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My mother passed away 10 years ago with no will. She had married a man with children and together they had brought a home. The deed of trust is in both names and listed as tenants by the entireties with the right of survivorship. The husband is now dead. Are ONLY his children entitled to the... View More
answered on Sep 4, 2024
I am answering this question with the assumption the parties resided in the State of Virginia. With the real estate being owned by your mother and your step-father as husband and wife and as tenants by the entirety with the right of survivorship, when your mother passed the property became the... View More
If Brother #2 does not want to buy out Brother #1, what rights does Brother #1 have if he wants to sell?
answered on Jun 13, 2024
Brother 2 should cooperate with Brother 1 and sell the property. If Brother 2 does not cooperate with Brother 1, Brother 1 can file a Suit of Partition to force the sale of the property and all fees and costs (title examiner, appraisal, etc, will be shared by the parties, generally.
answered on Jun 11, 2024
To answer your question, an attorney would need to see both your Deed and subsequent deeds to the property along with the other parties' deed. The right to use someone else's property is generally considered an easement and that easement had to be created in a prior deed. IF the current... View More
My contract promises the water and heating system but owners 6 months later still won’t install them or turn the water on.
answered on Jun 5, 2024
If your lease provides for water and a heating to be provided by your landlord and they refuse to install the system or water, it would be a clear breach of the lease and the landlord could be subject to damages. If you contact an attorney make sure you provide a copy of the executed Lease. Good... View More
5 total beneficiaries: 2 trustees, myself, and 2 compliant. 8 mos ago trustee said a remainder but never recd.
1 trustee took $ and Ivwas told he would show record of money he spent. Never happened. 11 yrs ago parent passed and both trustees had trust checks accounts that were never told if.
answered on May 30, 2024
It seems odd that the Trustee would give you copies of tax return, but not provide to the beneficiaries annual statements of receipts and disbursements. If you have a copy of the trust document, please review the sections that deal with the obligations of the Trustee to account to the... View More
If I was deed certain parcels of a property but they also will the entire property to someone else ( I assume this world be including my parcels considering it’s all one address) how does this work? Would I have to create a new address to live on my property or is that even possible?? What does... View More
answered on Apr 17, 2024
Your question is not clear as to what you are asking, so I am going to guess that you are asking if someone can devise (gift) real estate under a Will, when part of the real estate was subdivided with several parcels being conveyed out during the decedent' lifetime. The Will can effectively... View More
A man and a women get married, joining each other with 1 child each from a previous marriage. Together they have 1 child together. Over 30 years pass and the mother dies suddenly without a will. Father gets everything. Father remarries someone from a foreign country, she has two adult children and... View More
answered on Mar 6, 2024
First of all, if the first wife in your questions dies without a will in Virginia, the laws of intestate succession govern the distribution of her probate assets. In this case, the husband would receive one-third (not including potential spousal claims) and all of the children of the wife would... View More
I live in Virginia. I just got a letter today from the city asking for me to donate over 1000 Sq ft of my property for a utilities easement. This section would cover the entire width of my front yard back 13ft from the road including my only access to my driveway (its a dead end) and a section of... View More
answered on Feb 22, 2024
By donating the property, the City will get use of that portion of your property for free. You may get a reduced property assessment from the loss or the shared use of the property, resulting in lower taxes, but the value of your property will also be reduced. If this portion of your property can... View More
Last payment made Dec 2014. Have not heard from note holder until Feb 2024 threatening foreclosure, interest, and legal fees.
answered on Feb 15, 2024
Keep in mind that in the State of Virginia the statute of limitations on the enforcement of the underlying Deed of Trust is 10 years from the maturity date (VA Code Section 8.01-241). If the Deed of Trust does not state the maturity date, the statute of limitations on the enforcement of the... View More
In general, are DBAs only required when market and run a domain under a different name, conduct bank transactions under a different name, or both?
For reference, I am attempting to engage in e-commerce as a sole proprietor under a different name. The business involves selling physical products.
answered on Feb 12, 2024
If you are operating your business under an "assumed" name, "trade" name or a "fictitious" name, you should file the propert fictitious name certificate in every state that you are doing business and you should confirm that your entity is authorized to do business in those states.
