Sell an Inherited House in Memphis, TN — We Buy Inherited and Probate Homes for Cash

We buy inherited houses in Memphis through a simple three-step process — no listing agreement, no cleanout, and no buyer whose loan approval hinges on what an inspector finds.

Step 1: Tell Us About the Inherited Property

Call (901) 763-6616 or fill out the form. We need the address, the rough condition, who the heirs are, and where the estate stands — will or no will, opened in Probate Court or not, anyone living in the house. A brick ranch in Berclair, a bungalow in Cooper-Young, a High Point Terrace house in 38122, a place out in Cordova: we want to make you a cash offer.

Step 2: Get a No-Obligation Cash Offer

Within 24 hours we present a fair cash offer based on the home's condition, recent comparable sales nearby, and our own repair estimates. Because we price the roof, the systems and the foundation into the offer ourselves, no inspection contingency can reopen the deal later.

Step 3: Close on the Estate's Schedule

You pick the closing date — as little as 7 days when the paperwork is in order, or months out if the estate still has to clear Probate Court. A local title company runs the search, confirms who can sign the deed, and handles escrow and recording; we pay the closing costs and handle the cleanout.

We are cash home buyers, not attorneys, and nothing here is legal advice. The sections below quote Tennessee statutes and the Shelby County Probate Court's own published information so you know what to ask — your attorney and the Probate Court Clerk's office decide what your estate needs.

Tennessee is not a state where real estate sits frozen inside an estate by default.

Tennessee Real Estate Vests in the Heirs Immediately

Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 31-2-103, the real property of a person who dies without a will vests immediately upon death in the heirs. Where there is a will, the real property vests immediately in the beneficiaries named in it — unless the will specifically directs that the real property be administered as part of the estate under the personal representative's control. In plain terms, the house may already be the heirs' property the day the owner dies. What a sale needs is not permission so much as proof: a recordable chain showing the title company who owns it and who can sign.

The Affidavit of Heirship

Tenn. Code Ann. § 30-2-712 provides for an affidavit of heirship. A sworn affidavit made on the affiant's personal knowledge is accepted for registration by the register of deeds on payment of the usual recording fees, is indexed as an "affidavit of heirship" with the decedent as vendor and the named heirs as vendees, and is received in court as prima facie evidence of the facts stated in it — usable, the section adds, only in a proceeding involving the right to succeed to or receive the decedent's property (or in a prosecution of the affiant). In Shelby County that recording happens at the Register of Deeds, main office 1075 Mullins Station, Building W3, Suite W165, Memphis, TN 38134, whose published instruction is to bring in the original signed and notarized document.

Where the Small Estate Affidavit Does Not Help

Tenn. Code Ann. § 30-4-102 defines a small estate as one in which the value of the probate property does not exceed $50,000. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 30-4-103 the petition may be filed only after forty-five days from the date of the decedent's death, and the limited letters issued under that section state expressly that no real property is at issue and that they give the personal representative no authority over any real estate matters of the decedent. It can move a bank account or a car. By its own terms, it cannot sell the house.

When Full Probate Really Is the Path

A Memphis estate goes through the Shelby County Probate Court when a will directs the real estate be administered by the personal representative, when heirs disagree, when creditors must be dealt with, or when a second marriage or a deceased sibling tangles the chain of heirs. That court handles wills and estates along with conservatorships and guardianships. The Probate Court Clerk is Eddie S. Jones, Jr., at 140 Adams Avenue, Room 124, Memphis, TN 38103, (901) 222-3750, open Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. None of it has to finish before you talk to us — we can sign a contract early and let the closing follow the estate, so the price is locked while the paperwork catches up.

An inherited house is different from one you chose to sell: it can be older, still full of a lifetime of belongings, empty of people, and owned by more than one person living somewhere else.

• No repairs and no cleanout. No painting, no new roof, no hauling belongings to the curb.
• No commissions and no fees. No listing commission, no fee to us, and we pay the closing costs.
• Certainty instead of a financed buyer. Our offer has no lender, no appraisal and no inspection contingency.
• A close date the estate controls. Seven days, or ninety. The offer does not expire while you wait on the court.
• The carrying costs stop. Every month a vacant inherited house sits, someone pays taxes, insurance, utilities, and yard upkeep to stay clear of code enforcement.

And Tennessee no longer imposes an inheritance tax on these estates — see the tax question in the FAQ below for the Department of Revenue's exact wording.

These are inherited-property situations we buy across Memphis and the rest of Shelby County.

Houses Full of a Lifetime of Belongings

We buy the house with the belongings still in it, and we handle the cleanout ourselves.

Homes Needing More Work Than the Estate Can Fund

Roof, HVAC, electrical panel, galvanized supply lines, a shifted foundation. Memphis housing stock is old, deferred maintenance compounds, and an estate may not have idle cash to fix a house before selling it.

