Brown County Clerk of Court
South Dakota Fifth Judicial Circuit · PO Box 1087, 101 SE 1st Avenue, Aberdeen, SD 57402-1087 · 605-626-2451
Contact the Clerk of Court about Brown County court matters related to the estate.
Aberdeen SD › Inherited Property
Selling an Inherited House in Aberdeen, SD
You stop paying for a house and get a fair price.
You can sell in the estate's name once the estate is opened — no need to put the house in your own name first. If you need an estate attorney, we can help you find one.
Call 888-274-5006 — Talk through the propertyWe give written cash offers in 24 hours.
What we do with the house and its contents
We buy houses as-is in Aberdeen and across Brown County, South Dakota — in any condition, with no repairs, cleaning, or cleanout required to sell to us. Sell an inherited house without cleanout, repairs, or hauling away a lifetime of belongings — we take it as it is.
Keep what the family wants and leave the rest in the house. You do not have to sort, donate, or haul everything away before asking about a sale. Meanwhile, property taxes, utilities, insurance, and upkeep can keep adding to the cost of carrying the house.
If the house has a mortgage, lien, or unpaid tax balance, the title and closing file still has to account for it. An as-is sale does not make those balances disappear.
What happens next
We talk through the house’s condition, contents, access, and where the estate stands, including the timing you have in mind. We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
You get the written offer and terms before deciding whether to proceed. If you choose to move forward, the sale closes through a title company, which reviews the title, estate signing authority, payoffs, and closing documents.
Sell from anywhere in the country — we can send a notary to you, and you don't have to attend settlement or even visit the property.
Compare what you may keep
Compare a written as-is offer with the net from another sale path using assumptions you can edit. Payoffs, liens, taxes, and the details of the transaction affect the actual amount left after closing; the calculator is a planning estimate, not an offer or settlement statement.
Open the Aberdeen net-proceeds calculator with editable assumptions →
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
South Dakota estate authority and sale taxes
Once appointed, a personal representative may sell estate property at public or private sale unless the will or a formal court order restricts that power. South Dakota law also sets a notice step for certain sales: if the property’s fair-market value is not readily ascertainable, the representative must give written sale information at least 14 days before closing to each person who filed a demand for notice. The notice identifies the property, buyer, price, payment terms, and any security for deferred payment. Confirm appointment, authority, and title before signing.
We help coordinate the sale, but we do not provide legal advice. The title company or a qualified attorney can confirm who has authority to sign for the estate.
South Dakota’s real-estate transfer fee is 50 cents for each $500 of value or fraction thereof. The grantor is legally responsible unless an exemption applies; certain foreclosure deeds and decrees of distribution in a decedent’s estate are exempt. A deed or contract for deed generally must also be accompanied by a Certificate of Value for recording. Read South Dakota’s transfer-fee statute.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the South Dakota real-estate transfer fee. This does not pay the seller’s mortgage, liens, back taxes, or share of current property taxes.
Source: South Dakota Codified Laws §§ 29A-3-715 and 29A-3-204 for estate sale authority and notice; §§ 43-4-21 and 43-4-22 for the transfer fee and exemptions; § 7-9-7 for the Certificate of Value. View the South Dakota estate statute · View the Certificate of Value statute.
Local estate, deed, and tax offices
If you need an estate attorney, we can help you find one.
Brown County Register of Deeds
25 Market St., Suite 3, Aberdeen, SD 57401 · 605-626-7140
The county office for recorded deeds, mortgages, liens, and other property documents.
Brown County Treasurer
25 Market St., Suite 2, Aberdeen, SD 57401 · 605-626-7133
Ask about property taxes collected for the County, City, schools, and other districts.
A note about estate questions
We're not attorneys and this isn't legal advice. It's what we've learned buying houses in situations like yours for more than 20 years. If you want advice on your specific situation, talk to an attorney — we're glad to work alongside yours.
Questions about selling an inherited house in Aberdeen
Can an inherited South Dakota house be sold before probate ends?
Usually, yes. Once appointed, a personal representative may sell estate property at public or private sale unless the will or a formal court order restricts that power. If the property’s fair-market value is not readily ascertainable, the representative must give written sale information at least 14 days before closing to each person who filed a demand for notice. The notice identifies the property, buyer, price, payment terms, and any security for deferred payment. Confirm appointment, authority, and title before signing.
Who can sign to sell an inherited house?
South Dakota law allows an appointed personal representative to sell estate property unless the will or a formal court order restricts that power. The appointment, will, title, and closing file determine the correct signer for this house. The title company or a qualified attorney can confirm who has authority to sign for the estate.
Do I have to put an inherited house in my own name before selling?
Not always. When the estate has authority to sell, the sale may be made in the estate’s name rather than first deeding the property to an heir. The title company or a qualified attorney can confirm the correct grantor, signatures, deed, and recording requirements for the actual title and estate file.
What is South Dakota’s real-estate transfer fee?
South Dakota’s real-estate transfer fee is 50 cents for each $500 of value or fraction thereof, and the grantor is legally responsible unless an exemption applies. Certain foreclosure deeds and decrees of distribution in a decedent’s estate are exempt. A deed or contract for deed generally also needs a Certificate of Value for recording. When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the South Dakota real-estate transfer fee. This does not pay the seller’s mortgage, liens, back taxes, or share of current property taxes.
Do I need to clear out or repair the house first?
No. Sell an inherited house without cleanout, repairs, or hauling away a lifetime of belongings — we take it as it is. You can keep the items the family wants and leave the rest for the sale; tell us what needs to stay.
Can I sell from outside South Dakota?
Sell from anywhere in the country — we can send a notary to you, and you don't have to attend settlement or even visit the property. The title company and estate professionals can confirm the signing documents for your transaction.