My mother has moved to a senior living home and needs to sell her house. She is coowner (60%) along with 5 of her children. The sale cannot go forward since one of the children died last year and his will presumably naming his wife as executrix is hung up in probate court in the US Virgin... View More
answered on Feb 8, 2024
With the issue of the one child's estate being hung up in probate in the Virgin Islands and not knowing the terms of the child's last will and testament, you only course of action may be to contact a local attorney where the property is located and file a suit for partition. The court... View More
As the husband of the decedent, I am the only person in the estate.
answered on Feb 6, 2024
Generally speaking, the Executor or the Administrator of a decedent's estate is responsible for the debts of the estate, assuming the estate has sufficient assets to pay the claims. Virginia Code Section 64.2-528 provides the order of priority when paying debts.
I have contacted the circuit court and they are saying my brother is failing to provide information. I think my brother is hiding something. Should I hire my own attorney?
answered on Jan 24, 2024
You may need to hire an attorney to look into your brother's actions while serving as the Executor in your father's estate. Your brother has a fiduciary duty to protect your interest and deal fairly and openly with you. His actions or inactions could warrant his removal as the Executor.... View More
My father died a year ago and we are still settling debt and selling property. There was no will. The estate is handled by an administrator. We sold a property and our closing lawyer says we get the proceeds and they do not go into the estate account. There are still debts to be settled. If we... View More
answered on Dec 5, 2023
Unfortunately, I need more information to properly answer your questions. Was there a will? Is the estate being handled by an Executor or an Administrator? Does the fiduciary have power of sale over the real estate? Normally, if there are debts and claims owing by the estate, no probate assets... View More
Mortgage lender hasn't contacted me for over 9 years with no payments made for 9 years. Now received a letter stating it is from a "debt collector" which appears to be an attorney's office.
answered on Nov 20, 2023
In Virginia, a deed of trust with a stated maturity date has a statute of limitations of 10 years from the maturity. If there is no maturity date, the statute of limitations is 20 years from the recordation date of the deed of trust, except for credit line deeds of trust. With a credit line deed... View More
I’m getting an uncontested divorce and under the terms of our agreement, refinance is scheduled to occur in a timeframe not to exceed 4 yrs. The loan is joint and so is the title. We have decided, I will stay in the house; can I change the title to my name via a quitclaim deed? Is it straight... View More
answered on Nov 15, 2023
Any attorney that practices in the area of real estate should be able to assist you. I have drafted many deeds being executed pursuant to a divorce or a settlement agreement. However, when both parties are on the title to the property, I have never used a "Quitclaim" deed, but instead I... View More
The only Tangible property that would go through probate would be contents of our house. Can probate be avoided if he adds a codicil to his will, specifically stating what items in house would go to his daughter's upon his death. ( TOD for household items). We have separate wills, husband has... View More
answered on Oct 21, 2024
With respect to your real estate, considering talking to an attorney about a Revocable Transfer of Death Deed to avoid the probate of that assets.
Joint Owner 1 and Joint Owner 2 own Account A (with rights of survivorship).
Joint Owner 2 and Joint Owner 3 own Account B.
JO1 dies. JO2 has access to all the funds in Account A without going through probate.
JO2 can move funds from Account A into Account B. JO3 now has... View More
I am currently a hobby potter and will be selling at local vendor events and art shows. I know I will need a local peddlers license (live in VA) from my city to do so. I have a branded name other than my own that I will use on signage and materials for this portion (eg. Fun Designs by Me).... View More
answered on Apr 2, 2024
SInce it appears that you are not operating your "potter" business under your LLC, but as a sole proprietorship, you will need to get your business license in your individual name and as the trade name you use.
Judge requests that I (only living heir) purchase a probate bond costing $8-10K. Judge said bond was needed to protect the other heirs in case I ran off with the shares of stock. However, it appears that Missouri law DOES NOT RECOGNIZE nieces & nephews as valid next of kin unless there are... View More
answered on Mar 8, 2024
If the level of the heirs at law gets to siblings, then nieces and nephews of deceased siblings (and even great nieces and nephews, if applicable), become heirs at law.
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