Do we have to fix the house before selling?
No. This is one of the biggest advantages of an as-is cash sale. Inherited houses in Jefferson Parish often carry decades of deferred maintenance: old roofs, tired electrical, plumbing repairs, HVAC that has seen too many summers, foundation settling from our soil, and, in a lot of cases, contents the family has not been able to clear out yet.
A retail buyer with a mortgage will flag every one of those items in inspection and appraisal, and the lender may refuse to fund until repairs are made. A cash home buyer prices the property with those issues already accounted for. You do not clean it out, you do not paint, you do not replace the water heater. In most cases, you can leave any furniture, appliances, and belongings the family does not want, and we handle disposal after closing.
What about the mortgage, taxes, and insurance while succession is running?
The house’s bills do not pause because the owner passed. If there is a mortgage, the servicer expects payments to continue. Jefferson Parish property taxes keep accruing, and homeowners insurance needs to stay in force (vacant-home coverage is often required if the house is unoccupied for more than 30 to 60 days, and it is more expensive than standard coverage).
This is the carrying cost that quietly eats inherited estates. A house that is “worth” $220,000 on paper but is losing $2,500 a month to mortgage, taxes, insurance, and utilities while succession drags on is worth meaningfully less every month it sits. Getting a written cash offer early gives the heirs and the attorney a concrete option to compare against those carrying costs.
Are there tax consequences?
This is one to walk through with your CPA or attorney, not with us. Two things to understand at a high level:
- Step-up in basis. For federal tax purposes, an inherited property’s cost basis is generally stepped up to fair market value at the date of death. That often means selling the inherited house shortly after inheriting produces little or no capital gains tax, even if the loved one bought it decades ago for a fraction of today’s value.
- Louisiana has no state inheritance tax. Louisiana repealed its inheritance tax for deaths on or after July 1, 2004. There is no state estate tax either. Federal estate tax only applies to very large estates: for deaths in 2026 the federal exemption is $15 million per person.
None of that is a substitute for real tax advice from someone who knows the estate’s full picture. It is worth an hour with a CPA before closing.
What does the process look like with Bertucci Investment Group?
- You call 504-920-4747 or fill out the form on this page. We ask a few basic questions about the property and where the estate stands.
- We schedule a walk-through at a time that works for the family (or, if the property is out of state and you cannot be there, we can coordinate access with a neighbor, agent, or attorney).
- Within 24 to 48 hours of the walk, we send a written cash offer. No obligation. You can share it with your succession attorney or a second buyer.
- If the offer works, we sign a purchase agreement. Our offers do not have financing contingencies because we pay cash.
- Succession runs its course with your attorney. We stay in touch and keep the offer active.
- Once the Judgment of Possession is recorded, we close at a local Louisiana title company or notary. The heirs receive certified funds. We take the property as-is.
Local ownership matters here. Tony Bertucci and Andrew Rodriguez run the company from Metairie. This is our home market. We know the difference between a solid Old Metairie center-hall and a Kenner brick ranch, and we know why the West Bank neighborhoods behind Terrytown price differently than the ones closer to the river. When you talk to us, you are talking to the people making the decision.
Related guides: our statewide walkthrough of how to sell an inherited house through Louisiana succession, the documents required for selling inherited property in Louisiana, and our Orleans Parish companion piece on selling an inherited house in New Orleans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell an inherited house in Jefferson Parish without a lawyer?
You do not need a lawyer to talk to a buyer, but for the succession itself, almost every family in Louisiana needs a succession attorney. Louisiana’s civil-law system is different from other states, and Judgments of Possession are almost always handled through counsel. Closing itself happens at a Louisiana title company or notary, not through the buyer.
What if the house still has a mortgage on it?
The mortgage gets paid off at closing out of the sale proceeds, just like in any other real estate sale. The heirs receive whatever equity is left after the payoff, closing costs, and any liens are settled. If the house is upside down (mortgage exceeds market value), a cash sale still moves faster than a short sale, but the numbers may require the heirs to bring money to closing; we will tell you honestly if that is the case.
Can we sell if the house is full of belongings we have not sorted through?
Yes. Take what the family wants to keep. Leave the rest. We are used to it. This is one of the reasons families choose an as-is cash sale over a retail listing.
What if an heir lives out of state and cannot travel?
Documents can be signed remotely with a Louisiana notary through mail or a mobile notary service. Out-of-state heirs sign a Power of Attorney or handle closing documents by mail-away notarization. Your succession attorney will coordinate.
Do you buy inherited houses in every Jefferson Parish town, or just Metairie and Kenner?
We buy across the parish: Metairie, Kenner, Gretna, Harahan, River Ridge, Elmwood, Marrero, Terrytown, Westwego, Avondale, Bridge City, Waggaman, Jean Lafitte, Grand Isle, and the unincorporated pockets in between. If it is in Jefferson Parish, we will look at it.
Is there any cost to get an offer?
