Selling an inherited house in Shreveport-Bossier

Can heirs sell an inherited house in Shreveport or Bossier?

Yes. Heirs can sell a house in Shreveport or Bossier City. A buyer and a title company still need proof of who owns it, and in Louisiana that proof comes from a succession. Other states call the same court process probate. People here mostly say succession.

This page is how that usually works in Shreveport and Bossier, what to gather, and where a sale to us fits. It is general information, not legal advice. A Louisiana succession lawyer decides what applies to your family. The Louisiana State Bar Association can help you find a lawyer.

You do not have to repair the house, clean it out, or fly in for showings before you ask us to look. You can call a lawyer first or call us first. Either order is fine.

The court detail, including a private sale while a succession is already open, is in selling a house in a succession. The shorter page for inherited houses is how a sale to us fits that paperwork. City pages: Shreveport and Bossier City.

What should you do in the first days?

Start with the papers, not with a dumpster. Look for the deed, a will if there is one, the last tax bill, the insurance policy, and any mortgage statement. If you can walk through safely, set that mail aside. Do not throw out letters that look official.

Tell the other heirs you are looking at a sale. Until the succession is finished, the property is shared. One person should not empty the house or start a remodel alone. If a relative wants to keep the house, have that talk before anyone signs.

Secure the house if a window is open or the grass is high. A city letter does not mean you have lost the property. It means there is a clock. Bossier City's Property Standards Division enforces basic maintenance on private property. Louisiana law lets a city or parish condemn a building that is dilapidated and dangerous and have it demolished or removed (R.S. 33:4761). Read the notice, and read our guide on a condemned house if the letter is about demolition. Bring a copy when you call.

Where is the succession filed?

The case is filed in the district court of the parish where the person lived when they died. That rule is Code of Civil Procedure article 2811. The parish where the house sits is not always the parish of the case. When the person lived in Louisiana, domicile decides the court.

If the person lived in Bossier Parish, the court is the 26th Judicial District Court. The court's site lists the Bossier Parish Clerk of Court and the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office, and it also lists the Webster Parish offices. Benton is the parish seat. If the person lived in Caddo Parish, the case is opened in Caddo. DeSoto and Webster follow the same domicile rule. Our city pages are Shreveport, Bossier City, and Benton.

If the person lived outside Louisiana, article 2811 says the succession may be opened in a parish where the house sits. If there is no Louisiana real estate, it may be opened where movable property sits. Ask a succession lawyer which parish fits. We do not file the case, and we do not appear for you in court.

What is a small succession, and what is a full court case?

Two paths cover most families. The facts pick the path, and a lawyer should be the one who picks it.

A regular court succession is the usual path when the estate is larger, when there is a will to probate, or when the heirs do not agree. A lawyer files. A judge signs a judgment of possession. That order names the heirs and puts them in possession of the property. A title company usually wants that order, or a court approval of the sale, before it will insure the closing.

A small succession lets the heirs use a sworn affidavit instead of a full court case, when the statute allows it. Article 3421 defines it. For a person who died domiciled in Louisiana, the statute describes property with a gross value of $200,000 or less, valued on the date of death. A person who died living outside Louisiana has a lower cap in that article, and some deaths from at least twenty years ago are described there too. The gross value is the estate, not the house alone. Do not guess. The title company, not us, decides whether it will accept the affidavit. The court steps are on our inherited-house page and in the succession guide.

What if one heir will not sign?

A sale generally needs every heir, or a court order that says who may sign. If one person will not cooperate, cannot be found, or lives far away, the closing waits. We cannot make anyone sign. We will not pressure a family that has not agreed.

Put one set of numbers in front of everyone: what a sale might bring, what is owed, and what each person would receive after closing costs. Then ask a lawyer what a court can do if someone still will not sign. That takes longer. An heir who wants the house can sometimes buy the others out. That is their decision, not ours.

What if you live out of town?

You can still sell. You do not have to paint, hold showings, or empty the house before we look. Tell us the address, whether anyone lives there, and what you know about the roof and the plumbing. If you have not been inside for years, say so.

Take what the other heirs agree can go, and leave the rest. We buy the house as it sits, including furniture and boxes. We charge no fee to look and no fee to close.

What if the house needs major work?

You can sell it as it sits, repair it and then list it, or list it and let a buyer ask for repairs. The trade-offs are in selling a house that needs major repairs. A rough house generally brings a lower offer. If the house needs little work and you have time, a listing may net more, and we will say so. If you want to list, we can connect you with help.

A city letter does not by itself stop a sale. Read the notice. Bossier City's property standards page says an owner normally has about 10 days from a violation letter, and that a dilapidated building usually takes a minimum of about six months from a verified violation until demolition if the owner does nothing. That is the city's description, not a promise about your letter. Tell us about it on the first call.

What about the mortgage and the property taxes?

The loan does not disappear because the owner died. Neither do the taxes. A missed payment keeps counting while the succession is open. Call the servicer, say the owner died, and ask in writing what the heirs must send.

If a sheriff's sale is already set, start with facing a sheriff's sale, then the Bossier Parish or Caddo Parish page. The free options come first: the servicer, a HUD-approved counselor, and a lawyer. We are not a foreclosure-relief service, and we do not negotiate with the lender for you.

When the numbers work, unpaid taxes and a mortgage are paid from the sale at the title company. When they do not, we say so. See behind on property taxes in Louisiana.

Can the sale create an income-tax question?

Yes, it can, and a CPA should answer it. We will not. The IRS says that money received from the sale of inherited property is generally included when deciding whether you have to file, and that you figure the result from your basis in the property. Read the IRS page on gifts and inheritances. Publication 551 explains that the basis of inherited property is generally the fair market value on the date of death, and that other rules apply in some cases. We are not stating a tax bill. Take the written offer and those two pages to the person who files your return before you sign.

Keep the house, list it, or sell it as it sits?

You can keep it, list it, or sell it as it sits. If someone in the family wants the house, or a paid-off house is not a burden, you do not have to sell. If it is in decent shape and nobody is rushing, a listing can bring more than a sale to a buyer who still has to repair it. If you want to list, we can connect you with help.

Selling as it sits skips the repairs and the showings. The offer is lower than a fixed-up retail sale. You pick the closing date. Cash is not promised. Sometimes the paper is cash. Sometimes it is taking over the payments. You see that only after we look, and you can say no. Before you sign with anyone, including us, get two or three written offers and use how to compare cash home buyers.

How selling an inherited house to us works

• Call or send the form. Charlie takes seller calls at (318) 714-4321. You can also use the form at the bottom of this page.
• Say whether a succession is open. You do not need a judgment in hand to call.
• We look at the house. We talk through the loan, the taxes, and what you know is wrong.
• We put a choice in writing. Show it to a lawyer and to the other heirs.
• Closing waits on the paperwork. We can agree now and close after the court papers are ready. The title company decides what it needs.
• A local title company closes it. You pick the date, as long as the title work can be ready. We charge heirs no fee.

Cash is not promised on every house, and we do not promise a number of days. Charlie usually calls back the same day. The form on this page is marked for this guide. You can also start at the seller form. Who pays which closing costs is in the written offer. We do not promise to pay every cost. See Louisiana seller closing costs.

Updated November 7, 2026