The legal track, briefly
Authority comes first: depending on how the property was held, sale authority may flow through probate appointment, trust administration, or simpler transfers — determinations your estate attorney makes and documents. Escrow and title will require that paperwork; assembling it early prevents late scrambles.
Timelines vary with the estate’s complexity, and sale contracts can be structured around pending authority where appropriate. I coordinate with counsel as a matter of course — this lane is shared, and I stay in mine expertly.
The practical track
First moves are stewardship: secure the property, maintain insurance appropriately for its occupancy status, and keep systems from winter harm. Then assessment — condition, records reconstruction (those well logs and septic histories again), and the preparation-versus-price conversation estates particularly face: often lighter preparation and honest pricing serve estates better than renovation adventures.
Family dynamics deserve naming: multiple decision-makers, distance, and grief all ride along. My role includes translating the process calmly for everyone, moving at the family’s workable pace, and handling the property questions so the family can handle the family.
Local rule of thumb: Let the attorney set the authority timeline and the family set the emotional one — the market will meet you when you arrive.