Inherited a house recently and unsure what to do next

MikeFlan · 11-04-2026 09:48AM #1

Hi all,

Looking for a bit of advice as I’m a bit unsure what the right move is here.

I’ve recently inherited a house (from a parent) and I’m trying to figure out what I should actually be doing first. I’ve spoken to a couple of people but I’m getting slightly different answers which isn’t helping.

From what I understand:

Probate needs to be sorted before anything happens
There might be some inheritance tax depending on the valuation
Then I need to decide whether to sell, rent, or keep it

What I’m struggling with is:

how urgent everything actually is
whether I should be going straight to a solicitor
and whether most people just sell or hold onto it

I don’t want to rush into anything or make a mistake early on.

Has anyone here been through this recently?
What did you do first and what would you do differently?

Appreciate any advice 👍

Jim_Hodge · 11-04-2026 10:32AM

Been there. See a solicitor as soon as you feel up to it. Get probate rolling, contact a couple of estate agents and sell the property unless you really want to live in it or become a landlord. I sold. Less hassle.

black & white · 11-04-2026 10:42AM

As Jim Hodge said, see a solicitor who can start the probate process. Allow at least 6 months for Probate to complete and afaik you can’t sell the house until it’s completed. If there was Fair Deal involved there will be some deductions. The solicitor will explain the situation.

perryboy · 11-04-2026 10:43AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058436975/inherited-a-house-recently-and-unsure-what-to-do-next

Probate takes time. Months. So don't panic. You don't have to decide anything today. Use that time to sit in the house. Walk through it. See how you feel. Some people keep the family home for sentimental reasons. Others can't wait to sell. Neither is wrong. But you won't know until you spend time there.

MikeFlan · 13-04-2026 07:27AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124382951#Comment_124382951

Totally makes sense — that’s kind of what I’m hearing from a few people as well.

I think what I’m struggling with is not knowing if I’m jumping too far ahead to the sell vs keep decision before everything else is actually sorted.

Did you go straight to a solicitor first or did you spend a bit of time figuring out your options before that?

MikeFlan · 13-04-2026 07:28AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124382996#Comment_124382996

Yeah that’s really helpful, the timeline piece is something I didn’t fully appreciate.

When you say allow 6 months, is that from when probate is applied for or from when everything is submitted?

I think part of my hesitation is just not knowing what actually needs to happen first vs what can wait.

MikeFlan · 13-04-2026 07:29AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124383000#Comment_124383000

That’s actually reassuring to hear, I think I was feeling like I needed to make a decision quickly.

Good point on just spending some time in the house first. I hadn’t really thought about that side of it beyond the practical stuff. Did you end up keeping it or selling in the end?

black & white · 13-04-2026 07:53AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124390393#Comment_124390393

In the case I was involved in, the person died in early April, solicitor was contacted a week or so after the funeral and probate was completed a couple of weeks before Christmas. the estate was straightforward, only 1 property, 1 bank and 1 insurance company and had been a PAYE worker. If the person had multiple anything or of they were not up to date with taxes then in gets more complicated and takes longer.

whosedaddy? · 13-04-2026 08:03AM

Everyone has different circumstances. Grieving , personal situations , siblings… (don’t underestimate family dynamics)

Take your time. Nobody dictates how soon to start , I think we left it for almost a year.

black & white · 13-04-2026 08:11AM

The other thing to be aware of is some house insurance policies won’t cover if the house is unoccupied for more than a month in a year so you need to keep an eye on it if someone isn’t living there.

Akrasia · 13-04-2026 08:38AM

You've going to need to get the house valued for probate regardless of what you do with it.

MikeFlan · 15-04-2026 11:58PM

Thanks again everyone, this has actually helped more than I expected.

I think the big takeaway for me is separating the two things:

get the solicitor + probate moving (so I’m not delaying anything)
but don’t rush the sell vs keep decision while that’s happening

I didn’t realise how much time probate actually takes, so that’s taken a bit of pressure off.

One thing I’ve also started looking into is the tax side (CAT etc.) as that seems to catch people out if you don’t plan for it early.

I came across a site called GetSettled that breaks the whole process down step by step in plain English — especially the tax + probate timelines — which I found useful just to get my head around it.

it seems quite new but just found it helpful to understand what actually happens and in what order. A lot in it but I browsed a bit anyway.

Appreciate all the advice here 👍

Inherited a house recently and unsure what to do next

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