The short answer
Probably not this year. A few situations do set a clock. They are money that will not stretch, a reverse mortgage, a rented home, a house you cannot safely manage, or other people with a share in it.
The first job is to find out whether you are in one of them. One tax rule also has a date in it, and it matters only if you sell. It is a reason to ask a tax preparer some questions before you list the house, whenever that is.
This chapter explains how things usually work in the United States. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and the rules where you live may differ. Before you act on anything here, check it with one of the people named at the end of the chapter.
What to do
- Check each real clock in this chapter against your situation.
- Call the person named for any clock that fits you, this week.
- Write down a date to think about the house again, if none fits.
- Tell your family, or whoever keeps asking, that date.
- Put the agents' cards and letters in a drawer.
- Ask a tax preparer about timing before you ever list the house.
What can wait
- The decision itself, if no clock applies.
- Answering agents, cash offers and letters about the house.
- Clearing or repairing the house to get it ready for a sale.
Who can help
A fee-only financial planner, paid by you, can look at the numbers with you. The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors has a search at napfa.org.
For a reverse mortgage, call 1-800-569-4287 to find a HUD-approved housing counselor, and ask about any fee first. Help to avoid losing your home is free. For other mortgage questions, you can ask whether a counselor can help.
A tax preparer can answer the questions about the two-year rule. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide gives free tax help and needs no AARP membership, at 1-888-227-7669.
If anyone else may have a share in the house, a probate or estate lawyer can tell you where you stand. Your state or local bar association can refer you, through americanbar.org/directories/lawyer-referral-directory. A helper, or a librarian at your public library, can do these searches with you.
The rules, phone numbers and web addresses in this book were checked against the agencies’ own pages in October 2026. They change, so check anything you rely on with the office itself.
From Book 3: The House and the Things
This page has the short answer and the closing lists from chapter 1. The full chapter explains, in plain words, what exists, what to ask, and who can answer. The book covers months 3 to 12.
Hear when the next book is out
Five or six short emails a year at most, and a note when a new book is out. Each one is about something that tends to come up in the first two years. You can unsubscribe whenever you like.