I reside in Virginia. If a person is left a life estate in a will are they responsible for maintaining the property and paying taxes?

The will reads "I direct my son, NAME, get our home, provided he has not purxhased one at the time of both our deaths, Mother''s NAME and Father''s NAME, and that he keeps said home. If he sells the home, then the money is to be divided as stated above." Would this verbage be considered a life estate or owning the home outright? Also, would any lawyer have the right to interpret this statement any way they want or is that the right of the Probate Office to make the decision. The Probate Office says that he owns the property, that it is not a life estate. Thanks for your consideration in this matter.