Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Pennsylvania

I'm an only child. My father passed 9 yrs ago and now my mother passed away. No will. No insurance. Owns a few properties and 2 houses. Also a car. All paid in full. What do I do?


Asked on 9/01/14, 6:38 am

2 Answers from Attorneys

Domenic Bellisario Law Office of Domenic A. Bellisario

You should contact an attorney to discuss probate of your mom's estate in order to have the property transferred to you as the sole heir. Feel free to contact me for a no cost, no obligation consultation. (412) 471-6463.

Read more
Answered on 9/01/14, 7:04 am

I agree with Attorney Bellisario. You need to go sit down with a probate attorney who practices in the county/state where your mother resided at the time of her death. Since she owns properties, you are going to have to probate an estate for her unless she owned the properties jointly with you and provided for a right of survivorship on the deed. My guess is she did not.

You do not discuss what else she may have owned (bank accounts? jewelry? furniture) or what debts she had. Debts have to be paid including inheritance taxes. Since there is no will, I would make a list of everything of value your mother owned, including bank accounts, as well as a list of her known debts, if any, and sit down with the probate attorney to determine if an estate needs probated (it probably does) and what it will cost for you to hire an attorney for probate versus doing it yourself.

The job of the personal representative, in a nutshell, would be to figure out what your mother owned and owed, give notice of her death to creditors (both personal and by way of publication), get valuable items appraised (like jewelry, real estate or cars), pay any just debts, get tax approval from the tax authorities (assuming this will be a PA estate) and then provide for a final accounting and transfer of the assets from the estate to you, the sole beneficiary.

Read more
Answered on 9/01/14, 8:45 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Probate, Trusts, Wills & Estates questions and answers in Pennsylvania