Crestview Probate and Estate Planning Law Blog
How selling a home can complicate estate administration
When you agree to serve as administrator or executor for someone's estate, that means taking on substantial responsibility. You will have to read and interpret the will and other estate documents, pay creditors, file taxes and distribute assets according to the wishes...
Dividing the personal items of the deceased when there’s no specific plan
Nothing stirs up old resentments and rivalries among relatives than a significant death in the family. Before some relatives have even had a chance to process the information that their loved one has died, others may use their spare key to let themselves into the...
Why do wills end up being contested?
For the most part, contested wills arise out of an heir’s (or potential heir’s) sense that a deep injustice has been done. Estate fights commonly break out between siblings who have a longstanding rivalry or stepparents and their deceased’s spouse’s children from a...
What can you do if your spouse wrote you out of their last will?
Not everyone who struggles in their relationship with their spouse will wind up getting a divorce because of those issues. Some people, either due to a personal sense of ethics or a religious rule because their faith is important to them, will decide that divorce is...
What should heirs do with a vacation cottage?
Ever since you were a kid, you can remember spending the summers at the family’s vacation cottage. It is just an hour or so from your main home in the city, but it has a secluded atmosphere and direct water access. It’s a relaxing place to go to. You and your brothers...
What to do with a jointly inherited house
You and your sibling inherited the family home together -- but you’re not sure exactly what you should (or can) do with it now. You aren’t even sure if you and your sibling can agree on what to do with the home since you tend to have very different goals for the...
Protect yourself from quitclaim deed fraud when buying a house
There are several different kinds of deeds that people can use to transfer the ownership of real property from one party to another. The quitclaim deed is arguably the most ubiquitous and well-known of all deeds, but it is also the form of deed that could most easily...
Choose your power of attorney (or attorneys) in your estate plan
When you are working on your estate plan, one thing you will need to decide on is who to have as your durable power of attorney agent. Your agent under this document will represent you in whatever capacity you agree to. For example, they may be the person to make...
Will the title on a house affect estate administration?
Going through probate court in Florida can be a complicated and protracted process. The more valuable certain assets are and the more disagreement there is among beneficiaries, heirs and family members regarding the ownership, possession or access to certain assets,...
When should I update my estate plan?
After creating an estate plan, it’s natural to feel better about your current circumstances and what would happen in the event of your incapacitation or death. Even with a comprehensive estate plan that touches on all key details, it’s critical that you review it...
