Why Disclosing Everything Sold This Probate Home in 7 Days

By David Pannell

David Pannell is the Managing Broker and founder of Cities Real Estate, a forward-thinking brokerage based in Fort Worth, Texas. A licensed Realtor since 2005 and a broker since 2010, David is known for his expertise in helping families sell homes quickly, especially those navigating the complexities of probate and inherited property.

I just went through one of the toughest closings of my career. I’d made an offer on a property based on a quick first walkthrough, and only after inspections did we find foundation work the seller never disclosed. For the first time ever, I had to drop my price after already agreeing to it, and it left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

That’s exactly why I want to talk to sellers, especially anyone selling a home in probate or helping a family member through foreclosure, about the power of disclosing everything.

A tale of two Fort Worth homes. A few months back, I helped a woman named Carolyn sell her father’s house in the Ridgely neighborhood of West Fort Worth. She was working through the courts as a dependent administration, and her biggest worry was what she’d have to disclose about a home she never lived in. A few agents told her to just mark “unknown” and let buyers figure it out. I told her the opposite, and we documented everything: a full seller’s disclosure, a pre-inspection, certifications on the old foundation and slab-leak repairs, all published online. Her home sold in seven days at full list price.

A nearly identical house one street over, same price, same floor plan, listed with no disclosures. It sat for four months, took three price cuts, and finally sold for about $75,000 less. Carolyn got that $75,000; the other seller could have avoided the whole thing for about $1,000 in inspections.

Buyers punish what you hide. Here’s what I’ve learned selling homes my whole adult life. Buyers don’t punish you for what you tell them; they punish you for what you don’t, and they reward you in price for what you disclose. Sell as-is without disclosing, and you’ll still get a buyer who orders an inspection and finds the problems anyway, which evaporates the trust you needed to close.

It gets worse because most buyers assume a repair costs about four times what it really does. A $500 foundation or AC fix becomes $10,000 in their head, and when they hit that surprise mid-deal, they walk. A seller’s disclosure protects both the buyer and the seller, and getting ahead of it eliminates low-ball offers and the hesitation that keeps an unsure buyer from making one.

Disclosing up front puts you in control. When you present everything first and back it up with a warranty, an inspector finding a foundation repair isn’t a problem, because you already talked about it. Even an investor moves forward faster. You also protect yourself. On a vacant probate property, I technically don’t have to disclose, but doing it anyway removes the liability of someone finding a problem after they move in, and it protects your best offer on an inherited house when there’s an estate to honor.

How the process actually works. I sit down with you, we complete the disclosures accurately, and I get you quotes and invoices from a plumber, an AC tech, a foundation crew, and a roofer. You don’t make a single repair. We order a pre-listing inspection, which I’ll sometimes cover up front, and build a confidence package with the inspection, estimates, invoices, warranties, and permits, so anyone showing the home knows exactly why it’s priced the way it is. I make a cash offer on every house I visit, but I also run a 21-day marketing strategy that usually gets you more than that offer, from a confident buyer who won’t back out.

If you’re selling an inherited home or helping someone through a hard situation and you want to do it the right way, I’d love to help you put a plan together. This is the first in a series where I’ll walk through the whole process of getting a house ready to sell. To get started, book a call with me and we’ll talk through your situation. I look forward to connecting with you.