Short answer: Estate sale and estate cleanout companies can reach families who just inherited a home by mailing them directly instead of waiting for a referral. USLeadList sells monthly county files of homes whose owner has died, typically delivered about five weeks after the death, at $1.30 to $1.80 per lead, and each lead goes to no more than three subscribers. Probate lists leave out trust-held homes. Ours include them.
Why inherited homes are estate sale work
Most estate sales start with a death. In EstateSales.NET's 2023 Estate Sale Industry Survey of 756 businesses in 38 states, 57.48% of respondents named the death of a loved one as the reason for the sale, up from 49% in 2021.
When a parent dies, the family inherits a house full of belongings along with the house itself. Before the home can be listed or sold, someone has to sort, price and sell the contents, then clear what is left. That is the work you do, and the family often does not know who to call.
Where estate sale clients come from today
The same survey asked where leads came from. Word of mouth led at 31.37%, then personal networks at 25.62% and professional networks at 23.71%. Company websites and EstateSales.NET brought about 22% each, Google and Facebook ads about 10% each, and traditional advertising about 6%.
Most estate sale companies wait to be recommended by a past client, a real estate agent or a lawyer. A family that inherits a home this month may never hear your name in time. A monthly list of inherited homes lets you reach the family yourself. Check your county's monthly count and price before you plan a mailing.
What a county file gives you
Each record in a USLeadList county file includes:
- the property address;
- a mailing name and mailing address, which can differ from the property address;
- a parcel number;
- property details such as bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage and year built.
Records are built from death and property records and typically arrive about five weeks after the death. The files include homes held in living trusts, which never reach a court probate list. They are not a court probate list, so they carry no executors, case numbers or court documents. A free sample of up to five rows from older records shows the layout.
The math for one county
Here is an example, not a forecast. Say your county averages 150 records a month. At the 3-month subscription rate of $1.50 per lead, the data costs $225 a month. One estate sale that grosses $10,000 at a 35% commission earns $3,500. Mail costs come on top, and results vary by market, letter and follow-up. Every county page shows that county's 12-month average, so you can run the numbers for your own market. Find your county in the state directory on our probate leads page.
How to reach families with respect
These families are grieving, so the letter matters more than the list. Keep it short and plain, and include:
- who you are, and that you help families sort, price and sell what is in the house;
- that you can clear the house before it is listed or sold;
- that there is no rush, and how to reach you when they are ready;
- an easy way to ask you to stop writing.
Mail once a month and stop the moment someone asks. If you add phone numbers through skip tracing, check every number against the National Do Not Call Registry before you call. If you would rather not run the mail yourself, Yellow Letter, our sister mail house, can mail your letters each month.
For estate cleanout and junk removal companies
The same county file works for cleanout crews. Before an inherited house is listed or sold, it usually has to be emptied, and that is a sizable job: College Hunks Hauling Junk's July 2026 cost guide prices an estate cleanout of a three-bedroom house at $1,000 to $2,500, and a five-bedroom or larger estate at $2,500 to $6,000 or more.
Timing shapes the letter. 1-800-GOT-JUNK's probate cleanout guide tells families to wait for Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration before removing or selling property in probate. So offer a walkthrough and a quote for when the family is ready, not a pickup date. If your company also runs estate sales, or works with one, a single letter can offer both: sell what has value, then clear the rest.
Pricing
A one-time list costs $1.80 per lead. Subscriptions cost $1.50 per lead for 3 months, $1.40 for 6 months and $1.30 for 12 months, with a 3-month minimum. Larger counties cost a little less per lead because of a volume discount, and each county page shows the exact rate. Skip tracing adds phone and email for $0.15 per lead. The probate lead pricing guide compares these prices with other sources.
Questions estate sale companies ask
Who else gets the same records?
No more than three USLeadList subscribers get each lead. They can be real estate investors, agents or other service companies, so a family may hear from more than one business.
Do the files include the executor?
No. The files are not a court probate list, so they have no executors, case numbers or court documents. You write to the mailing name and address on the record.
Can I get phone numbers?
Yes. Skip tracing adds phone and email for $0.15 per lead. Check numbers against the National Do Not Call Registry before you call.
How many records will my county have?
Each county page shows a 12-month average, and the quote page shows the current monthly count and price for any county you pick.
Can I see a sample first?
Yes. The free sample shows up to five rows from older records, so you can see the layout before you buy.