Inheriting a house with an outstanding mortgage can feel like you are left holding the bag. You are cornered with deciding whether to keep or sell the home and handling the remaining mortgage debt. Try to understand all your options to make informed choices during this challenging time. This guide will navigate the financial maze when inheriting a mortgaged property.
Things to Remember When Inheriting a House with a Mortgage
Handling the complex elements of an inherited mortgaged home can wear you down. Here are some of the things to remember.
Notify the Mortgage Company
Your initial step should be to give a heads-up to the mortgage lender or servicer about the owner’s unfortunate passing. It establishes communication and lets you get details about the loan, including the outstanding balance, interest rate, payment amount, and schedule. It is pertinent to your ongoing relationship with the mortgage company and helps in the smooth transition of the property’s financial responsibilities.
Review the Mortgage Document Thoroughly
You need to get your hands on the original mortgage agreement and promissory note to understand the terms, conditions, and legal implications. Pay close attention to sections about the death of a mortgagor, transfer of ownership, acceleration clauses, and any verbiage about loan assumptions. Complex legalese can be confusing, and you may need to hire a real estate real estate attorney to review the paperwork.
Understanding the document can help you plan the next step better. You will know about the liabilities associated with the properties better.
Check for Heirs
If other beneficiaries have a stake in the inherited property, reach out to them and try to understand where they stand on the inherited house. Collaboration can result in an outcome that is fair and benefits everyone. You may need to negotiate buyouts, property transfers, loan assumptions, or sales.
Assess Your Financial Standing
Understanding your financial standing will help you decide on the next action. Consider your income, savings, debts, and credit score. They will determine if taking over mortgage payments is feasible. Account for all regular costs like property taxes, insurance, maintenance, and utilities.
Taking over an old home requires you to budget for short- and long-term costs. Remember that while the estate gets settled during the transition period, it’s crucial to keep making timely mortgage payments. Otherwise, you will face late fees, credit damage, or foreclosure. Be realistic about what you can afford to avoid getting overextended.
Check if the Property is in Reverse Mortgage
Inheriting a home with an existing reverse mortgage has its specific repayment regulations. When the borrower passes away, the heirs must determine how they will handle the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) loan. Could selling the property be the best thing? That way, you can repay the loan and keep the remaining proceeds. Another solution is securing a new mortgage yourself. Timely decisions can help prevent possible foreclosure proceedings by the lender. So take a deep breath; you’ve got this!
Explore Alternatives to Keeping the House
Just because you inherited the property doesn’t mean you must keep it. If you don’t want the hassle and complication of managing a house with a mortgage, you can always sell the house to us. We are Neighbor Joe, your local cash buyer. Let us take over the inherited house and the problems that come along with it. Here are some of the advantages of selling to Neighbor Joe.
Simple and Streamlined Process
Selling your home has never been easier. We can buy your house in three simple steps. Contact us, and we will visit your home to make a cash offer. Once you accept the offer, we begin the closing process. Our team handles all the paperwork and closing costs for you. We can close in as little as seven days and get cash for you on the closing day.
You don’t have to worry about financing or dealing with inspections. We buy homes as-is. We can also buy the property remotely if you are currently out of state and have inherited a property here.
Quick Sale
Receive a quote within 24 hours of viewing and close in as little as seven days. If you have a specific moving timeline, we can also adjust to that. Our quick action can help you sell your home on your timeline. It can make a huge difference when trying to sell an inherited house with a mortgage, as you must continue paying it for as long as you hold it.
No Uncertainty of Listing
Listing your inherited house via a realtor means waiting for the buyer to visit the property for viewing, inspection, negotiation, and closing. If the home has issues or the buyer cannot secure a mortgage, you must start from square one. Taking time out of our schedule to manage all these tasks is a hassle.
Remove all this stress by selling to Neighbor Joe. We make a cash offer for your house and close as soon as possible.
No Cleaning, Repairs, or Maintenance
When inheriting a house, you do not know its condition. It might have years of accumulated stuff that requires sorting and discarding. It will take a chunk of your time, and deep cleaning is expensive if you hire professional help. On top of that, if the house is a hoarder house, then that is a nightmare to clean.
You must also be ready for costly repairs and maintenance. If the house you inherited has galvanized pipes, outdated electrical or foundation, or roof damage, then be prepared to sink in a fortune fixing it. Even something as simple as updating the bathroom and light fixtures, painting, etc, costs thousands.
Avoid this hassle by selling your inherited house to us. We buy the home regardless of the condition, as-is. Neighbor Joe is not deterred by any damage, cleaning needs, or repair work required for your inherited house. Get a fair market value offer from us.
No Commissions or Fees
Neighbor Joe is not a real estate agency; we do not charge any commission while buying your house. For a median-priced home in CT, a 4% to 6% broker commission can take thousands of dollars from your pocket. Apart from that, many closing costs and fees are associated with selling your house via realtors. Closing charges range from 2% to 5% of the home sale price. All these amounts are deducted from the sale price of your house, leaving you with less equity from the sale.
Neighbor Joe will cover all these sellers’ costs and fees on your behalf. You save a chunk of money by avoiding all these charges. Not only that, Neighbor Joe will also handle the entire closing for you. We prepare documents and address all the legal issues as you sit back and relax. On closing day, sign the deeds, hand over the keys, and get the agreed-upon amount for your inherited house.
Before you take over an inherited house, take time to assess your entire range of options. Avoid rash decisions and carefully weigh your goals, motivations, and financial limitations before choosing what to do with the property. Don’t take over payments without carefully assessing the risk.
An inherited house comes with its fair share of burden. The outstanding mortgage balance might exceed the current market value of the inherited home and have negative equity. Or it might require expensive repair, maintenance, and clean-up. Avoid these issues by selling your house to Neighbor Joe. We provide you with a way out of this complicated situation. Message us here or call us at 203-590-9487 to get a no-obligation quote to help you decide.