Has the house already passed thru the probate process? Before you start anything, make sure that the property is in your name.

In this specific case I would consider using only your attorney.

In addition to making sure it is thru probate, you need to address the need to properly obtain a valuation for the property.

It makes no difference if the Realtors are in the same office. We do it all the time. Your agent still owes fiduciary duty to you if you use one.

Another vote for no Realtor needed. You probably have an estate attorney. Ask if that office can handle a sale or can recommend another attorney. If the buyer insists on using his agent, let him pay the fee for it with a higher price or directly paying the agent.

Given the comment below about using a realtor I would like to amend my thoughts. If you are worried about getting fair market value, hire an appraiser. My guess is the cost of an appraiser and an attorney will be less than a commission.

Realtor chiming in here. I think you do need a Realtor. You need someone to negotiate the sale, representing your best interest, or the interest of the estate. Any Realtor who has been in the business more than maybe three or four years can tell you stories of people losing out because they wanted to save that Realtor fee. And so often neighbors and Friends approached The Heirs to buy the property because they figure they can get a really good fire sale price on it. Whatever you decide, I wish you the best. Edited to add: the bottom line, net proceeds of sale figure is what matters. Buyer actually pays everybody. Even if the contract is worded that the seller pays XY or Z, it just means that that amount is included in the buyer's mortgage. You can adjust your price or make a counteroffer if you're not getting the net that you desire. It is unrealistic to expect most buyers to pay their agent out of pocket. People usually need to conserve as much of their own cash as possible.

If the buyer really wants to use their realtor, have that realtor do all the paperwork and offer them 2 to 3% to handle the sale, depending on typical commission in your area and price of the home. Get a lawyer to review the contract and watch out for your interests. That is a more than fair offer since there was no time or materials invested to market the house.

You could also both use lawyers and skip realtors completely.

But the most important thing is that you know that particular housing market and what the house is worth. Also, how desirable it would be on the open market ... are multiple offers and bidding wars common int that area?

Salty Dog that sounds a lot like a personal attack. You are entitled to your opinion, but I don't think you are entitled to attack members of a whole profession because you don't want to pay their fee. I've been in this profession for many many years, and I do know what I'm talking about. Realtors jobs are not limited to one thing such as marketing advertising etcetera. If you do not need a Realtor's services, by all means hands on your own real estate transactions, but do not assume or claim that that means that nobody needs Realtors Services. If that were the case, attorneys would be the only people you could go to for real estate help.

I bought my current house and bought/sold my former condo via private sale, using a good real estate lawyer. Plan to do same on next transaction. No regrets!

sylvio,

I did not personally attack anyone, and I certainly would not make the effort in your case. You have a habit of consistently attacking people with whom you disagree and It's not worth the harangue for me to comment on your ethos or performance.

I generally have used a Realtor in my numerous home sales and purchases, however that has absolutely nothing to do with my post.

My point was:

Realtors are quick to attempt to justify the fee that they charge, but
extremely slow to reduce that fee when a seller does not need the
marketing, buyer location, etc, etc.

This is based on my experience and you validated that belief in your personal attack on me. If your efforts are typically worth 6% for handling a sale, why would you try to justify the same 6% charge if the seller brings you the client and possibly had negotiated the price?

You have done precisely this in prior posts, I see.

As I said, "In this specific case I would consider using only your attorney." In this situation the heirs have attorneys, a buyer, likely no disclosures, and apparent savvy. If they feel the need to seek the advice of a Realtor, there are likely some available to provide advice and guidance for some nominal fee.
Absolutely incredible.

Original poster, you might consult with a realtor to see what services he or she offers that you might or might not need.

Sorry sylvia, I see nothing of an attack in salty's post.

Thank you all for your thoughts. It gives me some things to consider.

Hi, Lisa- I'm seeing a situation very similar to yours within 2 houses of me. The inheritors, there, are taking their time before doing anything. Not a bad idea to take a beat- NO worries, for a while, until you, yourself, have a chance to really evaluate the best way to move forward

In this case, since the buyer has a realtor, I would say you need one too. His realtor will represent his interests, who will represent yours? Your atty will do the contract, but most attorneys don't want to get involved with negotiating the sales price and any issues that come up during the inspection. You will also need someone who can work with the appraiser in the event there is an issue with it. It doesnt sound as if you are too familiar with the process and you need someone working on your behalf. Attorneys dont handle the same things that agents do.