Answers by Chris Troxell

That’s actually a great situation to be in—you’ve got a motivated seller and a motivated buyer who already like the location. The key is to treat it like a real transaction, even though it feels informal, so everyone is protected and it stays fair. The best way to approach it is to start with an honest conversation. Let your neighbor know your daughter is interested and that you’d love to explore buying it directly, while also making it clear you want him to get a fair market price. That transparency goes a long way in building trust right from the start. From there, you’ll want to establish value objectively. The cleanest way to do that is by having a local real estate agent run a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), or even getting an appraisal. That way, neither side is guessing or feeling taken advantage of—the price is based on what similar homes are actually selling for, not opinions. Even if you don’t list the home on the open market, I strongly recommend involving professionals on both sides. At minimum, you should each have a real estate attorney (depending on your state) and ideally an agent to guide pricing, contracts, inspections, and timelines. This helps avoid common pitfalls and keeps emotions from complicating things. You can structure it as a private sale, which saves the seller from showings and potentially saves on some commission, but everything else should still happen as usual: written agreement, inspections, contingencies, and proper financing. Your daughter should still get a home inspection, and your neighbor should still provide disclosures—this protects both parties long-term. One more thing: be careful not to skip steps just because you know each other. The fastest way for a “friendly deal” to go sideways is when something unexpected comes up (inspection issues, financing hiccups, etc.) and there wasn’t a clear process in place. Handled the right way, this can be a win-win: your neighbor gets a smooth, low-stress sale, and your daughter gets a home she already feels good about—without competing buyers.

A home listed as “subject to probate court approval” means the sale must be approved by a judge before it becomes final, since it’s being sold as part of an estate. This doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be waiting six months, but it will likely take longer than a typical transaction—usually an extra few weeks to a couple of months depending on the court’s schedule and how smoothly everything goes. There is also a possibility, though not always, that your accepted offer could be exposed to other buyers during the approval process, meaning someone could potentially outbid you. However, in many cases (especially in PA and NJ), the court is simply reviewing and approving the agreement rather than opening it up to a full auction. Overall, it can still be a great opportunity, but you’ll want to be prepared for a slower timeline and a bit more uncertainty than a standard sale.

You’re smart to ask—neighbors can be one of the most honest sources if you approach it the right way. Keep it casual and friendly so you come across like a potential future neighbor, not someone digging for dirt. A simple opener like, “Hey, I’m thinking about putting an offer in—how do you like living on this street?” works really well because it’s open-ended and lets them naturally bring up things like noise, traffic, or parking without feeling put on the spot. If they don’t mention noise, you can ease into it with something like, “I noticed a little traffic earlier—does it stay busy at night or does it quiet down?” which invites honesty without sounding negative. It also helps to talk to more than one neighbor since perspectives vary, and to pay attention to tone or hesitation, which can be just as telling as what they say. On top of that, don’t rely solely on what you hear—try visiting the property at night, especially on a weekend, and sit outside for a bit to get a feel for the environment yourself. Done this way, you’ll get useful, honest insight without coming off as awkward or intrusive.