For Michigan families handling an inherited home
Selling a parent's home isn't a transaction — it's the last task in a long, hard chapter. Our family has been buying Michigan estate property since 1986. We move at your pace, treat the house with care, and give you a fair cash offer with no pressure.
Most "we buy houses" companies treat estate sales like every other transaction. They're not. Here's how we approach it.
Before we ever talk numbers, we ask who's involved — executor, siblings, distant heirs, in-laws. Estate sales fall apart when one heir gets surprised. We work with everyone, or we wait until you're ready.
If there's family conflict (and there often is), we've seen it before. We can talk through buyout options, mediation, or just give you time.
You go through and pull out what matters — photos, jewelry, the recipe box, Dad's tools. Everything else? Leave it. The furniture, the dishes, the boxes of paperwork in the basement — we handle all of it after closing.
No estate-sale company, no dumpster runs, no goodbye trip you don't want to take. We'll dispose of it respectfully or donate where it makes sense.
Michigan probate can take months — but we can usually start the sale process during probate, not after. We work with your estate attorney to time everything correctly so closing happens the moment the court signs off.
Don't have an attorney yet? We can recommend a few in Oakland and Macomb who specialize in this.
We pull the title and look for anything that might surprise you at closing — second mortgages, tax liens, mechanic's liens, HOA dues. If there's something there, we tell you, and we factor it into the offer.
Owe more than the house is worth? We can sometimes still work it out through a short sale. We'll be honest about what's possible.
You pick the closing date. We come prepared with the paperwork, you sign, and we wire the money. The chapter closes. You go back to the rest of your life.
Most of our families say the same thing afterward: "I wish we'd called you sooner."
We don't sell ourselves as the fastest. We sell ourselves as the gentlest. In thirty-five years, that's the thing families have thanked us for most.
— Alan Faitel, Founder
When you inherit a home, the IRS resets the property's "cost basis" to the value on the date of death — not what your parents paid for it. If they bought in 1985, this matters a lot. Here's a rough estimate of what it could save you.
Adjust the numbers below. This is an estimate. Talk to a tax professional for your specific situation.
We don't ask for star ratings. People who go through this don't think in stars. They write us, sometimes years later. These are excerpts, shared with permission.
Dear Alan,
When my mother passed, my brother and I hadn't spoken in eleven years. Her house in Pontiac was the one thing we still had to deal with together, and we couldn't even agree on what time of day to meet there.
You met with us separately. You waited two months while we worked out who got what. You didn't push, didn't follow up too much, didn't make us feel small. And when we finally agreed, you closed in eight days. My brother and I aren't friends now — but we're not enemies. That feels like your doing.
— Linda H.
Pontiac, Michigan
To Alan and the team,
My dad collected forty-three years of everything. Tools in the garage, books in every room, six freezers in the basement (don't ask). I live in Portland and I had two weeks of bereavement leave. I couldn't deal with any of it.
You told me to fly out for a Tuesday morning, sign at the kitchen table, hand you the keys, and fly home. You'd handle the rest. I cried in the cab on the way to the airport. Not sad — relieved. Thank you.
— Marcus T.
Warren, Michigan
This is the most common question we get. When multiple heirs are involved, decisions get hard. Here's what's worked for the families we've helped:
Buyout. One sibling buys out the others' share. We can structure the transaction so the buying sibling has cash to do that.
Mediation. A neutral third party (often the estate attorney, sometimes a hired mediator) walks through priorities with each heir. We've seen this break months of stalemate in a single afternoon.
Partition. If nothing else works, Michigan courts can order a sale and split the proceeds. We don't recommend it — it's expensive and slow — but it's the backstop.
We're patient. We'll wait while you sort it out. There's no pressure from our side.
Sometimes, but not always. In Michigan, the executor can usually accept a sale during probate, with the court signing off at the end. We work with your attorney to time everything correctly. The point is: don't wait for probate to close before reaching out. We can start the conversation now.
No. Take what matters to you. Leave the rest. We handle furniture, appliances, clothing, boxes of papers, half-empty garages — all of it. Many families tell us the relief of not having to do that final clearing-out is worth more than the cash.
We pull the title before making an offer, so we know everything on the books — mortgage, second mortgage, tax liens, HOA dues, mechanic's liens. We factor it into the offer, and we pay it all off at closing. You leave with the net proceeds, free and clear.
If the property is underwater (debts exceed value), we can sometimes still work it out through a short sale. We'll be straight with you about what's possible.
Honest answer: the offer is comparable. We aren't going to magically pay you twice what another investor would — the math is the math. What's different is how we work. We're slower, we're more patient, we ask better questions, and we treat inherited homes as homes, not units. If speed is your only priority, any of the cash-buyer companies will do. If you want it handled with care, we'd like to talk.
No closing costs, no agent commissions, no listing fees, no inspection fees, no fees to walk away if you decide not to sell. The offer we give you is the number you walk away with, minus only the mortgage payoff and any liens on title (which would have to be paid regardless of who you sell to).
No pressure. No hard sell. Call when it makes sense — or send a note below and we'll reach out privately, on your timeline.