What Happens to a House During Probate, and When You Can Actually List It

If you’ve inherited a house that’s going through probate, one of the first questions is usually the same: when can I actually sell it?

Probate is the legal process that settles someone’s estate, and in Michigan it typically takes anywhere from about five months to a year, sometimes longer if the estate is more complicated. Part of that time is a required waiting period for creditors to come forward, and part of it depends on how the estate is being administered.

Here’s the part that surprises people: you often don’t have to wait until probate is fully finished to list the house. If the estate is being handled informally, the personal representative usually has the authority to sell the property without needing court approval for every step, which can speed things up quite a bit.

If the estate is under supervised probate, the court is more involved, and steps like accepting an offer or closing typically need court approval first. That adds time, but it doesn’t mean the house has to sit empty and unlisted the whole way through.

The best move is figuring out early which type of probate you’re in and who has the legal authority to sell. Once that’s clear, we can talk about timing a list date that works with the process instead of against it.

If you’re the personal representative on an estate and you’re not sure where things stand, I’m happy to help you figure out what’s actually possible right now.