You inherited a mobile home in Tennessee. Here's how to think about it.

The first question is authority, not price

Before anything else: does someone have the legal right to sign for the home? If the title or deed is still in the name of the person who died, a buyer cannot simply take it. In Tennessee, the estate typically needs to go through probate, or an alternative process, so that an executor or administrator can transfer ownership.

This is squarely a question for a probate attorney or the court clerk in the county where the person lived. We cannot answer it for you, and any buyer who tells you it does not matter is not one you should trust.

Common wrinkles in Tennessee family situations

In East Tennessee especially, the home often sits on family land that was divided informally over the years. Sometimes the person who lived in the home does not appear anywhere in the land records. Sometimes several siblings have equal claims and one of them lives out of state.

• Multiple heirs who all have to agree to sell
• Land ownership separate from home ownership
• A home that has sat vacant since the funeral and has water damage
• Unpaid lot rent that has been accruing quietly
• Personal belongings nobody has been able to face clearing out

You do not have to clean it out

This is the part families dread most. Take what matters to you and leave the rest. Clearing the home is on us, and it is far easier for a buyer to absorb than it is for a grieving family to do on weekends.

What we need to start

Where the home is, roughly what year and size it is, whether the land came with it, who the heirs are, and where the estate stands. Photos when someone can get them. We can have a useful conversation before probate is finished, we just cannot close until it is.