Why Does Estate Administration Take So Long? Part 5
In this last post of 5 I explain the reasons why the estate administration process takes as long as it does - why it isn’t as simple as getting appointed administrator and closing out all the decedent’s accounts and distributing them in a matter of days or weeks. This week we
When Does Estate Administration Take So Long? Part 4
In my post last week, I covered the complications that can arise if there is no personal representative named - either because there is no will or because none of the named executors in the will are able to serve. This week I discuss the difficulties when there are no clearly
Why Does Estate Administration Take So Long? Part 3
In this week’s post explaining why estate administration takes so long, I cover the scenario when there is no will. New Jersey law establishes who has the first right to serve as administrator and who inherits the estate. Often, however, identifying the correct individuals is not easy. An administrator is tasked with the
Why Does Estate Administration Take So Long? (Part 2)
In my post last week I addressed a common question concerning the process of administering the estate of someone who has died. Why does it take so long? On average it can take 9 to 12 months for most estates to be completed although I did explain last week that easier estates
Why Does Estate Administration Take So Long? (Part 1)
When I explain the estate administration process, I am usually asked, “how long will it take?” The person will often preface that question by first stating that “it’s a simple estate” or “all the heirs are in agreement”. I tell people that, on average, an estate can require 9 months to a
Yet Another Real Estate Problem – Part 2
As I wrote in my post last week, our client is executor of the estate of a decedent who owned 100% of his home - at least that is what the most recent deed shows. When he found a buyer for the home and the title company did a title search,
Yet Another Real Estate Problem (Part 1)
I wrote a few months ago about a real estate sale that hit a snag when it was discovered that one of the record owners had died many years ago (as well as the sole heir to that owners estate and the sole heir to the sole heir’s estate). With our
A Celebrity Estate Plan Lesson (Part 1)
Over the years I have written a number of blog posts about the reasons everyone should have a will and more specifically a formal one. Too many adults don’t and high profile celebrities are no different than the general population. I wrote 10 years ago about the litigation surrounding James Gandolfini’s estate
The Time and Expense of Having No Will
People will sometimes ask me why they need a will if they don’t have any probate assets. This might be because they believe everything is owned jointly with right of survivorship or because they own nothing. It usually turns out, however, that they do own something. It might be a car that is
Real Estate Tax Problem – Part 3
In this third post of three, I go back to the problem caused by the death of an owner of real estate and the subsequent deaths of the next two people who were to inherit that property. As I explained last week, A died in 1994 and her interest in