Sell Heirs' Property When Owners Cannot Agree in Maryville, TN
Blount County has a great deal of true heirs' property -- old family farms where nobody probated an estate for fifty years and the interests now sit with cousins across the country. Tennessee's heirs-property protections change the sequence if anyone files a partition suit, which is exactly why a negotiated sale usually nets the family more.
What you are dealing with
Sound familiar?
- Fractional interests spread across cousins in several states
- One relative living on the land and paying nothing
- Nobody able to sell, borrow, or even get insurance
- Taxes paid by whichever heir feels guiltiest
Where we see this around Maryville
We buy land across Blount County, around Downtown Maryville, Greenback Road, Montvale, Eagleton Village, Old Glory Road, and near Maryville College.
- Downtown Maryville
- Greenback Road
- Montvale
- Eagleton Village
- Old Glory Road
Zip codes: 37801, 37803, 37804
How it works in Blount County
The local process, step by step
- Step 1
Undivided interests
Each heir owns a percentage of the whole parcel, not a specific corner of it. Any co-tenant may use the land, and none may exclude the others.
- Step 2
Partition
Any co-tenant can file a partition suit in Chancery Court. The court may divide the land in kind or order it sold and the proceeds split.
- Step 3
Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act
Tennessee has adopted heirs-property protections that give co-tenants a right to buy out the filing party at an appraised value before any sale is ordered.
Blount County offices involved
- Deeds and plats
- Blount County deeds, plats, and old family land divisions are recorded with the Blount County Register of Deeds in Maryville, where many chains still trace back to farm splits done without surveys.
- Planning and zoning
- Blount County Planning handles zoning and subdivision outside the cities; Maryville and Alcoa administer their own ordinances inside their limits.
- Septic and soils
- Septic permitting and soil evaluations for Blount County parcels run through the county environmental health office under state rules, and rock close to the surface is a recurring issue toward the foothills.
- Delinquent taxes
- Delinquent taxes are handled by the Blount County Trustee and then the Clerk & Master, who conducts the tax sale under Chancery Court. Redemption runs one year from the sale.
- Probate
- Probate runs through the Blount County Chancery Court at the courthouse in Maryville. Family land that has passed informally for two or three generations usually needs an estate opened before a clean deed can be signed. Tennessee has no statutory right of redemption after a foreclosure sale in most deeds, but tax-sale purchases carry a one-year redemption period. Probate in Tennessee typically runs 6-12 months; a house can be sold during probate with court approval or by the executor once appointed.
Legal notes
- • A co-tenant who pays taxes or makes improvements may have a claim for contribution against the others.
- • Partition sales usually bring less than a negotiated sale and cost the family attorney fees on top.
- • Heirs-property protections change the sequence significantly -- ask an attorney before anyone files.
- • This is general information, not legal advice.
Your options
- • Buy out the other heirs yourself
- • Sell your undivided interest
- • File a partition action
- • Assemble the family and sell the whole parcel in one closing
How we handle it
Selling this parcel to us in Maryville
We buy fractional interests and we buy whole parcels once the family assembles. When the family is close to agreement, we make one written offer and let the closing attorney distribute by percentage so no cousin has to trust another with the money. When it is not close, we can buy individual interests and work the rest patiently.
Maryville is about twenty-five minutes south of Knoxville, so we can usually look at a Blount County house within a day or two.
Our process
Three steps, no surprises
- 1
Tell us about the house
Call or send the address. We ask about condition, timing, and what is going on -- not for photographs or a clean house.
- 2
We walk the property
We look at it ourselves as a licensed contractor and price the repairs from real numbers instead of a padded guess.
- 3
Written offer, your date
You get a written, no-obligation offer, usually within 24 hours. You pick the closing date; we can close in as little as seven days.
FAQ
Heirs' Property in Maryville: common questions
- Which court handles probate for land in Blount County?
- Probate runs through the Blount County Chancery Court at the courthouse in Maryville. Family land that has passed informally for two or three generations usually needs an estate opened before a clean deed can be signed. Tennessee has no statutory right of redemption after a foreclosure sale in most deeds, but tax-sale purchases carry a one-year redemption period. Probate in Tennessee typically runs 6-12 months; a house can be sold during probate with court approval or by the executor once appointed.
- Where does the deed get recorded?
- Blount County deeds, plats, and old family land divisions are recorded with the Blount County Register of Deeds in Maryville, where many chains still trace back to farm splits done without surveys.
- Are utilities available on Maryville area land?
- Water availability improves closer to Maryville and Alcoa; acreage toward the Smokies frequently depends on wells and engineered septic.
- How many heirs is too many?
- We have closed files with more than a dozen. It takes organization, not magic -- one point of contact and a closing attorney who knows the chain.
- Will you buy my share alone?
- In many cases, yes, at a price that reflects a fractional interest rather than the whole.
- Can you find the missing heirs?
- Our closing attorney orders the search. We pay for it as part of the deal.
No obligation
Get your Maryville land offer
No survey, no soil test, no cleanup, no commission. Send the parcel number and we will come back with a written number.
Heirs' Property in Maryville
No obligation, no fees, no repairs. Tell us about the property and you get a written cash offer within 24 hours of the walkthrough.
Related
Other land situations we buy in around Maryville
Nearby
Same situation in nearby cities
Have the parcel number? Call (865) 277-6808 and we will look it up.
Call (865) 277-6808