I am sorry to hear about the passing of your father and grandmother. You have presented some bare facts but not really a question. If your grandmother and father had valid Wills, their estates would be distributed according to the provisions of their Wills. If neither had a Will, just based on... View More

Try to find a lawyer in the jurisdiction where the estate is filed, for convenience. Most estate lawyers understand special needs trusts. You cannot solicit (and attorneys cannot solicit) business on this site per the site rules. You can, however, call lawyers who answer questions on this site,... View More

Get counsel. File petition to list and sell house in the form of Sale in Lieu of Partition.

The recording office of the county where you file will know and allow you to fill in the cited section that applies. They are the authority who has to approve whether you have a tax exempt transfer. However, the list of exempt transactions generally appears in the Maryland Tax-Property Article,... View More

Under federal law, family members inheriting property may be able to simply take over the mortgage payments instead of refinancing in certain situations. However, whether that is feasible depends on other factors, such as buy-out ability. If the property remains in Trust, it is sometimes... View More

No. But a guardian may be able to make other estate planning decisions, including establishing a trust in the name of their ward and funding it, with distribution of the trust assets upon death being set forth in the trust. You should not do anything without first consulting with experienced estate... View More

If you are domiciled in Maryland at the time of your death, die without a will and an estate is opened up here, your probate property passes under the laws of intestate succession. Who gets the probate property and in what percentage depends on what relatives survive you.

Some property... View More

Only the decedent's spouse, parent, grandparent, child, or descendant of the decedent's child (or their surviving spouse) qualify for the exemption from Maryland's state inheritance tax of 10% ("lineal" relatives). First cousin is not "lineal" does not meet the... View More

Once you have filed the petition for probate, received your Letters, and have filed the Inventory, you can do an advance to the heirs. Since you are the only heir, that would mean you. But, you will be responsible if your advance exceeds the available resources of the Estate after payment of... View More

It’s simply a vehicle to hold assets coupled with an agreement on how to manage and distribute the assets given various scenarios. It is not typically part of an estate plan for most people, as there are usually far better methods. As far as how any particular strategy best relates to your... View More

She can only claim $15,000 plus 50% of everything else. The rest goes to his children in equal shares. However, any assets that were jointly titled may go 100% to the surviving owner. That includes real estate, financial accounts, etc. Also, assets like 401Ks, IRA accounts, etc., have named... View More

She should not have any assets in her name or jointly with yours. You should establish a special needs trust to hold any assets you leave her in your will. That will protect the assets from disqualifying her from her benefits, while at the same time preserving the assets for her benefit and needs.

The first question any business attorney will likely ask is: what are you looking to accomplish? A business trust is an old but relatively unusual way to conduct business, except perhaps in the case of real estate held in a grantor's revocable living trust. The question doesn't give... View More

To find real estate in Maryland, one typically searches land records, not probate records. Probate searches will show what probate estates have been opened.

There is no way to search for what is in a particular estate (whether real estate or otherwise) without going into each... View More

While it is best to have a lawyer look over the Will, if any, and examine the situation, as a general matter, if all of the potential beneficiaries agree, there is nobody available to complain. If you have available assets and wish to pay off the mortgage so you can change the title, I'm not... View More

A minor typo might be overlooked when all other indicators point to a known person but a name "not in [the] family at all" most likely will need a court order to rule that the benefits go to the person believed to be the intended beneficiary.

While not legal advice, I hope this... View More

The estate of the recently deceased brother receives his share. So, the heirs or legatees of the recently deceased brother will get his inheritance.

If there is little or no equity in estate owned property and the lender is willing to accept a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, then yes, a Personal Representative has authority to sign such a deed. Whether or not a deed in lieu can be done depends on the willingness of a lender.

Note that if... View More

So long as you are not married at the time of death, yes, your two children split equally your estate assets. However, the probate process is simpler with a will. In addition, you need to review how your assets are titled and whether you have named beneficiaries (pay on death or otherwise) on any... View More

Signing as debtors makes them obligated on the loan. The rest of your question is confusing, because I think you are confused as to terms and concepts. If the property is owned solely by your uncle, which it would be if the property was titled as joint tenants with right of survivorship with your... View More