if a person is the executor of a property,do they still have to get permission to sell from distant family?

It is the choice of the executor to determine whose permission is needed and whose is not. There's no rat here. If you want the house, be patient and wait for such permission to be granted.

The executor must have permission of the family to sell the home. There's probably more to it than you know. They may have to sell the home to settle debts of the deceased, so the lawyer must get a fair price for it - can't give it away. The family has first right of refusal on the purchase of the property. I don't smell a rat here.

You have no way of knowing what is in the will. If the attorney needs to get approval to sell you need to sit tight. The last thing you want is a lawsuit over fraudulent conveyance from a relative after the deal closes.

Depends. If the other family member is in the will, then they have a case I suppose.