Three specific reasons to sell, and a will-first hierarchy
What makes Iowa different: Iowa Code §633.386 lets the personal representative sell real property for three purposes: paying debts and charges, distributing the estate, or serving the estate's best interests. Authority to sell comes from the will first and from the district court second.
The homestead follows its own rule
Under §633.386(3), the homestead may be sold only under provisions the court directs, unless it has been set off to a surviving spouse who has not elected to occupy it — a distinct carve-out from the ordinary real estate sale rule.
A statutory fee, flat plus percentage
Iowa Code §633.197 sets the personal representative's fee at $220 for the first $5,000 of the estate's gross value, plus 2% of everything above that — one of relatively few states with a true statutory fee schedule rather than a "reasonable compensation" standard.
No state estate or inheritance tax
Iowa's inheritance tax was fully repealed for deaths on or after January 1, 2025. See Capital Gains Tax on the Sale for Iowa's flat-rate approach to the gain itself.