Red Lights and Estate Sales
I’ve just returned from a year-end family trip to Hanoi and Sapa. On the flight back to Singapore, I started mentally reviewing the cases I’ve handled this year. What stood out wasn’t the properties themselves, but the human patterns that kept repeating.
I’ve done estate sales in previous years, but this year (2025) was different because I handled three. A fourth is on the way.
All three involved first-time clients: administrators and will executors who approached me directly to market properties left behind by the deceased.
Each case had a common thread. Not the grief. But the complications that arose after death, when families had to navigate decisions together under pressure & differing voices.
If you’re likely to serve as an administrator or executor someday, these situations might help you anticipate what can go wrong.
CASE 1: WHEN ACCESS BECOMES A WEAPON
The will executor was based overseas. The siblings were in Singapore, unhappy with how their parents had distributed the estate.
The will executor engaged me to market the property. However, I couldn’t get access to it. The siblings, who had keys, weren’t cooperating.
After weeks of delay, I finally got in.
The unit had been left in deliberate disrepair. Damage that could have been avoided. Small acts of protest that cost everyone money and time.
The executor, being overseas, had no idea how bad it was. However, I’d planned for the worst-case scenario. When people withhold basic cooperation, they usually withhold more than keys.
I’d already arranged help on standby. We turned the unit around in one day. Cleaned, repaired & made presentable. It sold shortly after.
Emotional disputes don’t end at the funeral. When beneficiaries feel slighted, they sometimes express it through the only leverage they have: the property itself.
If you’re an executor (more so when you are based overseas), understand that access to the property isn’t always straightforward, even when the law is on your side.
Anticipate resistance. Have contingency plans.
CASE 2: WHEN SILENCE BACKFIRES
The deceased was a foreign owner. The property, a holiday home in Singapore, was left to his children, with two appointed as executors.
The executors wanted to sell. But the other siblings wanted to keep it.
The executors had full legal authority to proceed. So they did. Quietly. They engaged me, we marketed it, and a buyer exercised the Option to Purchase.
That’s when the other siblings found out.
Shocked and feeling betrayed, one of them lodged a caveat on the property in a desperate attempt to block and disrupt the sale.
It nearly worked. Emergency family meeting. Frantic calls to lawyers. At the last minute, the caveat was removed and the deal completed.
Legal authority doesn’t eliminate the need for communication.
Yes, executors have the power to act. But exercising that power in silence, even when legally entitled, can create chaos that threatens the very outcome you’re trying to achieve.
A caveat lodged out of emotion can derail a legitimate transaction. A conversation beforehand, however difficult, might have prevented it.
If you’re an executor, you have the right to decide. But involving beneficiaries in the process, even when you don’t legally need to, can save you from last-minute crises.
CASE 3: ONE DISSENTING VOICE
The administrators were part of a big group of beneficiaries. The sale was challenging.
After months of marketing, a solid offer finally came in. Fair price, good buyer, within the area’s transacted range.
One single beneficiary refused to accept it. Wanted more. Held out.
The administrators were unsure if they could proceed without unanimous consent.
Their estate lawyer clarified (in general terms, which I’m sharing purely as reference):
- The court empowers administrators to make selling decisions.
- Administrators are expected to act in good faith and in the interest of beneficiaries.
- If the offer is within market range, the property isn’t being sold to a connected party, there’s no evidence of rejecting higher offers, and the process is properly documented, administrators can proceed.
The sale eventually went through.
Consensus is ideal. But requiring 100% agreement from all beneficiaries can sometimes paralyse an estate, especially when one person’s expectations are unrealistic.
Administrators have a duty to act reasonably, not to satisfy every individual demand.
If you’re appointing administrators, choose people who can make difficult decisions under pressure. If you’re an administrator, document everything.
Good faith and proper process protect you when opinions differ.
THREE PATTERNS I NOTICED
One: Estate sales often don’t fail because of the market. They stall because of family dynamics that no one anticipated.
Two: Legal authority is necessary but not always sufficient. Executors and administrators need judgment. They need to know when to assert power and when to involve others, even when they don’t have to.
Three: Silence and surprise rarely help. The cases that moved smoothly were those in which communication happened early, even when it was uncomfortable.
A NOTE FOR BUYERS & SELLERS
Some buyers hesitate when they know it’s an estate sale—the associations with death, superstition, or assumptions about urgency. But plenty don’t mind. And here’s the reality: if the owner hadn’t passed on, you wouldn’t even have the opportunity to view or buy the property.
To buyers: Don’t use “estate sale” as leverage to press down the price. If you like the property, approach with sincerity. Depending on the situation, it doesn’t always go to the highest bidder.
To sellers (or their representatives): The buyer’s hesitation affects demand. Your unit might attract fewer viewings or lower offers than an identical one that isn’t an estate sale. Study the competition, price accordingly.
WHY I TAKE THESE CASES SERIOUSLY
I don’t take the trust from my clients lightly. Even more so from executors and administrators, because they have so much on their plates. Legal obligations, family tensions, time pressure, and emotional weight.
Estate work may seem less glamorous due to its subject matter. But it’s important work.
These families are navigating one of the most challenging transitions they’ll ever face.
Getting the property sale right matters. Efficiently, fairly, and with minimal additional stress.
RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT
In Hanoi, I watched motorbikes navigate intersections where red lights were treated as suggestions. It looked like chaos. But there was a rhythm to it.
People reading each other, adapting in real time, trusting judgment over rigid rules.
Estate sales feel similar. There are laws and procedures, formal structures that should make everything clear. But families don’t move in neat legal lines. Emotions complicate things. People act in ways the will never anticipated.
I didn’t expect to handle multiple cases like this in 2025. But they’ve made me better at recognising when to follow the process and when to trust judgment instead.
A fourth estate case will be underway soon. This one involves an owner I’ve known for years, which adds a different weight to it. Every case is different, but the fundamentals remain the same: anticipate complications, communicate early, and act with both authority and care.
If you’re facing an estate sale in 2026, I hope these lessons save you some friction.
P.S. The cover pic was taken at Rong May Glass Bridge in Sapa. Beautiful place.
WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE TODAY?
Are you wondering what to do in today’s market?
Perhaps you already have a clear mind of what you want to do?
In my blog, I often share stories of the challenges, triumphs, and lessons learned in my work as a real estate agent in Singapore.
Regardless of your situation, you can use me as a sounding board. I’ll provide perspective and clarity from my experience to help you make the most appropriate real estate decision in 2026.
