Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California
how do i find out how much taxes are owed on a house that belonged to my husbands great grandma that passed away in 2007? and how do we try to get the title or deed in our name?
2 Answers from Attorneys
The county assesssor's office can tell you what the taxes are. To get title you first need to determine if there was a will, and if not, you have to open an intestate probate case. If there is a will, you have to probate the will. If there is no will you will also have to search for all heirs. If the property belonged to his great grandmother, and there is no will, chances are there are a large number of people who have or could claim some interest in that house. The only way your husband is the sole heir without a will is if the great grandmother only had one child (your husband's grandparent) and the grandparent only had one child (your husband's parent), and your husband is an only child, AND your husbands parents and grandparents are dead.
If you have a valid claim on the property, you'll have to file a legal action in the probate court of the county where the property is, and prove your claim, in order to get a court order for the title to be transferred to you. If you are serious about doing so, and if the property is in SoCal, feel free to contact me.