Vacant Houses and Out-of-State Heirs

We close with out-of-state heirs by mail-away, so an heir in Nashville, Dallas, Atlanta or California can handle a Memphis sale by phone without flying in. A vacant house still needs someone to check on it, cut the grass and pick up the mail, and distance makes each of those harder.

Multiple Heirs, Inherited Rentals, and Reverse Mortgages

A firm cash number on a firm date gives everyone the same thing to say yes to. If the estate includes a rental, we buy it occupied, with the tenant and the lease in place. A mortgage does not die with the borrower, and a reverse mortgage generally becomes due when the last borrower passes, so if the estate is behind, the clock is real.

Neighborhoods We Buy In

We buy inherited houses throughout Memphis, including Berclair and High Point Terrace (38122), Midtown neighborhoods such as Cooper-Young and Central Gardens (38104) and the Evergreen Historic District (38112), East Memphis areas such as Sherwood Forest, Normal Station and Colonial Acres (38111 and 38117), plus Raleigh and Cordova — and across the county in Bartlett, Germantown, Collierville, Lakeland, Arlington and Millington.

We will not put a number on this page. Here is how we build the offer.

How We Calculate a Cash Offer on an Inherited Home

We start from what the house would be worth in that Memphis neighborhood once repaired and updated. From that we subtract our realistic cost to do the work — roof, systems, kitchen, bath, flooring, foundation if needed — plus the cost to hold and resell, plus our margin. What is left is your offer.

What an Inherited Seller Actually Saves

Compare it honestly. A traditional listing means commissions, a cleanout, carrying costs on a vacant house, and an inspection contingency the buyer can walk on. Our offer is lower than a fully renovated retail price — it has to be — but it carries no commissions, no repairs, no cleanout, no showings and no financing contingency.

No Appraisal, No Contingencies, No Surprises

Our offer does not depend on an appraiser's opinion or a lender's underwriting, because there is no lender. What we sign is what you get at closing. Want to compare? Get a listing opinion from a Memphis agent alongside our offer — call (901) 763-6616 either way.

Unpaid property taxes are one of the problems that can come with an inherited Memphis house.

How the Shelby County Tax Sale Works

Delinquent property taxes here are collected by the Shelby County Trustee, and the Chancery Court Clerk & Master conducts the delinquent-tax auctions for the City of Memphis, Shelby County and the municipalities within it. Since April 2024 those sales have been held online by SRI through ZeusAuction.com, and a tax sale is not complete until a Chancellor signs an order confirming it. The Trustee's delinquent-tax line is (901) 222-0200; the Clerk & Master's tax sale department is (901) 222-3900.

Redemption After a Tax Sale

Even after a sale, Tennessee gives a redemption window. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-5-2701 the redemption period runs from the date the order confirming the sale is entered — generally one year, shortened where the delinquency has run longer, and shorter still where the property is vacant or abandoned. Redemption is made by motion in the same proceeding, and the amount includes the delinquent taxes, penalty, interest, court costs and interest on the purchaser's price. That is a deadline you want an attorney reviewing.

Mortgages, Judgments, and Creditor Claims

Back taxes, an unpaid mortgage, a judgment against the deceased or an heir, a contractor's lien — title finds these in the search, and they are paid from the sale proceeds at closing. A lien does not by itself make a house unsellable. Separately, where the estate is open and a notice to creditors published, Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 30-2-306 and 30-2-307 bar creditor claims not filed within the period prescribed in that notice — generally four months from first publication, with an alternate sixty-day period for a creditor who is given actual notice late — and under § 30-2-310 claims not filed before twelve months from the date of death are forever barred.

An inherited house can sit anywhere in the county, and we buy in all of it. If it is in a suburb or a specific Memphis neighborhood, these pages cover that market directly:

We buy houses Germantown TN — estates and inherited homes in Germantown, bought as-is for cash.

We buy houses Bartlett TN — inherited and estate homes across Bartlett, bought as-is.

Sell my house fast Collierville TN — cash offers on Collierville estate properties.

We buy houses Lakeland TN — Lakeland inherited homes bought as-is, closing timed to the estate.

We buy houses Cordova TN — inherited homes in 38016 and 38018, bought as-is with the contents left in place.

Sell my house fast East Memphis TN — Sherwood Forest, Normal Station and Colonial Acres.

Sell my house fast Midtown TN — Cooper-Young, Central Gardens and Evergreen, where inherited homes are often century-old.

Sell my house fast Berclair Memphis TN — Berclair and the 38122 area, inherited homes bought as-is for cash.

Wherever the inherited property sits, As-Is Home Buyer will look at it. Call (901) 763-6616 or fill out the form and we will have a cash offer to you within 24 hours.