No. There is no fee, no commission, no obligation to accept. We give you a written number and the family decides what to do with it.
Talk to us about your inherited property in Jefferson Parish
If you would like a written cash offer on an inherited house anywhere in Jefferson Parish, call 504-920-4747 or use the form on this page. We will treat you the way a neighbor should be treated: honest number, no pressure, private conversation. If a cash sale is not the right fit for your family, we will tell you that too and point you toward a good local agent.
128 five-star Google reviews. BBB A+ Accredited. Local owners, Metairie office. You can also read our contact page for hours and location.
If you inherited a house in Jefferson Parish, you have three practical paths in front of you: keep it, list it on the retail market, or sell it as-is for cash. Which one makes sense depends on where the estate stands in Louisiana succession, whether the house needs work, and how much time and money the heirs are willing to put into it. This guide walks through each of those in plain terms, with the local specifics that matter in Metairie, Kenner, Gretna, Harahan, Marrero, Terrytown, River Ridge, Elmwood, Westwego, Avondale, and the rest of the parish.
We buy houses in Jefferson Parish for cash and have been doing it since our founding. If you want a private, no-obligation cash offer on an inherited property here, we can talk through it at 504-920-4747 or through the form on any page. If you would rather read first, keep going. Everything below is educational.
What “selling an inherited house in Jefferson Parish” actually involves
Louisiana does not use the same probate process most other states do. Here, the court-supervised transfer of a deceased person’s property is called succession. Until succession is opened and the heirs are formally recognized by the court, the heirs cannot pass clean title to a buyer, whether that buyer is a cash home buyer like us or someone with a conventional mortgage.
That is the single most common source of delay we see on inherited properties in Jefferson Parish. Heirs think they own the house the day the loved one passes. Legally, they own an undivided interest in the estate, but they cannot convey the property until either a Judgment of Possession has been signed by a Louisiana district judge (for most successions) or an Affidavit of Small Succession has been recorded (for eligible smaller estates; for deaths on or after August 1, 2026, Louisiana raised the small-succession ceiling from $125,000 to $200,000 in gross estate value under Act 293 of the 2026 Regular Session). We are not attorneys and this is not legal advice, but that is the practical shape of it.
Do I have to complete succession before I can sell?
To transfer title at closing, yes: succession (or a qualifying small-succession affidavit) needs to be finished. What you do not have to do is wait for succession to be complete before you start the sale conversation. In practice, families in Jefferson Parish will:
- Contact a cash home buyer and get a written offer in the first week.
- Give that offer, in writing, to the succession attorney so the estate has a real number to work with.
- Let the succession run in parallel while the buyer holds the offer open.
- Close the sale as soon as the Judgment of Possession is signed and recorded with the Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court.
Doing it in parallel is usually the fastest honest path. It is also the one that keeps insurance, taxes, upkeep, and any mortgage payments from bleeding the estate while the court process finishes.
How long does it take to sell an inherited house in Jefferson Parish?
Two clocks are running: the succession clock and the sale clock. A straightforward, uncontested succession in Jefferson Parish tends to move in the range of a few weeks to a few months once the attorney has all the documents in hand. Contested successions, out-of-state heirs, and missing paperwork stretch that timeline; there is no way around the fact that the court sets its own pace.
The sale side moves faster. Our cash offers are typically written within 24 to 48 hours of walking the property. Once succession is done, closing at a Louisiana title company or notary usually takes 7 to 14 days. If you list on the retail market instead, you are looking at a much longer window: prep, showings, buyer financing (which can fall through), inspection, appraisal, and closing normally add up to 60 to 120 days on top of succession, and that is before any needed repairs.
What if there are multiple heirs and we disagree?
Multi-heir disagreements are the reason a lot of inherited Jefferson Parish homes sit empty for a year or more. The most common versions we see:
- One heir wants to keep the house and live in it; the others want their share in cash.
- Two heirs want to sell now; one wants to wait.
- Everyone agrees to sell, but no one agrees on the price.
- An out-of-state heir will not respond to the attorney or sign paperwork.
A written cash offer often resolves several of these at once. It gives the heirs a real, provable number instead of an argument about what the house might be worth. If one heir wants to buy the others out, that offer becomes the market floor. If everyone wants out, the offer becomes the plan.
When heirs are genuinely at odds, the succession attorney and, in extreme cases, the court can force a partition. That is expensive and slow. Getting on the same page early, with real numbers on the table, is almost always the cheaper move.
Do we have to fix the house before selling?
No. This is one of the biggest advantages of an as-is cash sale. Inherited houses in Jefferson Parish often carry decades of deferred maintenance: old roofs, tired electrical, plumbing repairs, HVAC that has seen too many summers, foundation settling from our soil, and, in a lot of cases, contents the family has not been able to clear out yet.
A retail buyer with a mortgage will flag every one of those items in inspection and appraisal, and the lender may refuse to fund until repairs are made. A cash home buyer prices the property with those issues already accounted for. You do not clean it out, you do not paint, you do not replace the water heater. In most cases, you can leave any furniture, appliances, and belongings the family does not want, and we handle disposal after closing.
