She is the only person that’s paid into the mortgage. She has 6 children one is deceased, 5 living. When she passes away she wants, after the house is sold (it’s already paid off) the money to be split evenly between the 5 living children and the the portion that would have went to her deceased... View More 
answered on Dec 7, 2023
There are a variety of planning tools someone can use to name beneficiaries while keeping power to freely change those designations. Perhaps, if your grandmother got good advice, the deed is a life estate deed with full powers still vested in the planner. If so, she could change it freely by a... View More
Two sisters inherited a house, one is the executor of the will. They both wish to sell the house but the executor payed the mortgage for the last two months out of pocket instead of out of the estate funds. She now wants reimbursed saying there were no estate funds only the bequeathments as set by... View More
answered on Dec 5, 2023
Yes. The sister can petition the court to remove the Personal Representative, who is not doing the job properly. There is no reason to pay a mortgage if the estate is insolvent. It just means the house must be sold. The bank will get all its money at settlement, if the price is high enough. The... View More
Two sisters inherited a house with a mortgage now one sister wants the other sister to quit claim deed the house. Said sister is also the executor of the estate and is forcing my wife to either pay half the mortgage or quit claim on said house
answered on Dec 5, 2023
"inheritance" doesn't mean the bank loan is forgiven. It must be either paid off from Estate funds, or refinanced by the person inheriting the property. A "quitclaim" deed (one without the usual warranties of title) means the mortgage lien/loan obligations of the dead... View More
I'm thinking about setting up a trust but don't know anyone I want to trust to be a trustee, so I'm looking for options. I've heard that trust management services are expensive and primarily for the wealthy. Would appreciate suggestions.
answered on Nov 30, 2023
This question comes up quite often.
Most of the time the person making the trust will be the initial trustee and designate others to serve after their death or incapacity. Whether hiring a professional trustee is feasible or not depends in part on how long you want/need trust oversight.... View More
I have signed documentation from my mother while she was alive that my daughter can live rent free in her house if she pays bge/oil. My mother has passed. My sister and her lawyer are demanding rent be paid to the estate. Is that legal?
Our prenup gives me a life estate if my husband predeceases me, assuming I continue to pay the mortgage. Do we need to record notice of the life estate?
answered on Nov 3, 2023
Your prenup is statement of intention. Only a recorded deed can pass an interest in land, or create a life-estate. For years our Firm has litigated this issue because the family law lawyers often don’t know how to handle the real property side of a separation agreement. It’s not hard, but it... View More
Does a parent have to have to meet a certain criteria in the state of Maryland to be trustee of a first party special needs trust in Maryland?
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answered on Oct 25, 2023
In Maryland, a parent can serve as the trustee of a first-party special needs trust for a minor, subject to court approval and specific legal considerations. This includes demonstrating that the trust is in the minor's best interest and complies with state law. As a trustee, whether a parent... View More
The trustees are refusing to provide account statements for that time period. Can I petition for a full accounting for 1997-2006?
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answered on Oct 12, 2023
Most if not all of those years will have busted the applicable SOL. Hire a competent MD attorney to sue for conversion, breach of fiduciary duty and an accounting. Try to toll them as much as you can. The other beneficiaries are probably defendants also, which will put pressure on the trustees... View More
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answered on Sep 11, 2023
In Maryland, the utilization of insurance proceeds from a totaled vehicle within an estate necessitates careful consideration of various factors. The appointed estate executor or administrator typically holds the authority to manage the estate's assets, including insurance payouts, adhering to... View More
based on the FMV. I am paying cash, no loan needed. I am wondering the pros/cons of either (1) transferring the property into our joint names first, then completing the buy-out after the estate is closed, or (2) doing the buy-out through the estate, then we distribute the house/funds accordingly.... View More
answered on Aug 31, 2023
Thanks for your post. One beneficiary/heir buying out the other(s) presents a fairly common scenario.
When an estate has enough other liquid assets, then to eliminate transfer taxes it often makes sense to distribute the real estate entirely to the child who wants to acquire it and... View More
answered on Aug 8, 2023
No. Only what is written in the will, to the extent it is legal. Verbal wishes may be carried out in the discretion of the PR to the extent that the heirs are not harmed financially, or they do not object.
answered on Jun 13, 2023
Generally speaking Maryland law does not give anyone the right to demand an inheritance going to anyone else, even their spouse. That said, depending on how planning documents are drafted and order of death, sometimes people do wind up with an inheritance intended to go their spouse.... View More
In the Will, he states, "I give and devise unto my wife my real estate [home address] for the remainder of her natural life, or until she shall decide to reside elsewhere on a permanent basis, or until she shall remarry...she shall pay all maintenance cost, insurance, and property taxes at her... View More
answered on Jun 5, 2023
Hi and thanks for posting a real estate question.
The first variable is whether your father's wife is still living. This appears to be a life estate to your father's wife, with the life estate ending if the life tenant moves out or remarries.
You describe a position... View More
My boyfriend of 10 years passed away April 1. He told me in 2020/2021 he had done a will & it was with his papers at his shop. He told me who the executor was & that his son wasn't to get anything. It was not filed with register of wills
I believe his son found the will.... View More
answered on May 31, 2023
Have you checked with the executor to see if he has a copy of the Will, or any correspondence regarding being named executor? Do you or anyone you know have access to the shop where the Will supposedly was stored? Do you know who he named as beneficiaries under his will?
The purported... View More
grandma died in 2017. dad and cousin are to split proceeds from.sale of house. executor, dads brother, haa not put house up for sale. what can be done to force him to sell the house?
answered on May 28, 2023
Retain counsel. Petition for Order to Sell or, in the Alternative, Replace PR for Self-Dealing.
The reason my case has not been heard is because of conflicting legal advice that I received on justanswer.com. Based on the petitions the lawyers are filing against me, the one that told me to serve the petition on everyone was wrong. What do you do when the court makes decisions that violate the... View More
answered on May 26, 2023
Unfortunately, this may be a situation in which you need to get an attorney. The truth is that getting an attorney is costly, but not getting one is even more costly. There are certain legal matters that can be handled without an attorney, but based on what you have said so far, this likely is not... View More
answered on Apr 23, 2023
You have no control over what someone puts in their will. However, anyone can decline to accept appointment as an executor. Just because someone names you their executor does not mean that you have to accept it. If you refuse the honor, someone else may petition to be appointed or the court will... View More
The 2 siblings (parents of the beneficiaries) pre-deceased her. Her 3rd sibling is still living (her sister). She did not leave anything to her 3rd sibling (her sister) or her children.
The children of her living sister are threatening to contest the will. Can the nieces and nephews of... View More
answered on Mar 23, 2023
The children of the living sibling of the decedent do not have standing to contest the will because they would not receive any part of the estate even if they prevailed--only their mother would if the will were set aside.
If the living sibling granted a power of attorney naming someone... View More
answered on Mar 2, 2023
You need to discuss your situation with a lawyer. There are way too many unanswered questions. Is the home free & clear? Are there other heirs? Will the two heirs share it equally and get along in it? Do you want them to have the house or the proceeds from the house?
The short, and... View More
My wife and her son bought an additional rental property with the deed in their names. What are the tax considerations of leaving that property separate from the trust vs transferring the deed to the trust. Her son is the executor of the revocable trust.
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answered on Mar 4, 2023
The tax considerations of leaving the rental property in your wife and her son's names versus transferring the deed to the revocable trust will depend on several factors, including the ownership percentage, rental income, and capital gains implications. Here are some general tax... View More
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