes: an estate agent on the open market for the best price, auction for certainty and speed, or a cash buyer for the fastest completion at a discount.
Get more than one valuation. Executors have a duty to get a fair price, and beneficiaries are entitled to see how you reached it.
There is no rush unless the estate has debts or an empty-property cost that is mounting up.
General information, not legal advice. Last reviewed 19 August 2026 by Simon D Campbell. Applies to England and Wales.