Looking for advice, opinions, personal experiences, etc. to help me decide what to do with the house I inherited.

My in laws property was in similar sorry shape when MIL passed. We had no interest whatsoever in making repairs to get it in livable condition. I was sure the house would be torn down and rebuilt. However, its location, amount of land and outbuildings were very desirable for the right buyer. We had interest before we even listed the property; the ultimate buyer knows our son so he was right on top of the situation the whole way. They have rehabbed everything. All this to say, unless the house is literally falling down, there’s a buyer somewhere. It may be a tear down or maybe an investment property for someone.

You don’t seem to be in a position to wait long or invest more money. I’d sell now, as is, if it were me. You do need a different realtor. This guy doesn’t seem to have the experience (or the motivation) you need. We talked to several realtors before hiring one. They didn’t have to do much marketing, but there was still a lot of work involved for them (and us!). Good luck to you, this isn’t an easy job and you’re generous to handle everything for your brother and his wife.

If you can afford to, make the necessary repairs for the safest condition, then sell it as is.

Realtor here. The facts as presented would indicate that you sell as is. You said it is in a rural area with old homes and there is a medicaid lien. Fixing it up from across the country would be next to impossible and take a year or more and probably wouldn't be the way you wanted it. Homes only sell for a comparable amount to sales around them, so even if you invested thousands you wouldn't get your money back.

Find a local realtor and sell it as is as quickly as possible, pay off the lien and move on with your life.

I have had good experiences selling to Offerpad.com. I had sold an out-of-state rental house to them several years ago and it went well. When my father died three years ago, I was his executor. He had lived in his house 30 years, and his house needed a normal amount of repairs and updates in order to sell well, so I used Offerpad again.

Once they have information on you and the house, they arrange an inspection that takes 2-3 hours. In a few days, they make an offer, spell out repairs needed and tell you how much they will deduct if they purchase the house and do the repairs themselves. You will have to empty out the house, or arrange for that, but not clean it. If you do not accept their offer, you have a list of what they recommend in the way of repairs and upgrades.

In both of my sales, I was happy with their offers and the costs for repairs. The only trips I made were for the inspection and emptying the house. I was able to sign documents remotely, and they transferred funds they day of closing.

“brother and I are on the deed”. Being on the Deed may not mean you are recorded on the title. Are the both of you on title and is your and his name on the Co property tax bill? Or is your mother’s name on these as well?

If in fact that house is 100% actually only in you & your brothers name….. so that the annual tax bill is/was addressed to you and the title recorded at the courthouse 100% reflects this with you & bro names only…. then there should not be a home of your moms that has become an Asset of her Estate subject to the required Medicaid attempt of Estate Recovery.

I’m going to guess that either: 1. mom actually did a Life Estate Deed so that you & bro were remainderman for the LE. If this is it, then it probably is that LE for how MA does MERP is still consider an asset of her estate. LE have to have the remainderman % sussed out based on actuarial tables and there’s specific IRS tax filing that have to happen and some other involved details. So LSS you have to get either a Tax Attorney or a Real Estate attorney - preferably one that practices in the Co. where the house is - to deal with determining the % ownership and establishing it legally so that only moms death % is subject to MeRP. None of this is a DIY. Fwiw lots of folks do LE and think this bypasses MERP, only to find unhappiness as their State does place recovery on the non-remainderman % ownership.
or
2. the legal done was defective. So she / her Estate owns it.

MERP will have a system for how it is done in MA as State laws matter for how property rights and probate are done. My experience is that 3-6 months from her death, whomever was her POA or was the family member who did her LTC Medicaid application, should have gotten a NOI from MERP or the State of MA outside contractor for MERP. NOI = Notice of Intent to file a lien or a claim against the deceased Estate. If it isn’t responded to then the State assumes the lien/claim is valid.

NOI will have the amount supposedly owed and a questionnaire as to the status of the Estate and the assets as of the Day of Death. It is also where you can file what’s exemptions or exclusions you feel apply for Estate Recovery.

Personally I would not spend any more unnecessary $ until you know for sure what is or isn’t placed by the State on her property. I’d get a Real Estate atty for this.

On selling older homes with decades of delayed maintenance, I’d look to see what really truly comperable homes in the same condition sold for in her area the past few months. Even if you have to go to an adjacent county. And if it took 6 months or longer DOM (days on market) to finally sell; and what the difference was in price from when it was initially placed vs finally sold. My feeling based on the way you described it…. is the house may be at the point where even if you spent some $$$ to refresh the house, did a bit of landscaping, it’s still an old house that is vacant in an area that is not sought after. Buyers are going to want serious concessions $$$ from the asking price. If it’s not up to current code, that leaves out any FHA or VA buyers. If the comps sold actually have been close to the land value rather than the land + house value, to me, it imho would be a waste of time AND money to do repairs. The property tax bill should have the land and the house value as 2 separate items.

I was responsible for selling my mom's house. A realtor a family member suggested said we could put thousands into work on the home and probably get that money back, so it would be breaking even. I decided to just clean it out and put it up for sale without a realtor. We ended up with a bidding war and it sold for thousands over asking price. The house needed a lot of upgrades including flooring, painting, all new appliances, etc. The electrical work was sound, but it needed work done on the plumbing fixtures. I'm glad we didn't put time and effort and money we didn't have to spruce it up. It sold fast and we were very relieved. Mom bought it for under $100K I think in the 90s and it was worth less than $200K when we sold it.

