Probate gathers, values, and distributes property and also initiates the legal transfer of title to that property. If a deceased person owns real estate, a probate proceeding is required to transfer the property out of the decedent's name to the surviving owner (if owned as a "tenant in common") or to heirs.
Washington State law DOES NOT REQUIRE Probate. Probate is discretionary. Practically speaking only a small percent of deaths in Washington result in a Probate being filed.
Living Trusts
In Alabama, you can make a living trust to avoid probate for virtually any asset you own—real estate, bank accounts, vehicles, and so on. You need to create a trust document (it's similar to a will), naming someone to take over as trustee after your death (called a successor trustee).
Does a Will Have to Be Probated in Missouri? Yes, a will must be probated in Missouri. It is filed with the county court where the person lived at the time of their death. The court must determine that the will is valid.
Probate. If you are named in someone's will as an executor, you may have to apply for probate. This is a legal document which gives you the authority to share out the estate of the person who has died according to the instructions in the will. You do not always need probate to be able to deal with the estate.
Probate would need to be completed before you could remove the items. If you're the personal representative or executor of the estate, you would need to take inventory of the contents of the house as part of recording the estate's assets. The executor may need to sell off the house to pay any outstanding debts.
Whilst the Executors are able to collect or clear items from a property before Probate is granted, there are some potential issues which should be considered first. The Executors are personally responsible for ensuring the estate is dealt with properly and in accordance with the deceased's will.
If the executor fails to probate a will, all the decedent's assets remain in their name indefinitely. That means the deceased individual's assets, such as their house, car or personal property, cannot transfer over to the appropriate parties without court approval.
If the will is not offered for probate within the provided time then it's as if the decedent did not leave a will, and his estate is administered as an “intestate estate.” This, of course, could result in a completely different distribution of property from what the testator intended.
Most states have a “small estates” rule that allows you to avoid probate entirely, as long as the estate value doesn't pass a certain threshold. In Alabama, if an estate doesn't have any real property and the value doesn't exceed $25,000, after waiting 30 days, you can use what's known as a summary probate procedure.
Generally, Wills must be filed for probate in the county where the deceased lived. WHEN MUST A WILL BE FILED FOR PROBATE? To be effective, a Will must be filed for probate within five years of the date of the testator's death.
Reasons for Probate
If the decedent died in with any of the following you may need to file a probate proceeding: Any real property titled in his or her own name, or. Personal property (usually a cash or securities account) titled in his or her own name only whose value exceeds $100,000.
Probate assets can include vehicles, real estate, bank and brokerage accounts, and personal belongings (for example, jewelry, home furnishings, artwork, and collections). Life insurance proceeds that are payable to the estate (not a named beneficiary) are also probate assets.
You won't be able to sell the home until probate has been granted. Although you may put the property on the market, contracts can't be exchanged – so your buyer will need to be prepared to wait. It usually takes six to eight weeks for probate to come through, although it can take longer in more complex cases.
It is vital on someone's death that the executors obtain Probate as you have no legal authorisation to sell a property before Probate is granted, unless your name is already on the title deeds.
Although you will need probate to exchange and complete, nothing is stopping you from listing your house on the market and accepting any offers, if you get them, before being given the Grant of Probate.
How long does the grant of probate process take? Every case is different, and the exact amount of time will depend on the size and complexity of the estate. In general, the whole probate process can take anywhere between six to twelve months.
That answer is simple: no. The executor will have to wait until the probate process is over before disposing of assets.
Executor. This is the person who is named in a Will to deal with the estate. In effect they are working on behalf of the beneficiaries as the manager of the estate, to complete the legal and administrative work in line with the deceased's wishes (as set out in the Will).
More typically, however, it will take a year or more. In Ireland, there is also a concept known as the Executor's Year. This gives the executor 12 months to distribute the estate, starting from the date of the testator's death.
The fact that you had power of attorney during someone's lifetime doesn't have any bearing on whether or not probate is needed after they die. Whether probate is needed will depend on what the person owned when they died owned.
If the Will is not filed with the Probate Court within the required one year period, the Will becomes invalid – it is no longer any good. The Will essentially “expires”.