Losing a parent or relative is hard enough. Then comes the house: the keys, the bills, the closets full of a lifetime of things, and a court process you may never have dealt with before. If you've inherited a home in the Las Vegas valley and want to sell it, this guide explains the Nevada basics in plain words. It also covers how a cash sale to a local buyer like NLS Homes can take some of the weight off.
A quick note before we start. Probate rules are detailed, and every estate is different. Use this as a starting map, then talk to a Nevada attorney or title company about your own situation.
Start with the promise. NLS Homes publishes a commitment that the cash offer it makes is exactly what you'll receive on the closing day you choose, with nothing deducted first. Robert Sadowski owns and runs the company, which has been buying houses in Las Vegas since 2016, and it buys probate and inherited houses. Robert personally handles every cash offer, so you're talking to the owner from the start, not a call center.
For heirs, a few things matter most. NLS Homes buys the house as-is, with no repairs and no cleaning. You take the keepsakes you want and leave the rest, and the company handles whatever stays behind after closing. If the estate owes on liens or back taxes, those bills can often be settled at closing out of what the house brings.
Before anyone can sell an inherited house, someone needs the legal authority to sign the deed. How that works depends on how the home was held.
If the house sat in a living trust, the successor trustee can often handle the sale under the trust's terms. If the owner left a will or no will at all, the estate usually goes through probate in Clark County. The court then appoints a personal representative, sometimes called an executor or administrator, who can act for the estate.
Some homes pass outside probate by other means. Nevada allows a deed that takes effect on the owner's death, recorded with a death of grantor affidavit under NRS 111.699. If that's your case, an attorney or title company can confirm what paperwork the sale will need.
Nevada offers several routes, based mostly on the size of the estate. The figures below come from the state's probate statutes, and you should confirm them with an attorney before you rely on them.
| Path | Rough limit | Key point |
|---|---|---|
| Small estate affidavit (NRS 146.080) | $25,000, or $100,000 for a surviving spouse | Can't be used if the person left real property in Nevada |
| Set-aside without administration (NRS 146.070) | Up to $100,000 | Court must set it aside for a surviving spouse or minor children |
| Summary administration (NRS 145.040) | Up to $300,000 after debts on the property | Allowed at the court's discretion |
For houses, the small estate affidavit doesn't help much, since it can't be used when the person left Nevada real property. A set-aside is for smaller estates and can be filed at least 30 days after death. If a spouse or minor children survive, the court must set the estate aside for them. Summary administration can cover larger estates, and the judge decides whether it fits.
Estates above these limits usually need a fuller court process. Your attorney can tell you which path applies and how long each step tends to take.
Most Nevada home sellers must give buyers a completed seller's real property disclosure form under NRS 113. That's the form where an owner lists known defects. It's a fair question for heirs, since you may never have lived in the house and can't know its history.
The statute carves out some sellers. Sales by a fiduciary acting for a person who has died or become incapacitated are exempt. That includes a personal representative, a trustee, a guardian, or an agent under a power of attorney. So if you're selling as the estate's representative, the form may not apply. Confirm it with your attorney or title company before closing.
Clark County charges a real property transfer tax of $2.55 per $500 of value when a house sells. Under state law, the buyer and seller are jointly liable for it, and who pays is negotiable. Some transfers are exempt, including certain transfers into or out of a trust without payment, though a sale to an outside buyer usually isn't one of them.
With NLS Homes, you don't have to sort out who pays which closing cost. NLS Homes covers the closing costs and charges no commissions or agent fees. That makes it easier to split the proceeds among heirs, because no fees or closing costs come out of the offer.
A loan doesn't vanish when the owner dies. Payments keep coming due. Missed ones can lead to foreclosure. Nevada foreclosures mostly run outside of court, through a trustee sale, and the law sets notice periods before that sale can happen. The timing varies, so act early. If the estate is falling behind, tell the attorney right away, and ask how a quick sale could pay off the loan before the lender moves further along.
The same goes for liens and back taxes. They can often be paid from the sale proceeds at closing, so you don't need cash up front to clear them.
While the legal side moves forward, a few practical tasks protect the house and the estate. Keep the insurance active and let the carrier know the home is vacant, and keep basic utilities on so the house doesn't suffer damage while it sits empty. Collect the mortgage statements, tax bills and any HOA notices.
Talk with the other heirs early. Siblings don't always agree. One may want to sell while another hopes to rent the home out. A written cash offer with a firm number can make that talk easier, since everyone sees the same figure.
A listing can bring a strong price for a house in good shape. Still, inherited homes are often dated or need repairs, and someone has to manage cleanouts, showings and buyer requests. If the heirs live out of state, that can mean months of long-distance work.
A direct cash sale trades some of that upside for speed and simplicity. There's no staging, no showings and no waiting on a buyer's loan. You pick the closing date, so it can wait for any court step your attorney says is needed.
You call or fill out the form, and Robert walks through the house. You'll get a written cash offer within 24 hours, free and with zero obligation. If the heirs agree, you pick a date, and NLS Homes can close in as little as 7 days once the estate is ready. The paperwork goes through a local Las Vegas title company, which pays the estate at closing by wire or cashier's check.
There's no lender on the buyer's side to wait on, since NLS Homes uses its own cash. It also buys occupied homes, so a tenant still living there doesn't have to block the sale. NLS Homes is BBB Accredited with an A+ rating.
Settling an estate takes patience, and the house is often the biggest piece of it. Once you know who can sign, NLS Homes is the best next call for Las Vegas heirs who want a fair, as-is cash sale without cleanouts or repairs. Robert can walk through the home, explain how he reached his number, and leave the timing in your hands.
Page updated by the Conservation & Design Team, Environmental Services Department, Derbyshire County Council on 22 September 2003