ARV Venture Group vs. Listing With a Realtor — For Inherited Houses

Listing an inherited house with a realtor only works if the title is clean and the family is in agreement. If there's probate, missing heirs, broken title, or back taxes — realtors usually can't help. ARV Venture Group buys inherited houses as-is, cash, with title problems included. Our team has handled these since 2011.

By Nancy Lerma · ARV Venture Group · Last updated: 2026-05-20

When listing with a realtor works

If you inherited a house and:

Then a realtor is a fine option. List it, take the highest offer, pay the fees.

When listing with a realtor doesn't work

If any of these are true:

The title has issues (probate not closed, missing signatures, wrong deed filing)

One or more heirs won't sign

You owe back taxes and the county is threatening action

The house needs repairs you can't afford

You're out of state and can't manage the listing

You need to close in less than 30 days

A realtor literally cannot list the house until the title issues are cleared. That can take 6-18 months and cost thousands. Our team is built exactly for this situation.

Side-by-side comparison

Listing with realtor Selling to ARV Venture Group
Title must be clean Yes No — we handle it
All heirs must sign Yes We help coordinate or buy out interests
Commission 5-6% (you pay) $0
Closing costs $3-8K (you pay) $0 (we pay)
Repairs required Buyer usually demands No — as-is
Showings 10-30 needed None
Time to close 60-180 days (if it sells) 7-90 days
What if title's broken Listing pulled We buy it anyway
Back taxes owed You pay off first We handle
Out-of-state heir Must travel or DocuSign through agent We mail you papers
Multiple heirs disagreeing Listing stalls We negotiate with each

The math on a real situation

Imagine you inherited a house worth $200,000 — but it has a broken title (Dad died, will is unclear, two heirs, one missing for 5 years), owes $9,000 in back taxes, and needs $25,000 in repairs.

A Path A — List with a realtor

  1. 1

    Hire probate attorney: $3,500 - $8,000

  2. 2

    Locate missing heir: $1,500 - $5,000 (private investigator)

  3. 3

    Pay back taxes to avoid county action: $9,000

  4. 4

    Repairs: $25,000 (or take a deep price cut)

  5. 5

    Wait 12-18 months for probate to close

  6. 6

    List with realtor, 6% commission: $12,000

  7. 7

    Closing costs: $4,000

Net to you eventually: ~$130,000 — IF everything goes right and you can front the cash.

B Path B — Sell to ARV Venture Group

  1. 1

    Call us today

  2. 2

    We send you an offer based on the property's condition + the title work involved

  3. 3

    We pay cash, we handle the title work, we pay the back taxes

  4. 4

    You sign at closing (in person OR by mail if you're out of state)

Net to you: Less than Path A's "if everything goes right" — but you walk away in 30-90 days with cash, no out-of-pocket cost, no risk that the deal falls through. For complex titles, our offer is often more than what you'd net after Path A's costs and delays.

When you should NOT call us

Be honest — if your house has:

A clean title

One owner ready to sell

No repairs needed

No tax issues

Then list with a realtor. You'll get top dollar that way. Call us only when traditional sale has hit a wall.

Common questions

Ready to talk?

No pressure. No obligation. If a realtor is the better option for you, we'll tell you that too.

Or fill out our quick form:

Last updated: 2026-05-20. This page compares two real options for selling an inherited house. ARV Venture Group is a real estate investor operating in Texas and South Carolina.