Selling an inherited house in Oldsmar

Pinellas or Hillsborough?

Oldsmar was founded by Ransom E. Olds, the automaker behind Oldsmobile, and it has been part of Pinellas County ever since. But the county line runs right along its eastern edge, and Hillsborough neighborhoods like Westchase and Town 'n' Country are only minutes away. Heirs from out of town sometimes mix them up.

Two questions matter. First, where did the person live when they died? That generally determines the county where probate is opened. Second, where is the house? If someone lived in Pinellas but owned a house in Hillsborough, or the other way around, one Florida probate still covers both, but a certified copy of the court's order usually has to be recorded in the second county too. The probate attorney sorts this out. We buy property in Pinellas County, so if the Oldsmar house is in Pinellas, we can help. We are not attorneys, and this is general information.

Oldsmar's housing

Oldsmar has a small older core, but much of the city was built out from the 1980s onward in planned subdivisions off Tampa Road, Forest Lakes Boulevard, and near the bay. Many have homeowners associations, community pools, and deed restrictions. Compared with older parts of the county, inherited homes here are often newer, but a house built in the late 1980s or 1990s can still need a roof, an air conditioner, or a water heater, and the original kitchen may never have been touched.

Homes along the bay and near creeks can sit in flood zones, so check the flood zone before making repair plans.

HOA details that come up at closing

When a house in an HOA community is sold, the title company requests an estoppel letter showing what is owed. A few things families should expect:

• Unpaid dues and late fees, which are paid from the sale at closing.
• Open violation notices, such as for lawn care or exterior paint, which we take on as the buyer.
• Approval or notice requirements in some communities, which the title company handles.

None of this has to be resolved by the family before signing a contract with us.

If you found the original will

Families often find the will in a desk drawer or a safe deposit box. Florida law requires whoever has the original will to deposit it with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the person lived, within 10 days of learning of the death (Fla. Stat. 732.901). For an Oldsmar resident, that is the Pinellas County Clerk. Depositing the will does not open probate. It just places the will on file so it is available when the probate attorney needs it.

If no will turns up, Florida's intestacy laws decide who inherits. Either way, the probate attorney we pay for will handle it. We are not attorneys.

From first call to closing

Call or text Alex at (727) 353-6206. We schedule one walkthrough, then give a written cash offer. If you accept, we pay an independent licensed Florida probate attorney to represent the estate, typically about $3,000 between attorney fees and court costs. When the estate is eligible for summary administration, the probate is often complete a day or two after the heirs sign. Closing usually follows about a week later at a licensed Florida title company. If the estate requires formal administration, the creditor period alone is about three months, so plan on longer. Read summary vs. formal administration for the difference.

Pinellas Probate Home Buyers is the probate division of 131 Cash Home Buyers.

We’re a home-buying company, not attorneys. This page is general information about Florida probate, not legal advice; an independent licensed Florida probate attorney represents the estate in every probate we pay for. Last updated November 2026.