Sometimes, life brings unexpected twists and turns, and death is one of the hardest of those unexpected events. If your loved one has recently died, leaving you with a house that is suddenly in probate, this article is for you. Here are the next few steps you need to take to care for the house while healing and mourning.
What is a Probate House?
A probate house is a house that hasn’t been legally passed on to a new owner or inheritor when the former owner unexpectedly passes away. This can be a surprising turn of events, especially if you thought that the house was taken care of. However, if you don’t have a living trust, joint ownership, a transfer-on-death deed, or community property law, the house hasn’t been legally passed on to you as the new owner. As frustrating as this might seem, there is hope that you can regain ownership of the house. You’ll just need to visit probate court to do so.
Legal Proceedings and Processes
If you want to keep the house and retain your rights as the new owner, you’ll need to go to the probate court, file a petition, and set a court date to take care of the legal processes and proceedings. The probate processes can be quite lengthy and complicated, depending on the home’s former owner’s state of affairs when they died. It might even take a few years for you to settle the probate court legal matters and regain your ownership of the house. However, if that is what you desire to do, the probate court will have a great team of lawyers prepared to help you.
Another Option: Selling for Cash
Let’s face it: paying for the probate court proceedings and maintaining a home by yourself can start to get costly. If you’re not financially prepared to keep up with mortgage and utility payments as well as other house expenses, you might want to look into selling your home. Since probate houses are tied up in a lot of legal matters, there aren’t many buyers that will purchase a probate house. Luckily, cash buyers will give you a great cash offer for your house. They’ll purchase your house as-is without requiring you to spend any money or time on listings, inspections, or repairs. This will help you to get back on your feet financially as you have a great cash payment to help you to find a new home.
So, if you ever end up in a situation where you have a probate home to take care of, remember this article. Keep in mind that you can maintain the house in the meantime while you go to probate court and try to settle legal matters. Or you can always sell your house to a cash buyer to easily be rid of the complicated process. The money from your cash home sale will bless your family with more stability.
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