Georgetown is the Sussex County seat, and the office that opens estates for the whole county is inside the town. The Register of Wills sits in the Courthouse Annex at 5 E. Pine St., in the same town as The Circle and its 1839 courthouse. That is convenient for local heirs. It does not change the rule that no one can sign a sale contract until the Register has appointed a personal representative.
No obligation. We respond within 24 hours.
Kaizen Home Buyers buys houses as-is and pays in cash. You hear back with an offer within 24 hours, and there is no agent commission or repair list. Closing can take 14 to 30 days or wait for the date the estate picks. A historic town house or a lot at the farmland edge can be sold in its current condition once the estate can sign.
The Register of Wills phone is (302) 855-7875, and hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office closes to the public at 3:00 p.m. on the last Monday of the month, and the county notes the building locks at 4:00 p.m. daily. Appointments are required to open or close an estate. The county's booklet says walk-ins to open one are discouraged because deputy schedules are set a week or more ahead.
Georgetown is described as a historic inland town ringed by farmland, and inherited farm-edge properties are one of its listed concerns. The census profile shows detached houses at about 55% of the housing. Before anyone tells a buyer how much land comes with the house, find the deed and any survey. Do not rely on a fence line or family memory, and ask the estate attorney what the title company will need.
The booklet says the personal representative files an inventory within three months of opening, creditors have eight months from the date of death to file claims, and an accounting is due within a year. It lists a closing fee of 1.25 percent of the net personal estate. Sussex County tax bills are due September 30, with a 1.5 percent monthly penalty after that, and the county notes special community liens in some unincorporated areas.
Send the address and tell us what the property includes. We look at the house as it stands and make a cash offer, so no one needs to repair a roof or empty a barn to ask. If the family is split on selling, we can wait while the estate sorts it out. The offer is only useful once someone has authority to sign.
We do not give legal advice and we cannot decide who owns the house. The Register of Wills and your attorney do. After letters are issued, we can close in 14 to 30 days or on a date the heirs pick. Call or text 267-329-0084.
At the Sussex County Register of Wills, Courthouse Annex, 5 E. Pine St., Georgetown. Call (302) 855-7875 for an appointment, which is required to open an estate.
Usually not alone. The limit is $50,000 for deaths on or after June 10, 2026 and covers personal property. The booklet says an estate must be opened when the decedent owned Delaware real estate in their own name.
The estate tax chapter is repealed for deaths on or after January 1, 2018, and the booklet says inheritance tax ended for deaths on or after January 1, 1999. Federal and income tax on a later sale are separate matters for a tax professional.
Not for Kaizen. The contract should say what stays and what goes, so remove papers, medication and family items first.
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.