Selling an Inherited Home in Pierce County: Tacoma and Puyallup

By Jack Macdonald
Macdonald Group of Compass

A lot of the Pierce County estate calls I get don't come from Pierce County. They come from a son in Redmond, a daughter in Denver, a brother who hasn't been back to Tacoma since high school. The house is an hour of traffic away, or a flight, and somebody has to be the eyes on it.

That distance shapes everything about the sale, so that's where I'll start.

The distance problem nobody plans for

It's rarely the big decisions that wear a family out. It's the small ones that need a person standing at the house: letting in the septic company, meeting the clean out crew, checking the roof after a windstorm, making sure the lockbox works for a showing. From the Eastside, a weekday round trip to Tacoma or Puyallup can take most of an afternoon.

That's why I push for one local point person on a Pierce County house. Someone who can be at the property, take photos, and send the same update to every heir. Sometimes that's a relative who lives nearby. Often it's me, since I've sold homes in Tacoma and Puyallup and know the vendors down there. Either way, it beats five siblings each driving down when they can and coming back with five different stories.

Where probate happens

Pierce County probate cases are filed with the Superior Court Clerk in Tacoma, at the County City Building downtown. If your parent lived in Pierce County, that's the natural home for the case.

It isn't the only option, though. Washington law generally lets the petitioner choose the county, with some exceptions, so an Eastside family could open the estate in King County. Your attorney will make that call. Once a personal representative has nonintervention powers, they can usually sell the house without a separate court order under RCW 11.68.090, wherever the case was opened.

Septic in Pierce County: the Report of System Status

Many homes inside Tacoma are on city sewer. Out in unincorporated Pierce County and on the peninsulas, septic is far more common, so check before you assume.

If the house is on septic, the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department tells sellers to meet septic requirements before they sell. Here's the process their page describes:

• A septic service company inspects the system and pumps the tanks.
• You submit a Report of System Status application online, by mail or in person, with a fee.
• The Health Department reviews it and inspects the property. Major deficiencies have to be resolved.
• Once issued, the report is valid for one year.

Their goal is to review applications within 10 business days, and they say plainly that it can't be rushed or guaranteed. For an estate, that's the part to plan around. Don't wait for an offer to start, especially if family has to coordinate access from out of town.

The Health Department also describes a 90 day conditional report, where the buyer takes responsibility for unresolved deficiencies within 90 days of the sale. It can help when a repair can't be finished before closing. Expect a buyer taking that on to factor it into the price, and talk it over with your attorney first.

One more useful tool: the Health Department keeps record drawings of septic systems searchable online. Pull the drawing for your parent's house before anyone starts digging around the yard looking for the tank lid.

What kind of house is it?

Pierce County houses run the full range, and the plan should follow the house.

• Tacoma's older neighborhoods, like the North End and the Stadium District, have homes with real character and often older systems behind the walls. An inspection before listing tells you what a buyer's inspector will find.
• South Tacoma and the East Side have more ramblers and smaller homes, the kind that draw both first time buyers and investors.
• Puyallup mixes older homes in town with subdivisions up on South Hill, and some of those come with HOAs and their paperwork.
• Lakewood and University Place have established neighborhoods full of ramblers and split levels from the middle of the last century.
• Gig Harbor, across the Narrows, has larger lots and more homes on septic outside the city.

A nearby example: Federal Way

I don't have a Pierce County estate sale to point to yet. Federal Way is just over the line in south King County, though, and the houses and buyers overlap a lot with the Tacoma area.

That Federal Way estate home needed a lot of work. Before anyone spent a dollar, I gave the executor a frank look at renovation cost against resale value, and at what investors would realistically pay for it as it stood. We listed at $399,000, and it sold for $454,500.

The number wasn't the most useful part. The executor could explain the decision to the rest of the family with figures instead of hunches. That matters even more when the heirs are spread out and nobody has stood in the house for a while.

Running the sale from a distance

A few habits make a long distance sale feel close:

• One shared folder with the septic report, inspection, quotes and offers, so every heir reads the same paperwork.
• A short update with photos after anything happens at the house.
• Decisions made on a scheduled call, then confirmed in writing.

Distance doesn't make a Pierce County sale harder on its own. Decisions made on stale information do. Keep everyone looking at the same current facts, and a house an hour away sells about like one down the street.

Related guides

• Selling a House in Probate in Washington: How the Timeline Works
• Selling a Probate Home in King County: What Families Should Know
• Selling an Inherited Home in Snohomish County: Everett to Bothell

Sources: Pierce County Superior Court Clerk, Pierce County Clerk on probate, Tacoma Pierce County Health Department on selling with septic, Health Department septic systems, Washington law on where probate is filed, RCW 11.68.090. General information only, not legal or tax advice. For the full rundown, see how I help with inherited and estate homes.

Do we need a septic inspection to sell an inherited house in Pierce County?

If the house is on septic, the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department tells sellers to have the system pumped and inspected and to get a Report of System Status before selling. Their page lists a few exemptions, such as some recently installed systems.

How long does a Report of System Status take?

The Health Department's goal is to review applications within 10 business days, and it says the timing can't be rushed or guaranteed. Once issued, the report is valid for one year, so starting early is wise.

Where is probate filed for a Tacoma house?

Pierce County cases are filed with the Superior Court Clerk in Tacoma. Washington generally lets the petitioner choose the county, with some exceptions, so your estate attorney may open it elsewhere.

Can we handle a Pierce County house sale from out of state?

Yes. Most of it works well with one local point person at the house, shared documents and regular photo updates. Your title company can explain the signing options for heirs who live far away.

Selling or inheriting a home is also a money decision. For retirement, tax and estate planning on the Eastside, I recommend Gevers Wealth Management in Issaquah.