How to sell a home in Probate

For The Leader hen a home has been in a family for many years, there is often work involved to get it ready to sell. Whether you are selling because the owner has downsized, moved to assisted living, or passed away, there are a number of issues to consider in the process.

1. Title Issues

Before selling any property, it is critical to determine who exactly owns it. Often ownership varies from what families think it is. Perhaps a former owner passed away and nothing was ever done to get their name off the title. Perhaps a divorce at some point was never recorded. An attorney can help you research title issues and cure any defects before placing a property on the market.

2. Picture Ready

Part of properly marketing a home is having it clean, repaired, and picture-ready. When a home has been in the family for years, there are often things that need to be donated, sold, or otherwise removed. Once the home is clear, repairs may also be needed. An experienced probate real estate agent can provide advice, as well as connect you with the appropriate resources and even manage the clean-up process for you. The agent’s marketing expertise can then bring you top dollar in the sale.

3. Sales Process

Sometimes the Executor of an Estate can sell a property as if they were the former owner, but many times selling a probate property can have steps that a typical real estate sale does not. For example, the buyer may need a larger earnest money deposit, certain conditions and requirements may need to be met regarding appraisals, notice of the sale may need to be posted in local newspapers to allow other parties to outbid private offers, and you may have to petition the Court for approval of the transaction.

Typical court delays will also need to be communicated to all parties so that expectations are properly managed and the deal can close.

When considering selling property that has been in the family for years, it is a good idea to work with both a real estate attorney and a real estate agent who is well-versed in the process. Fortunately, Jennifer Solak is able to fulfill both of these roles. In addition to offering probate legal services, Jennifer Solak, in partnership with HomeSmart Brokerage, is also able to represent families in selling their homes.

Please contact SolakLegal at 713-588-5744 or jennifer@solaklegal.com, so that we can help you understand the roles and responsibilities of the probate process and how best to prepare your family’s home for sale.

The information in this column, which was sponsored by Solak Legal as part of The Leader Expert Series, is intended to provide a general understanding of the law and not legal advice. Readers with legal r real estate questions should consult attorneys or agents for advice on their particular circumstances. Jennifer Solak provides legal and real estate advice for families and businesses and may be contacted at jennifer@solaklegal.com or 713-588-5744.

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Hymns and Hers.

Hymns and Hers.

Everyone new, and we warmly invite you to visit.

University of Houston, teaching students entering the field of education. Each year, the recipient receives the recognition as well as a monetary prize for being selected.

“Congratulations to this outstanding Sinclair Super Star student, Elle Sharp,” Baham said.

Sinclair principal Lee Mashburn said Sharpe is the kind of student “who is always on task,

According to the Make Music Houston website, Make Music Day is a national celebration that began in France in 1982 with the French Ministry of Culture. The idea, Livsey said, was for live public performances of music to be performed all day on June 21, with events and performances. The name, Fête de la Musique, is a pun that means “Festival of Music” and “Make Music.” Since its inception, the website says the global celebration has spread to more than 1,000 cities in 120 different countries. Events are free and open to the public, according to the Make Music Houston website.

This year’s Houston rendition will be the third collaboration between the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and “We are very grate - mental health calls and robust technology and police overtime are pieces of the puzzle that may prevent someone from pulling the trigger in the future or at least think twice before resorting to violence,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said.

This will be the third buyback event the city has hosted in the last year, with the previous two events collecting more than 2,000 firearms according to the city. City officials also collaborated with Harris County Precinct 1 and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office earlier this year for an event that collected 793 guns according to the city.

Interested community members will be able to drop off their unwanted firearms in the Yellow Main Street Lot of working hard and paying attention.” She was on the All-A Honor Roll at Sinclair this year and won the Principal’s Award, according to the school.

And not only has Sharpe excelled academically, Mashburn said, but she is also someone who is kind, compassionate, and caring for others without a second thought. Sharpe, who will attend Black Middle School be- ful to the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs for making Houston part of Make Music Day. Music is inclusive and crosses all borders,” said Valérie Baraban the Consul General of France. “Everyone is welcome to celebrate music in public spaces in Houston. We hope to see many musicians participating and hundreds of Houstonians enjoying free concerts throughout the city.”

And with his band’s quintet set to be part of the action, Livsey said he is hoping to become part of the Heights fabric despite being a relative newcomer – though he said he is no stranger to the area. He has family roots in the Heights going back to near the founding of the neighborhood, he said, and both of his maternal grandparents were born in the neighborhood. And hav - ginning in the fall, also recently participated in the dedication of the school’s new playground equipment.

NRG Park at 9051 Main St. Before coming to the drop-off site, community members are asked to unload their gun and place it in the trunk or rear of their car. Once there, they will be directed to the line where officers will retrieve the guns from the car.

The gun buyback program is part of the Violence Reduction and Crime Prevention section of the Houston Police Department, in which the city said it has committed $1 million to a robust gun buyback initiative to reduce violence and prevent crime by removing illegal or unwanted firearms from the street.

“This community is ready to be part of the solution to end gun violence,” Ellis said Monday.

“She is collaborative, intelligent and has consistently demonstrated high achievement in all areas,” Mashburn said. “She is independent but also caring and empathetic and understanding.

Sharpe was also a member ing seen how tight-knit it is, he wanted to be part of building that fabric of the community.

“A lot of us don’t have that bar from Cheers to go where there are those people who share something with you and you have in common with,” he said. “Being a newer person to the Heights, I want to be part of building that community tie. There’s something so beautiful about that.”

And he and the band are hoping that the June 21 performance will be just the start of such events in the community. Houston Heights Brass will play from 7-8 p.m. at Marmion Park, and the concert is free and open for the public to attend.

“When I first moved of the Sinclair soccer team, according to Mashburn, and when not at play could almost always be found with a book in her hands. She is the daughter of Hallie and Jake Sharp has a younger brother, Owen. In addition to being a star in the classroom, Mashburn said she was active on all fronts and had a passion for learning, reading, and more. here I was immediately enamoured with the neighborhood, and wanted to contribute,” he said. “The Gazebo at

“Elle embodies what it means to be a SuperStar student and has undoubtedly a bright future in front of her,” he said. Baham, who taught for more than 60 years, remains actively involved in the community volunteering, tutoring, and continues her service in the children’s ministries at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church.

Marmion Park is a beautiful venue, and the first time I saw it I