Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Virginia

My mother and I lived together for the last 7 1/2 years until her recent death. She paid cash for the house and my name is on the deed, along with hers. It was my parents wish that I get the house after their deaths and my 4 siblings would inherit from their investments. My sister, the executor, went to a lawyer yesterday and he told her that while the house may be mine, the contents do not belong to me and should be sold and the proceeds split between the 4 of them. I can't believe this. Some furniture belongs to me and and I got rid of duplicate furniture, like my dining room set, before we moved in. Is what this lawyer says true?


Asked on 7/18/14, 5:54 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Paul B. Ward Law Offices of Paul B. Ward

Basically, the lawyer is correct, if that's what the will says. However, you have the right to prove that some of the household goods are yours. It's a good idea to get together with the other siblings and discuss whether it's worth it to go through all that; used furniture is sometimes hard to sell, unless you're dealing with real antiques. Another possibility is to have an appraiser come to the house and determine the value of the furniture that is in the estate, then see what each person may want.

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Answered on 7/18/14, 9:28 am


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