What the builder assumes
The court
Queens County Surrogate's Court sets its own pace and no public figure measures it, so the builder never guesses a date for letters. Until they issue, the listing, the contract and the board package wait. Everything else proceeds.
The estate tax lien release
Three to four weeks of processing for a complete application plus seven to ten business days of mailing, per the Tax Department. The builder uses four weeks plus ten business days and starts the clock the day you say it was filed.
The co-op board
For applications on or after July 28, 2026: 15 days to say whether the package is complete, then 45 days to decide, with one 14-day extension. The builder shows the 45-day date and the extension date, and notes the July and August pause when it applies.
Offer to contract to closing
Two weeks from accepted offer to signed contract, two more for a co-op buyer to assemble the board package, and for a house, closing 30 days after contract or at the lien release, whichever is later. These are working estimates so the sequence has dates on it; the attorneys set the real ones.
Start here
Bayside only: 11360, 11361 and 11364. Text, call or email. The first conversation and the value letter cost nothing.
Helpful to have ready
- The property address, and the building and apartment for a co-op
- The date of death
- Whether the court has issued letters yet
- Your role: executor, administrator, heir, CPA or attorney
At the first real conversation you receive New York's required agency disclosure and housing discrimination disclosure forms.
Sources
- Estate tax lien release: NYS Department of Taxation and Finance, Release of estate tax lien.
- Co-op board deadlines: NYC Local Law 58 of 2026 (Int. 1120-B), as summarized by Pryor Cashman and Armstrong Lefkowitz Sklaw.