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An Inherited Kirkland Home Was Costing $16,000 a Year in Taxes, Sold After Probate

I inherited the house and just couldn’t afford to keep it. Sixteen thousand a year in property taxes. High utilities. A 45-minute commute. Probate took forever and cost me. I needed a buyer who could close cleanly after probate finalized.

– The seller

No more $16,000-a-year property tax bill
No more 45-minute commute each way
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A Kirkland House and an Income That Didn't Match

The seller inherited a roughly 1,900 sq ft, 4-bed, 2-bath single-family home in Kirkland after her parent passed. The house was fine, “everything is good.” The problem was the math. Roughly $16,000 a year in property taxes. High water and power bills. Ongoing maintenance. A 45-minute commute from the house to her job. The probate process had been long, frustrating, and expensive, she’d paid about $15,000 to a law firm that didn’t deliver, then had to switch firms and re-submit documents multiple times. She had gutters that needed about $6,000 of work. She wanted around $850,000. She was comfortable closing about 60 days after going under contract, contingent on probate finalizing.

Probate-Aware Timing

The team worked around probate finalization rather than rushing it.

No Gutter Repair Required

The $6,000 gutter quote stayed quoted. Buyer absorbed it.

Shortened Commute and Lower Cost of Living

The cash from closing funded a move closer to work in a smaller, cheaper home.

Here's What Happened

The seller's path from a Kirkland inheritance to a shorter commute and lighter tax bill

Why a Traditional Listing Wasn't an Option

Listing the Kirkland house with probate still finalizing would have created title complications. The $16,000 annual tax bill plus high utilities kept ticking the whole time. After being burned by $15,000 of legal fees that produced little, she didn’t have appetite for another drawn-out process.

Seller story

Finding a Solution That Worked

Chris worked toward her $850,000 target. The team waited for probate to finalize before pushing to close. The conversation acknowledged the cost burden she was carrying and built the contract around removing it.

Finding a solution

A Smooth Path Forward

The contract came together about two days after the initial call. No gutter work. No inspection contingency the way a retail buyer would push.

The decision

A Closer Commute and a Lighter Tax Bill

The deal closed about 60 days after going under contract, just after probate finalized. The seller moved closer to work, into a place that fit her income. The $16,000 tax bill stopped accruing. The 45-minute commute became 15.

The outcome

Meet the Seller

A Kirkland heir who couldn't afford to keep an inherited home with $16,000 a year in taxes

Property: Inherited Kirkland single-family, ~1,900 sq ft, 4-bed, 2-bath

Carrying cost: ~$16,000/year in property taxes plus high utilities

Probate: Long, expensive, ~$15,000 spent before switching firms

Target: Around $850,000, close ~60 days after probate finalizes

Goal: Stop the tax bill, shorten the commute, downsize

Timeline: ~60 days after going under contract, post-probate

Priorities: A clean close after probate, no more legal drag

Dealbreaker: A buyer who couldn't work around probate

The Problem

$16,000 a year in property taxes, high utilities, a 45-minute commute, and a probate process that had already cost $15,000.

The Solution

A cash offer at her $850,000 target with the timeline built around probate finalizing and the $6,000 gutter quote absorbed.

The Result

Closed ~60 days after going under contract. The tax bill stopped, the commute shrank to 15 minutes, and she downsized into something that fit her income.

Sixteen thousand a year in property taxes. I needed a buyer who could actually close after probate.

– The seller

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Inherited a Kirkland or Seattle-area property that’s too expensive to keep? Probate in progress? We’re a cash home buyer in Seattle who works around probate timing.
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