About 40% of Heirs Say They Can’t Afford an Inherited Home

Kiplinger ^ | 10/10/2025 | Kate Schubel

[21twelve]

Sort of like on those game shows. I’d rather win $40,000 than win a $60,000 car (which I may not like) and then have to pay taxes and fees on it.

Although it’s better than flying home with the $1,000 consolation prize.

[100%FEDUP]

Wasn’t repealing the Capital Gains Tax in the Contract with America?

[sauropod]

.

[norcal joe]

I can’t argue with that. :)

[Ikeon]

Really? 40%? Who did they survey? Teens? 20 or 30 somethings?

Just wondering. B3cause a mature adult should be able to handle a parents inheritance, be it keep the house or sell it. Its really a very morbid and misleading question and the participants dont have a grasp on the total concept of inheritance and what's involved??

40% of the people surveyed are afraid of home ownership because they may have to grow up and pay bills? They cant figure out how to contact a realtor??

People really are that dumb.

[sauropod]

I’m a man of few words. :-)

[Raycpa]

We have 4 kids, hopefully they will be in their 60s when we pass. I assume they will have their own homes and be close to paying it off. Why would they keep our house?

[cpdiii]

My assets are considerable. Upon the death of the last surviving spouse all monetary assets will be divided between her children and my children. This is a second marriage for both. Property is to be sold unless one heir wants to buy out the other heirs. The sale of these properties is to be divided between all equally. My spouse and I have a few personal items some of value but others not much to be given to an individual heir. Each heir has a copy of the will so there will be no bickering about what each expected.

I have seen insane lawsuits of one family member against another in contested wills. It destroys the family and is just plain damn ugly and in most cases wrong.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Get insurance to pay the taxes which can be pricey depending on the state.

[T.B. Yoits]

Multiply this by entire sections of the world - the inheritors can't afford to keep paying for decayed cities that no longer serve the purpose they once did.

Assets quickly become liabilities.

[Political Junkie Too]

Who did they survey? Teens? 20 or 30 somethings?

Yeah... check this out.

Baby Boomers, the largest retirement generation to date, will finish shifting up to $105 trillion to heirs by 2048... So, while 62% of the older generation(aged 45 and above) surveyed by LegalZoom expect to leave behind real estate to their loved ones... According to a recent LendingTree study, Generation X may carry the highest median non-mortgage debt among other generations (including credit card debt, student loans, etc.).

Boomers are not 45 year olds. The youngest Boomers are around 65 years old right now. That fits the end date of 2048, when 65 year olds will be 88 by then.

How many Boomers have children under the age of 45? The children of Boomers are Generation X (b. 1965-1980). These children would have finished college by 2005. The student debt crisis didn't begin until Obama nationalized the student loan industry in 2010.

Somebody's math is off here.

-PJ

[mass55th]

Never inherited anything myself. I own nothing. Have no savings, no stocks, bonds, nothing. My two sons will get to split a $50,000 life insurance policy, and be happy with that.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Will they wipe your ass or hose you down?

[Repeal The 17th]

We are in the same boat.

[ansel12]

“””””The youngest Boomers are around 65 years old right now.”””””How many Boomers have children under the age of 45?””””

Sixty one, not 65, and a heck of a lot of boomers would have kids under age 45 even the very first boomer from 1946 may have still been having sex when he was 34, look at boomers like Trump and Obama, and others.

[sjmjax]

If I used the appropriate language to describe my feelings about residential property taxes, I’d get permanently banned from this site.

[Valpal1]

Not true. My spouse and are 64 and 62, the youngest of the boomers. I had my first child at 35. They are Zoomers.

But it is a very small cohort of Zoomers with Boomer parents.

[mass55th]

"We are in the same boat."

It's a boat I'm happy to be in. Hope you can say the same.

[TauntedTiger]

I would think the vast majority of people who are worried about not being able to afford property taxes and home maintenance costs of an inherited home aren’t going to be paying any inheritance taxes. Which I guess is neither here nor there, just saying they likely aren’t worried about inheritance taxes.