Q: How do I transfer the deed from my deceased grandparents to my name?
All of my grandparent's children, including my dad, are now deceased. A distant cousin has been taking care of the property and wishes to get rid of it. He approached me several times and asked if I would like to have it. What would I need to do, if I decided to take the house? The house is located in Philadelphia.
A:
This is, unfortunately, a complex problem.
If the deed is in the names of both grandparents, title would have passed to the surviving grandparent by right of survivorship. An estate would now have to be opened for the surviving grandparent. If there was a Will, the Will would have to be followed. If not, you could be named Administrator.
The next question is if your dad or any of your aunts or uncles survived the surviving grandparent or if all of them pre-deceased both grandparents. If any survived, unless there was a Will which provides otherwise, the property would have passed to those survivors. Estates would have to be opened for all of them. The cycle then repeats itself. If there were Wills, they would have to be followed. If there were not, the property would pass to you, your siblings and any cousins who are children of survivors.
This is a time consuming and rather expensive process and you would need to consult a lawyer to get through it. There will be estate costs, taxes and legal fees.
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