What about the mortgage, taxes, and insurance while succession is running?
The house’s bills do not pause because the owner passed. If there is a mortgage, the servicer expects payments to continue. Jefferson Parish property taxes keep accruing, and homeowners insurance needs to stay in force (vacant-home coverage is often required if the house is unoccupied for more than 30 to 60 days, and it is more expensive than standard coverage).
This is the carrying cost that quietly eats inherited estates. A house that is “worth” $220,000 on paper but is losing $2,500 a month to mortgage, taxes, insurance, and utilities while succession drags on is worth meaningfully less every month it sits. Getting a written cash offer early gives the heirs and the attorney a concrete option to compare against those carrying costs.
Are there tax consequences?
This is one to walk through with your CPA or attorney, not with us. Two things to understand at a high level:
- Step-up in basis. For federal tax purposes, an inherited property’s cost basis is generally stepped up to fair market value at the date of death. That often means selling the inherited house shortly after inheriting produces little or no capital gains tax, even if the loved one bought it decades ago for a fraction of today’s value.
- Louisiana has no state inheritance tax. Louisiana repealed its inheritance tax for deaths on or after July 1, 2004. There is no state estate tax either. Federal estate tax only applies to very large estates: for deaths in 2026 the federal exemption is $15 million per person.
None of that is a substitute for real tax advice from someone who knows the estate’s full picture. It is worth an hour with a CPA before closing.
What does the process look like with Bertucci Investment Group?
- You call 504-920-4747 or fill out the form on this page. We ask a few basic questions about the property and where the estate stands.
- We schedule a walk-through at a time that works for the family (or, if the property is out of state and you cannot be there, we can coordinate access with a neighbor, agent, or attorney).
- Within 24 to 48 hours of the walk, we send a written cash offer. No obligation. You can share it with your succession attorney or a second buyer.
- If the offer works, we sign a purchase agreement. Our offers do not have financing contingencies because we pay cash.
- Succession runs its course with your attorney. We stay in touch and keep the offer active.
- Once the Judgment of Possession is recorded, we close at a local Louisiana title company or notary. The heirs receive certified funds. We take the property as-is.
Local ownership matters here. Tony Bertucci and Andrew Rodriguez run the company from Metairie. This is our home market. We know the difference between a solid Old Metairie center-hall and a Kenner brick ranch, and we know why the West Bank neighborhoods behind Terrytown price differently than the ones closer to the river. When you talk to us, you are talking to the people making the decision.
Related guides: our statewide walkthrough of how to sell an inherited house through Louisiana succession, the documents required for selling inherited property in Louisiana, and our Orleans Parish companion piece on selling an inherited house in New Orleans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell an inherited house in Jefferson Parish without a lawyer?
You do not need a lawyer to talk to a buyer, but for the succession itself, almost every family in Louisiana needs a succession attorney. Louisiana’s civil-law system is different from other states, and Judgments of Possession are almost always handled through counsel. Closing itself happens at a Louisiana title company or notary, not through the buyer.
What if the house still has a mortgage on it?
The mortgage gets paid off at closing out of the sale proceeds, just like in any other real estate sale. The heirs receive whatever equity is left after the payoff, closing costs, and any liens are settled. If the house is upside down (mortgage exceeds market value), a cash sale still moves faster than a short sale, but the numbers may require the heirs to bring money to closing; we will tell you honestly if that is the case.
Can we sell if the house is full of belongings we have not sorted through?
Yes. Take what the family wants to keep. Leave the rest. We are used to it. This is one of the reasons families choose an as-is cash sale over a retail listing.
What if an heir lives out of state and cannot travel?
Documents can be signed remotely with a Louisiana notary through mail or a mobile notary service. Out-of-state heirs sign a Power of Attorney or handle closing documents by mail-away notarization. Your succession attorney will coordinate.
Do you buy inherited houses in every Jefferson Parish town, or just Metairie and Kenner?
We buy across the parish: Metairie, Kenner, Gretna, Harahan, River Ridge, Elmwood, Marrero, Terrytown, Westwego, Avondale, Bridge City, Waggaman, Jean Lafitte, Grand Isle, and the unincorporated pockets in between. If it is in Jefferson Parish, we will look at it.
Is there any cost to get an offer?
No. There is no fee, no commission, no obligation to accept. We give you a written number and the family decides what to do with it.
Talk to us about your inherited property in Jefferson Parish
If you would like a written cash offer on an inherited house anywhere in Jefferson Parish, call 504-920-4747 or use the form on this page. We will treat you the way a neighbor should be treated: honest number, no pressure, private conversation. If a cash sale is not the right fit for your family, we will tell you that too and point you toward a good local agent.
128 five-star Google reviews. BBB A+ Accredited. Local owners, Metairie office. You can also read our contact page for hours and location.