Can you sell a house that is in a family trust?
Robert Miller
Updated on March 16, 2026
When selling a house in a trust, you have two options — you can either have the trustee perform the sale of the home, and the proceeds will become part of the trust, or the trustee can transfer the title of the property to your name, and you can sell the property as you would your own home.
Can a property in a trust be sold?
Selling Property in a Revocable Trust As the grantor, you can sell properties in a revocable trust the same way you would sell any other property titled in your own name. You can take the property out of the trust and retitle it in your name, but that isn’t necessary.
Can a trustee sell property in a trust?
When the trustee is also a trust beneficiary, that does not change the trustee’s obligations to the other beneficiaries. So the answer to our original question is an emphatic “NO.” A trustee cannot legally sell trust property to himself or herself unless the terms of the trust specifically allow it.
Can you sell a house that is in a trust?
A full title guarantee can be given if the seller has given the right to sell the property, and this is the typical way in which a property is sold. For the most part selling a home that is in a trust isn’t too dissimilar from selling a property normally, here is an idea of the steps:
When to sell assets in a family trust?
When acting as a trustee of a family trust, it is important to remember that each trustee is obliged to consider the best interests of the trust before signing an agreement to sell trust assets.
What happens to the property in a trust?
If you create such a trust, you still retain incidents of ownership over the property you fund it with. As trustee, you manage the trust and its assets yourself. You can buy or sell its property, or make any other changes you like.
What happens when a trustee is directed to sell a trust’s?
For starters, the trustee can’t make the decision alone. Normally, the beneficiary must direct the trustee to sell the underlying asset. Some states ensure trustees are compensated for their services. Typically, when a sale is executed, there are laws in place that state the trustee must be paid anything he or she is owed at that time.