Hello, I am new to land flipping and have recently sent out my first mailing campaign. I have been in real estate and real estate services for most of my career but this is a different ball game and I’m learning how to fly the plane as I go!
I have a lead with a very interesting problem and I would love some feedback from someone who has dealt with anything similar. Here’ the scenario:
There are 4 characters in this scenario.
Owner - The owner of the property who holds the deed is deceased.
Owner’s Daughter (OD) - The owner left the property to OD in his will, OD is also deceased.
Owner’s Son-in-law (SIL) - Has no legal claim to the property but has been paying the taxes on it for years up until 2024.
Buyer (potentially) - That’s me.
Here is the key information I have gathered from the SIL,
The Owner’s estate has not been through probate. He passed more than 10 years ago in a county different than the location of the property. The SIL has a copy of the will.
The OD’s estate has also not been through probate.
From the research I have done it seems to me like the SIL will need to file a Determination of Heirs in the county where the property is located. After a legal notice has been published and a court hearing has happened, the judge will sign the order and then it needs to be recorded with the county in order for it to legally pass to the OD’s estate.
Then a small estate affidavit for the OD in the county of residence at the time of death will be filed along with the Determination of Heirs order from the other county. This confirms that the OD’s estate now legally belongs to the SIL. The signed order will then go back to be recorded with the county the property is located in and the title will now be in the SIL’s name and he can legally sell it.
If you are still with me - Thank You!! This seems like a very complex first deal but I am eager to get one under my belt and I would genuinely love to help the SIL resolve this issue and make some money and I see it as a great learning opportunity as well.
All of that said, has anyone dealt with something like this? I realize the specifics of what needs to happen are dependent on the state and the county of the land and the owner and owner’s daughter but any feedback would be greatly appreciated!