Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Arizona

Property left in will to relatives living abroad

Man living in AZ left property and belongings to relatives living in Bulgaria during the 1960's during communist governance. Relatives unable to execute will or obtain property during this time period. They are now looking to find what the proper steps to take to begin execution of will and obtain what was left to them.

What type of lawyer should they contact, or what type of research needs to be done first? What is the likelihood of their being able to pursue this claim?


Asked on 11/27/04, 5:00 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Tonia Troutwine, Esquire - Troutwine Law Group. LLC

Re: Property left in will to relatives living abroad

It is possible depending on the circumstances an estate will need to be opened with the courts to start administration of the estate. However, whether the estate will be able to properly administrated, will depend on what has happened to the property during this 40+ year time period. Research should be done to determine if the property is still available for administration. For example, whether the property has been escheated to the state, whether another relative was able to inherit by intestacy since the will failed at the time and/or whether someone has acquired the property by adverse possession. If for some reason the property is unavailable, then further research will need to be done to determine if the transfer of the property was valid since there was a will. Best Regards, Tonia Troutwine, Esquire - 305-984-5748

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Answered on 11/28/04, 8:50 am


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