Yes, by all realistic scenarios, there is no inheritable estate left, assuming the absence of fraud. Your stepmother could not have sold the house and transferred title to her daughter without having sole title herself, either as joint tenant with right of survivorship on the deed, or by a will... View More

If a retirement account has no beneficiaries, it usually defaults to the estate of the deceased. An estate attorney can help navigate the process of estate administration and you're encouraged to seek legal advice if you are the personal representative listed in the Will (or family member of... View More

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answered on Feb 13, 2020

After the probate case is opened to probate the will, the will becomes a public document. You can go to the court yourself and obtain a copy or send a paralegal or even a friend to obtain a copy for you.

Maryland law does not mandate waiting 6 months to market/sell property, but proceeds should not be disbursed to heirs until 6 months have passed, any payments are prioritized according to the order set forth in MD law and the court has approved the accounting.

While not legal advice, I... View More

Ideally, you simply leave it to him in your will. When a person dies, their property is all valued as of the date of death, so that the heirs receive a stepped-up tax basis to that value. That wipes out all the capital gains tax that you would incur were you to sell the house before you die. What... View More

Generally speaking, wills valid in the state of original domicile remain valid if the planner moves. A will may become void in some cases of changed circumstances, such as if a planner both marries and has children after creating their will, but a valid will does not become "void" based... View More

People can jointly own property several ways. If married, they can own in Maryland as tenants by the entirety, joint tenants with rights of survivorship or as tenants in common. The way these types of co-ownership transfer at the death of one of the owners is very different. When a joint... View More

So many more facts will be needed. It is common for married couples to own everything jointly, with right of survivorship, which means upon the first spouse to die, the other spouse owns all such titled property and none of it is an asset to be distributed from the deceased person’s estate. Joint... View More

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answered on Dec 9, 2019

If you mean does your brother have any claim beyond the term's of your parent's will by virtue of still living in the home that is now part of the estate, then no, not unless he has a lease agreement. However, the executor can't just kick your brother out of the home either. If... View More

The mortgage is a lien against the property. It cannot be sold without the mortgage being paid off first out of the sale proceeds. That happens at settlement. Then the net proceeds are split evenly between the two owners of the property: 50% to the estate, 50% to your stepmother

First of all, where in Virginia is Maryland? Which state's law is at issue?

Second, a testamentary will is one of the two ways (intestate being the other) to get INTO probate. A Will does not avoid probate.

Third, other than learning it from a poorly written TV script or a... View More

If he’s not POA, then he cannot act on his father’s behalf unless he petitions a court to appoint him guardian over his father and his property. Assuming he is one of those, he will have to serve 30 day notice to vacate before he can file a complaint for judgment of possession and a court date... View More

Depends on how they held title to the house. The default way married couples hold title is as tenants by the entirety, which means in this instance that your grandfather is the sole owner. If, however, title is held as tenants in common, he only owns half interest and your grandmother’s estate... View More

Yes, family members can witness a power of attorney. If it is a health care POA, at least one of the witnesses cannot be one of the person’s health care providers or an employee of one of their health care providers, or entitled to inherit under the person’s will.

Your uncle as trustee of a trust for the benefit of your son is required to provide your son or, if he is a minor, his parents with an accounting of the trust assets. Unfortunately, since your uncle is refusing to communicate with you, your son or you will be required to institute litigation... View More

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answered on Sep 23, 2019

Contact the attorney who helped you with this probate case. That is something the attorney should have helped you accomplish.

I know of no way to do it other than reopening the estate. It isn't hard, but it means filing a new accounting, and that certainly isn't worth the effort using a lawyer.

Specific questions about specific planning documents usually require sitting down with an attorney to review. That being said, I'll try to address in general terms the questions posted.

With respect to inheritance and other death taxes: these taxes apply in Maryland no matter... View More

By law, the house is solely his, regardless of whether he retitles it into his sole name. If he dies without a will, his stepchildren (unless legally adopted) will not inherit any part of his estate. The only way you as stepchildren can inherit property of his estate is if he drafts a will and... View More

The question is unclear. Ordinarily there is no reporting of trust schedules with the probate estate filings.

Perhaps you are asking, however, about reporting trust assets transferring to people obligated to pay inheritance tax? Maryland law requires that an Information Report be filed... View More