For executors / personal representatives selling a Calgary-area homeSelling a home in an estate: checklist for personal representatives
First weeks
- Tell the home insurer about the death and that the home may be vacant; ask what checks the policy requires.
- Secure the home: change or collect keys, keep the heat on, arrange snow clearing and lawn care.
- Redirect mail (Canada Post offers forwarding for estates).
- Ask the estate lawyer whether a grant of probate or administration is needed before a sale can close.
Before listing
- Gather: will, grant (or application status), title, mortgage payout statement, property tax and utility accounts.
- Real Property Report with City compliance — find the existing one or order a new one early.
- Agree a plan for contents with the beneficiaries: who chooses, by when, and what happens to the rest.
- Get a written comparable-sales evaluation so the price can be explained to beneficiaries.
- Decide what preparation is worth doing: cleaning and clearing almost always; renovation rarely.
Listing and sale
- Make sure the listing and contract reflect the estate’s position (e.g. a condition or completion date tied to the grant).
- Keep beneficiaries informed of offers in the way the lawyer advises.
- Keep receipts for every estate expense.
- Give the lawyer the accepted contract promptly; they handle the transfer and payout.
After the sale
- Ask the accountant about the final return, the principal residence designation and a CRA clearance certificate before distributing.
- Cancel insurance and utilities after possession, and close out estate accounts.
