How long does probate take in Ohio?
Probate is the court-supervised process of settling a person’s estate: proving the will (if there is one), appointing someone to act for the estate, paying debts, and transferring what’s left to the heirs. In Columbus, that happens at the Franklin County Probate Court downtown. Real estate owned solely by the person who died almost always has to go through it before it can be sold or transferred.
What sets the timeline
| Situation | Typical timeline | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small estate, no disputes | 2–4 months | May qualify for a summary or simplified release from administration instead of full administration |
| Standard estate with a house | 6–12 months | Six-month creditor window plus inventory, appraisal, accounting, and court approvals |
| No will (intestate) | 8–14 months | Court appoints an administrator; heirs determined by Ohio statute; often more paperwork |
| Disputes, multiple heirs, or title issues | 12+ months | Contested wills, missing heirs, or liens all add hearings and delay |
| House held in a trust or with a TOD affidavit | Usually no probate | Transfer-on-death designations and living trusts pass the house outside probate |
Can you sell an inherited house before probate is finished in Ohio?
This is the part heirs get wrong most often: they assume they have to wait until probate closes completely. They don’t. In most estates the house can be sold mid-process once the fiduciary is appointed, and selling it early stops the carrying costs — taxes, insurance, utilities, lawn, and the risk of a vacant house being broken into.
How selling a house through Ohio probate works
- The will is filed and the estate is opened at Franklin County Probate Court (or the county where the person lived). If there’s no will, an interested party applies to open the estate.
- The court appoints the executor or administrator. This person receives “Letters of Authority” and can now act for the estate — including dealing with the house.
- The house is inventoried and valued. Ohio requires an inventory of estate assets, usually within three months of appointment. A date-of-death appraisal establishes the value.
- Creditors have six months to make claims. Debts, final bills, and any mortgage on the house are addressed from estate assets.
- The house is sold. With power of sale, the executor signs the contract and deed. Without it, the court approves the sale. Proceeds go into the estate account, not directly to heirs.
- Final accounting and distribution. After debts and expenses are paid, the executor files an accounting and the court approves distribution to heirs. The estate closes.
Your three options with an inherited house
Keep it
Makes sense if an heir wants to live there and the estate can transfer it cleanly. Watch the ongoing costs and whether other heirs need to be bought out.
Rent it
Possible if the house is in decent shape and someone wants to be a landlord. Inherited houses often need updating first, and out-of-town heirs rarely want the management.
Sell it
The most common choice when there are several heirs, the house needs work, or it’s full of belongings. You can list it with an agent (best price, but you’ll clear it out, repair, show, and wait) or sell it as-is to a cash buyer like us (lower price, but no cleanout, no repairs, and a closing date that fits the court timeline).
Taxes on an inherited house in Ohio
Ohio has no state inheritance or estate tax — it was repealed in 2013. Federal estate tax only applies to very large estates. What most heirs actually deal with is capital gains, and here the news is good: inherited property gets a “stepped-up basis,” meaning your cost basis resets to the home’s value on the date of death. If you sell soon after for roughly that value, there’s typically little or no capital gain to tax. Property taxes keep accruing from the date of death and are prorated at closing. Confirm your situation with a tax professional.
What we do differently with inherited houses
- Leave what you don’t want. Take the photos and the things that matter. We handle the rest of the cleanout after closing.
- We work with the estate attorney. We’ve closed on estates where the executor was out of state and the attorney handled everything. We send the contract in a form the court accepts.
- We close when the court allows, not before. If Letters of Authority take another six weeks, the offer waits. No pressure to rush a filing.
- One offer, honored. Estates have enough moving parts. Our written offer doesn’t drop the week before closing.
What we need from you to make an offer: the property address, who the executor or administrator is (or will be), whether Letters have been issued yet, and the name of the estate attorney if there is one. That’s it — we can get started before the paperwork is finished.
Questions heirs and executors ask us
In many cases, yes. Once the court has appointed an executor or administrator, that person can usually sign a purchase agreement. Closing may require the will’s power of sale or a court-approved land sale, depending on the estate. Ask the estate attorney which applies before accepting an offer.
Usually six to twelve months for an estate that includes a house. The six-month creditor claim period is the minimum for full administration. Simple estates with few assets and no disputes can finish faster through a release from administration.
The estate does, from estate funds, until the house is sold or transferred. If the estate has no cash, heirs sometimes advance payments and are reimbursed at closing. Selling sooner is often the cleanest way to stop the bleeding.
If the house is still in the estate, the executor makes the decision (within their court authority). If the house has already been transferred to multiple heirs as co-owners, all co-owners generally have to sign. Disagreements can require a partition action, which is slow and expensive.
No. Take what you want and leave the rest. We buy inherited houses full of furniture and belongings and handle the cleanout after closing.
Usually little or none if you sell soon after inheriting, because the tax basis steps up to the date-of-death value. Ohio has no inheritance tax. Talk to a CPA about your specific numbers.
A recorded affidavit that names who receives the property when the owner dies. If your parent recorded one, the house passes outside probate to the named beneficiary, who can sell it once the transfer is recorded with the county.
Related
This page is general information about selling a house in Ohio, written from our experience as a Columbus cash home buyer. It is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Ohio law and county procedures change; confirm specifics with an Ohio attorney or the relevant county office. Sell Your Columbus Home is a real estate investment company, not a licensed brokerage. Reviewed by Antonio Labra, owner. Last updated August 27, 2026.