owners. Th is will require substantial fin ancial endurance for as long as the will is probated and until the o ffi cial naming of the executor completed. Th is can be a tedious process. It’s recommended that the heirs of inherited properties retain a lawyer who’s familiar with both real estate law and estates in general. Th e process of searching for this lawyer and the expenses involved can be stressful, but if there’s no such estate lawyer to stand as a representative for the inheritor, expensive legal mistakes are far more likely, and may prove far more costly, as well. In many circumstances, inherited houses have problems, as they’ve been lived in for a long time and maintenance may have been neglected. Elderly homeowners don’t always maintain their homes. A home that was pristine when your parents moved into it in 1965 and was last updated in the 1980s will need attention prior to marketing. It makes things diffi cult for the heirs when things like heating, plumbing, septic systems, and carpets are outdated and need updating. A pending sale of a house might not go through if, a ft er inspecting the house, an oil tank is leaking underground and needs to be repaired. In such circumstances, you might have to sell the house at a much lower price to compensate for the maintenance issues and concerns. Th is may require an inspector who will recommend repairs for both current and potential threats before selling the house. Hiring an inspector can be, like everything else, both time and resource intensive, especially for heirs who live far from the inherited home. Once the necessary repairs and updates are made on the inherited home, you might calculate the total expenses and discover that an inordinate amount of money has been invested. 117
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