My brother’s house was left in a trust to my young adult children and was to be transferred to them at age 30. It was in a different state from all of us and it took me a year to empty it (he was a hoarder) and to assess our options. It couldn’t be rented without at least 100k in repairs, demo (for many reasons), would cost at least $75k, and keeping the house empty would cost about $10k a year for 10 years to pay insurance, taxes, minimal utilities and a caretaker to keep out squatters. In the end, I sold it to neighbors after consulting with a realtor about the value. The neighbor tried twice to lowball me, but I knew the value and simply said I would list it. Sold as is for $300k and have used the money to pay for the boys college education. Any other option would leave them no money and the same headache making a decision.

Cut your losses and do not sink any more time or money on speculation that you’ll make more money.

elainesz, as a retired Realtor with 30 years under my belt, I have always recommend to sell "as is", as you never know how the market will be for the next few months after doing any remodeling. If it sells quickly, no more worry about an empty house and the higher insurance costs, and the utilities.


When my Dad moved to senior living, he had me sell his house. My parents did no remodeling the 30 yrs they were there, oh an occasional new appliance and a new roof. I had the house appraised by a licensed Appraiser, and went along with his recommended value. The house sold quickly to a flipper.

You are in CA. House is in MA. Sell as is.

Advertise and tell the realtor house is sold as is.

Of course the realtor wants you to put money into upgrades. The realtor will make a larger commission at time of sale.

Our estate lawyer told us to sell Mom's house as is.

I had my Moms house to sell. It had a Medicaid and a tax liens on it. The house was a disaster. I ended up selling for what the liens came to and my out of pocket, 40k. My siblings and I split 10k.

I would find out what a flipper would buy it for as is. I would then get a accessor, they give the most accurate accting, to tell me what it would be worth as is and what it would be worth if you fixed the problems and maybe did some cosmetic work. Like painting and new carpet. This will give you an idea of how to proceed. Remember, the longer its on the market, the more out of your pocket. Realtors are why houses are so high and a former Realtor told me that.

Me, I would fix the problems, do some cosmetic work and price to sell quickly. I would make sure you get any out of pocket you have put out. If you have proof of that 30k, I would see if I can get that back at closing or need to place a lien on the house. After all is said and done, you and brother split what is left. You deserve to get back what you paid out.

How much would it cost to bring the house to a level that it would benefit from a reno?
Can you and your husband afford to put in the money that it would cost?
If so you could put in the money needed.
When the house is sold for the higher price you and your husband get back everything that you have put in towards the reno PLUS any interest PLUS a "fee" for the risk that you have taken. (also include any expenses that you had while taking care of mom)
The profit after that is then divided between you and your brother.

given what you have said about the rural area, and the expenses it might be best to sell "as is" but you need to talk to a realtor that knows the area...not one that deals in property that usually costs way more than what this area can handle.

Sell As Is. Make sure you get your fair share owed for your money spent on Mom, and give your brother the rest.

Even in over priced California, you don't fix up an older house in a rural area, it will be Pandora's Box when walls are opened. House flippers will buy it and fix it up. Don't waste your time or money!

Couples wanting "move in ready" homes are looking in urban areas, not rural. Near their jobs with good schools.

Of course the RE Agent wants you to fix it up, so he can get a bigger commission. Your Husband should have seen that coming.

Sell As Is. Make sure you get your fair share owed for your money spent on Mom, and give your brother the rest.

Even in over priced California, you don't fix up an older house in a rural area, it will be Pandora's Box when walls are opened. House flippers will buy it and fix it up. Don't waste your time or money!

Couples wanting "move in ready" homes are looking in urban areas, not rural. Near their jobs with good schools.

Of course the RE Agent wants you to fix it up, so he can get a bigger commission. Your Husband should have seen that coming.

Just sell it as-is. The realtor wants YOU to spend YOUR money so that HE can get a higher commission.

This is too much to handle from afar. Along with the cost of the repairs, you may be paying for the attorney for a longer period of time so that will cut into the profits.

Since the house is in Massachusetts, you'll need a property manager to check it regularly, especially in winter, to prevent frozen pipes, leaking in the basement, flooding, electrical outages, etc. Snow removal can be important to prevent leaking and damage to the driveway and the roof.

I know a woman in Massachusetts who inherited her childhood home. She planned to move into it after retirement. She checked it on weekends. She arrived one weekend to find a pipe on the upper level had burst, and the house was a combination of flooded and iced. It was beyond repair. I don't know what she eventually did with it. I know of another childhood family home that was vacant and a drug addict vagrant broke in and it caught fire from his use of drugs in the basement.

Regarding the lien, how long ago was the property deeded to you? If it was through inheritance and was your mother's while she was alive, then the lien would have been placed on the home then.

Sometimes in rural areas people buy rundown homes primarily for the land, especially if zoning isn't strict.

It sounds like your family has been through a lot. Keep it simple and just unload this part of your mother's estate as simply as possible. I hope you can get closure and peace of mind soon.

Find another realtor more familiar with this rural area and price point and sell as is .

How long ago did your Mom pass away? I'm asking because you mentioned she was a Medicaid recipient. And, if the house was in her name when she passed, there is usually a MERP (Medicaid Estate Recovery Program) that kicks in. This typically means there is a lien on the property that the next owners need to satisfy.

More information would be helpful.

In your shoes I’d sell the house minus the repairs or further opinions from relatives and call it done. Sounds like there’s been enough stress and some peace would be welcomed

Find another realtor.
I have family members who are realtors. They (my family) are selfish and snobbish, only wanting to make as much money as they can, steering their clients in a direction which most benefits the realtor.
If you are working with a realtor who is giving you advice contrary to what is best for you and your family, find someone else who will understand and represent your interests.
You could run out of time and money trying to fix up this house to suit the greedy realtor's expectations.

Sell as is.

I Would sell now.