The holidays in Dallas-Fort Worth bring families together in a time of reunion. We sit around the dining room table and catch up with family members we haven’t seen in months.
The gathering felt different for many families this year. There was an empty chair at the table. The person who used to carve the turkey or throw the New Year’s Eve party is gone. And in the background of holiday dinner conversation (or maybe relegated to a phone conversation between siblings) is the “elephant in the room”: The House.
Mom or Dad’s house is still sitting there. Maybe it’s been vacant for months. Maybe it’s full of forty years of memories, furniture, and boxes.
As you and your family have enjoyed holiday festivities, a reality has started to sink in: We can’t ignore this any longer.
January 1st is here and now that the sentimental haze of the holidays is gone, it’s replaced by the cold, hard crunch of January bills. If you are one of the thousands of families in North Texas dealing with the question of “what to do” with an inherited house, read on to see why January is the perfect time to make a decision. Here’s how to do it in a way that doesn’t rip your family apart.
The “January Hangover”: Reality Bites
While the house may be a vessel of memories, the State of Texas and the local tax assessor view it as a taxable asset.
January is a critical month for property owners in DFW for one specific reason: Property Taxes. In Texas, property tax bills are due by January 31st. If the house has been sitting in probate or limbo for the latter half of 2025, that tax bill is still looming.
Beyond taxes, the “silent costs” of a vacant home are piling up:
- Insurance: Vacant home policies are expensive and often require monthly check-ins.
- Utilities: You are paying to heat an empty living room to prevent pipes from freezing during the unpredictable Texas winter.
- Maintenance: An unoccupied house degrades more quickly than an occupied one. That small leak under the sink the other day is likely worse now with nobody there to notice and fix it.
The “do nothing” strategy is costing the estate thousands of dollars a month.
The Sibling Dilemma: “Who is in charge?”
The most common source of friction we see with inherited properties involves assigning property related responsibilities between siblings.
Usually, one sibling is local to the DFW area. The others live out of state or are busy with their own lives. The local sibling is stuck mowing the lawn, checking the mail, meeting with insurance adjusters and worrying if the property looks “occupied” enough to not get burgled. Meanwhile, the other siblings just want to know, “When is the house selling?” or “How much are we getting?”
Holiday time brings out the worst in this situation. In the absence of assistance, resentments fester. If you found yourself arguing with your brothers or sisters over the holidays about what to do with the house, you are not alone.
The Solution: A quick, fair sale is often the best way to preserve family relationships. Converting the physical asset (the house) into liquid cash allows the estate to be divided evenly and instantly. It removes the burden from the local sibling and ensures everyone gets their fair share without months of bickering.
The “Stuff” Struggle: You Don’t Have to Clear It Out
Perhaps the biggest emotional hurdle to listing an inherited home is the contents.
A family home is rarely empty. It is full of life and decades of accumulated contents: Heavy furniture. Closets full of clothes. A garage full of tools. An attic full of holiday decorations. The idea of spending your January weekends sorting through Mom’s clothing and memorabilia is just too much to bear. It feels like throwing away memories.
The Retail Reality: To sell on the open market with a Realtor, you generally have to clear the house completely. You have to rent a dumpster, hire estate sale companies, and spend weeks hauling items away before a photographer will even step foot inside.
The Direct Sale Advantage: When you sell to SFR Unlimited, we offer a compassionate solution: Take what you want, and leave the rest.
- Take the photo albums.
- Take the jewelry and heirlooms.
- Take the specific pieces of furniture that mean something to you.
Leave everything else. We handle the clean-out. We donate usable items to charity and handle the trash. You can walk away and close the door, knowing you don’t have to spend your grieving process acting as a moving company.
Navigating Texas Probate
Disclaimer: We are not attorneys, but we work with them daily.
Probate is another major stumbling block people think they have to clear before selling. If a property is tied up in probate, you might think you can’t do anything until the process plays out. Many families assume they have to wait 6 to 12 months for the probate process to fully conclude before they can sell.
That is often not true. In Texas, if you have an “Independent Administrator” appointed, you can often sell the property relatively quickly. Even in more complex situations, a cash buyer can often be the solution that the court prefers because it guarantees funds are available to pay off creditors.
However, listing a probate property on the MLS can be a nightmare. Retail buyers get spooked by “court approval” contingencies. They worry about the title being clear. We buy probate properties routinely. We understand the paperwork, we are patient with the court timelines, and we can be the “sure thing” that the executor needs to close the file.
Closing the Chapter for 2026
Grief is a process, but administration is a task. It is healthy to separate the two. Holding onto the physical house rarely helps with the grieving process. In fact, watching the house deteriorate or arguing about the electric bill often taints the good memories you have of the home.
By selling the property in January:
- You stop the financial bleeding (taxes, insurance, utilities).
- You remove the source of family conflict.
- You gain closure. You can stop worrying about the house and focus on healing and remembering your loved one.
Your Action Plan: If you are the executor or family member in charge of the house, you do not need to do this alone. You do not need to paint the walls. You do not need to fix the 20-year-old roof. You do not need to show it to the public.
Contact SFR Unlimited. We will walk through the property with you (one time only), treat you with respect, and present you with a fair, all-cash offer. We can close on your timeline, whether that’s 10 days or a year, so you can settle the estate and move on.
Honor your loved one with a smooth, peaceful transaction instead of a stressful real estate battle.