Reply #12: first off, is there a will ? [View All]

if so, is it plain and reasonable ?

if so, hold off on the lawyer but get an accountant insted to properly value the estate,

then pay the bills (if you need to sell the house to do this, contact the creditors and this should take the heat off),

then liquidate the non-monitary possessions (unless specifically mentioned in the will, those go ahead and disperse assuming that there are funds to pay the bills). find an auctineer even if its nothing special stuff.

then, if the CPA is unwilling to aid you on probate requirements (any good one can to do this if they want to, they understand the law) then hook up with a lawyer. nothing is final till 1 year after death to give potential creditors time to make demand so you have time to sort things out and you are under no obligation to disperse any additional estate on anyone's timetable but your own.

regarding the home; if its in good shape, hand it to a realtor and let them do their thing. If its not or you don't know, find a reputable auctioneer. It eliminated liability for problems you may or may not know about, it will yield a comprable return and its way less trouble and generally faster. I know it sounds crazy but its not. My multimillionaire real estate brother did that for my other brother's in-laws house and I was going to do the same till a private buyer came out of the blue. the auctioneer can also sell all the stuff in the house so you'll want to be finding one either way.

if there is no will or you don't understand it, a lawyer is a good idea.

the only horror stories involve not taking your time and making reasonable descisions that make sense to you.

have confidence in yourself, your cousin did. most of this stuff does actually make sense if you're patient and educate yourself and take the common sense choices.

you'll do fine, its easier than it appears.