Small estate with no will

Beautiful life · ‎03-11-2010

My brother passed away a few months ago. He has a condo in California worth 80k that is paid off.

He is divorced with no children. My mother is the next of kin. My mom is elderly and I am the one that takes care of her. She wants me to help her with finding out if my brother had a will or if she is entitled to own his property. We don't know much about his personal stuff.

There was a rumor from his x wife.... coming from my other brother....... That she has a paper from my brother that she is on the deed but didn't record it yet. Currently the only one on the deed is my brother. I had it looked up. Our family is broken apart we do not talk to anyone. My mom had his mail forwarded and we get his bills. The utilities bills keep coming. My mom doesn't know if she can call the companies up and terminate them.

I have tried getting free advice from attorneys, but the want you to hire them. My mom doesn't wasn't to pay anything knowing that a rumor that his ex was going to get his property. My mom already paid his services when he died.

We dont know where he banks or much of anything. He has a roommate and believe he's still there. We saw a bill that was paid from a cable company.

He did still talk to his X wife and has for over 12 years.

Has as anyone gone through this?

cherry · ‎03-09-2010

With the type of advice you are after, I would only consult an attorney. Free advice is often ,about what it is worth

Bri21 · ‎12-30-2016

You need to talk to an attorney. Nobody can advise you on something like this

dex · ‎03-09-2010

i think the roommate should be paying some of those bills.Who is collecting his rent?I think you need to find a lawyer...maybe there are

some that are appointed by the state and don't charge as much.I have never hired a lawyer so I can't say that I know anything about it.

deepwaterdotter · ‎03-09-2010

The cost of an attorney's advice now will pay dividends in the future.

dooBdoo · ‎06-27-2010

deepwaterdotter wrote:
The cost of an attorney's advice now will pay dividends in the future.

Exactly what I was thinking, @deepwaterdotter. Saving money now, with free legal advice, will be costly in the long run. I'm sorry for your loss, and for the troubles involved in working all this out.

Few things reveal your intellect and your generosity of spirit—the parallel powers of your heart and mind—better than how you give feedback.~Maria Popova

sunshine45 · ‎03-09-2010

if it has already been a few months since his death, i would hire a lawyer pronto. every day you delay is probably costing your mom more money.

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"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." - Albert Einstein

2blonde · ‎03-10-2010

I'm sorry to say I don't think there's any way for you to handle this without a lawyer. There are just too many unanswered questions, and you don't even know how or where to get the answers. Right now, that roommate has it made, so he may be a big problem.

Laura loves cats!