Where is the house located? NC? Where did your parents live at the time of their death? Which parent died first? Died second? When exactly? What happened after that? Was an estate ever probated? Did either of your parents owe any debts or claims to anyone? Assuming that your parents lived in NC and the house is in NC and that your parents owned the house as a tenancy by the entirety, then the house automatically passed to the surviving parent when the first spouse died in December of 2012. The home would not need probated in that case. When the second parent died in May of 2013, what was done? It would make sense for the child who lives in NC closest to the parents (other than the mentally disabled child) to apply for probate and become the personal representative of the estate. Title to the land passed to ALL of the surviving children but the parent may have had other assets that will require probate. Assuming no debts, things should be wrapped up fairly quickly. The big challenge will be that the children all have to decide what is to be done with the property. If one or more want to keep it and one or more want to sell it, the smart thing to do will be for the heirs who want the property to buy out the shares of those who don't. If some heirs can't afford to buy out the shares, (although if the property is paid for, it might be possible to get a mortgage or equity loan in an amount needed to buy out the other heirs) then can the land be subdivided? If it can, give the other heirs their share and let them do what they want with it. The land cannot be sold for 2 years from the date of death by the heirs unless an estate is probated and someone is made personal representative of the estate. I suggest that the children all have a family meeting and decide who would best be suited to be the personal representative. The person should live in NC, preferably close to where the property is located. The person selected should be reasonably competent to handle money. That person then needs to see a probate lawyer who practices in the county where the estate will be probated. If nothing else, just pay for a consult with a probate attorney to find out what will be expected. While hiring an attorney to administer the estate makes things easier, it is not necessary. Then the personal representative may need to talk with the probate court clerk - they have the needed forms to begin the probate process if one is needed. Technically, an estate should be probated for both parents but it will depend on the debts and assets of each parent to know if that is required or not.
Answered on Jun 27th, 2013 at 7:51 PM