Senior Downsizing · Probate & Estate Sales · Out-of-State Heirs | Des Moines, Iowa
Sarah Ingles 
My phone doesn’t ring at 11pm very often. When it does, it’s usually an adult child calling from Phoenix or Chicago or Florida who just got off the phone with a hospital, and the family home in Polk County is suddenly their problem. They’re not ready to sell. They don’t know what they’re allowed to … Read more
Iowa inheritance tax repealed:When a parent dies and leaves an Iowa house, one of the first calls an out-of-state heir makes is to their CPA or home-state attorney. And one of the first things that CPA or attorney says — if they haven’t updated their Iowa knowledge recently — is some version of: “Watch out … Read more
The Iowa probate timeline shapes every decision you’ll face as an out-of-state heir. When a parent dies and leaves you a house in Iowa — and you live in Phoenix, or Chicago, or anywhere that isn’t Des Moines — the first question is almost always the same: “How fast can I sell it?” It’s a … Read more
Vacant home insurance Iowa requirements are one of the first surprises out-of-state heirs run into after inheriting Iowa real estate from out of state in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, or anywhere across the state. Standard homeowners policies were written for owner-occupied homes — once a property sits empty for 30 to 60 days, most carriers … Read more
If you need to sell an inherited house in Iowa, start here. Selling an inherited house in Iowa starts with one question: who has the legal authority to sign? Until that question is answered, nothing else can move forward. Most families in Polk, Dallas, and Warren Counties find the full process takes four to six … Read more
By Sarah Ingles, REALTOR® SRES® CPCU® | Smart Move Des Moines To price an inherited house in Des Moines correctly, executors need a framework that goes beyond a simple CMA. One of the first questions executors ask when they’re preparing to sell an inherited home in Des Moines is whether to fix it up first … Read more
By Sarah Ingles, REALTOR® SRES® CPCU® | Smart Move Des Moines What happens to a house when someone dies in Iowa? If you’ve recently lost a parent or family member — or you’re helping someone who has — one of the first questions that comes up is: what happens to the house? It’s the right … Read more
By Sarah Ingles, REALTOR® SRES® CPCU® | Smart Move Des Moines Selling Your Parents’ Iowa Home From Out of State: What Out-of-State Heirs Need to Know Need to sell an inherited Iowa home from out of state? If you live in Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, or Phoenix and just learned you’re responsible for selling a parent’s … Read more
By Sarah Ingles, REALTOR® SRES® CPCU® | Smart Move Des Moines Vacant home insurance for executors in Iowa is one of the most overlooked aspects of estate administration. When someone passes away and leaves a home in Iowa, the family’s focus is — understandably — on grief, on legal paperwork, and on figuring out … Read more
By Sarah Ingles, REALTOR® SRES® CPCU® | Smart Move Des Moines What Happens to Home Insurance When a Parent Passes Away in Iowa? If you’re managing a parent’s home after they’ve passed away in Iowa, there’s one thing you need to check before anything else: the homeowner’s insurance. Iowa executors have as little as 30 … Read more