What to do in the first 30 days after inheriting a home
Published September 4, 2026
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Hi, my name is Jeremy Barzycki. I'm a real estate professional who focuses on clients who have recently inherited a property or who are going through the probate process. I am not an attorney, so this is not legal advice. But in this video, I just want to share the things that cannot wait within the first 30 days, and then the things that can wait.
When a loved one passes away, if they owned a home, most of the time their net worth is tied up in that house. So we want to make sure that house — that asset — is as protected as possible. Here are a few things you need to do to make sure the home is protected.
The first thing you need to do is make sure the house is secure, and that you have a No Trespassing sign in a front window. The last thing we want is an unwanted visitor making their way into the home. With that No Trespassing sign and a timestamped picture, it's a lot easier to bring to the sheriff's department, which expedites the process of getting them out of there.
The next thing you're going to want to do is make sure any urgent repairs are taken care of — things like a leaking roof or a busted pipe, anything that can quickly turn small damage into a major issue.
Along the same lines, you're going to want to make sure the utilities stay on. In the hot months, if the house gets really hot, that's a recipe for mold growth, and mold spreads quickly and can take over the entire house if it sits vacant for an extended period. In the winter months, you'll want to make sure the heat is working, because a busted pipe can easily flood the house and cause water damage.
Following those same lines, you're going to want to call the insurance company and let them know that the person who owned the home has passed away, and find out how much longer that policy is good for. If the house has been sitting for a longer period of time and something happens to it, and the insurance company doesn't know the house has been vacant, sometimes they won't cover those claims — which means the repairs come out of your pocket, or you end up with a seriously depreciated home because of the damage inside.
The next thing you'll want to make sure is done: keep the lawn maintained, and make sure the mail is collected. Those two things together are giant red flags to people that a house is vacant, and again, we want to keep any unwanted visitors out of the home.
So, those are the things that cannot wait. Now let's talk about the things that can wait. I know this is already really stressful, so we don't want to add anything more to your plate when you're already going through a difficult situation.
Some of the things that can wait: sorting through personal belongings, seeing what you want to keep, what you want to get rid of, talking with the heirs and figuring out what to do with the personal property. That also goes for the house. There is hardly ever a time when it's absolutely urgent that you sell the house right away. You can always take a step back, take a moment to breathe, and deal with that later.
If you're a little more concerned about your situation, or if you have questions about what can wait and what can't, feel free to reach out to me anytime. I would love to talk with you.
If you’re reading this in the first few weeks after losing someone and learning their home is now, in some way, yours to deal with, you don’t need to have a plan yet. You just need to know what actually needs attention this month, and what can sit for a while longer.
Start with the things that can’t wait
A few practical items tend to matter early, mostly because they protect the home itself:
- Make sure the home is secure — doors locked, windows checked.
- Confirm the homeowner’s insurance is still active. A vacant home can fall outside a normal policy after a period of time, so this is worth checking early rather than assuming it’s fine.
- Take care of anything urgent and physical: a pipe, a roof, mail piling up in a way that signals an empty house.
- Keep a simple list of utilities and services still running (power, water, lawn care) so nothing gets shut off — or left running — by accident.
Then, the paperwork that starts the clock
In Indiana, probate begins when someone — usually the executor named in the will, or a close family member if there isn’t one — files a petition with the court in the county where the person lived, along with a certified death certificate and the will, if there is one. Until the court formally issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, no one actually has legal authority to act for the estate, not even the person named executor in the will: signing contracts, accessing accounts, or listing the house all have to wait until those letters are in hand. If something urgent needs protecting before a full case can be opened, the court can appoint a “special administrator” with limited, temporary authority in the meantime.
Indiana also sets an outer deadline: a will generally has to be offered for probate within three years of the date of death, or it’s treated as though the person died without one — though a narrow exception allows a later filing solely to establish clear title to a specific piece of property, like a home.
What can genuinely wait
Sorting through belongings, deciding whether to sell or keep the home, figuring out repairs — none of that has to happen in the first 30 days, and trying to force those decisions early usually just adds stress. It’s reasonable to spend this first stretch simply keeping the home stable while you and any co-heirs get your footing.
If you’re not sure where you stand
If you don’t yet know whether you’re an heir, an executor, or something else, or you’re not sure what your role actually allows you to do, that’s common, and it’s worth a short conversation with an attorney before you make any decisions about the property itself.
If part of what you’re weighing is whether to sell the home, and when, we’re glad to talk it through with you — no pressure, no timeline.