Dover homes pass down in families like homes anywhere, and the city data lists inherited properties among the recurring situations here. The house may be a modest ranch, a manufactured home or an older property near the historic core. Before any of those can be sold, someone has to hold the legal authority to sign.
No obligation. We respond within 24 hours.
Kaizen Home Buyers buys inherited houses for cash and takes them as they are. The family does not repair, empty or stage anything. We charge no agent commission, make an offer within 24 hours, and can close in 14 to 30 days or on a date the family picks.
The Kent County Register of Wills is at 555 Bay Road, 2nd Floor, Room 214, Dover, DE 19901, phone 302-744-2330. Walk-in hours are Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The county says an appointment is mandatory to open or close an estate. The phone is answered Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and fees are paid by cash, check or money order only.
In person, bring the original death certificate, the original will if there is one, estimated asset values at death, a list of next of kin with full names, relationships and addresses, and a valid driver's license or passport. By mail, send the death certificate and will, the Case Information Sheet, any renunciation forms and a copy of ID. After a deputy reviews the paperwork, the office calls to schedule the opening appointment.
Delaware's estate tax chapter is repealed for deaths on or after January 1, 2018, and the Sussex County guide says the inheritance tax ended for deaths on or after January 1, 1999. House Bill 333 raised the small estate limit to $50,000 for deaths on or after June 10, 2026, but the Register's booklet says an estate must be opened when the decedent owned Delaware real estate in their own name. A house usually means formal probate. Ask the deputy or an attorney to confirm which route fits your family before you plan around any shortcut.
Tell us the Dover address and what you know about the house. We look at it as it stands and send a cash offer within 24 hours. Furniture and papers can stay. The family does not have to clear it first.
We are not attorneys, and we cannot say who is allowed to sign. The Register of Wills and your attorney do that. We can set the closing for after letters issue. Call 267-329-0084, then weigh the offer against a listing after repairs, commission and the months the estate carries the house. Kent County does not publish a wait time on the page we reviewed, so build some slack into the calendar.
Yes. Kent County says an appointment is mandatory to open or close an estate. The office calls to schedule after a deputy reviews your paperwork. Fees are paid by cash, check or money order only.
It can. The paperwork depends on how the home and land are titled, so tell the title company and your attorney early.
Creditors have eight months from the date of death, per the Register's booklet, and the personal representative files an inventory within three months of opening the estate.
The state realty transfer tax is 3 percent, or 2.5 percent where the full local tax applies, with the state charge split equally between buyer and seller. Ask the closing office for your number.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm details with the office or a professional.
No obligation. No fees. Just a fair offer from a local buyer.