I’m interviewing attorney Bart Saunders about the probate process.
Today I’m interviewing Orlando attorney Bart Saunders, who has been in practice for 17 years. We’ve had a great relationship over the years and have handled many complex real estate matters together. I often find myself working with people who are involved in probate, so Bart will help shine some light on this process and what it entails. Probate is the judicial process where a will is accepted as a valid document, or the estate is settled in the absence of a legal will.
Q: When in the probate process can the personal representative list a house in the estate for sale?
A: The answer is when the personal representative has been appointed by the court. When someone who owns a home passes away, a person is chosen as a personal representative to administer the estate. To elect someone as the administrator, the court needs to know a few things. They need to know if the person will take the job seriously, what their relationship was to the decedent, and that they’re willing to take an oath of liability should something go wrong.
“Someone needs to be appointed by the court to administer an estate.”
This is why it’s crucial to have an attorney looking over their shoulder when they submit probate to the court—it helps keep everyone out of trouble. So, the moment when that person has been appointed by the judge is when they can list the house for sale.
This is only the beginning of this interview with Bart Saunders. If you’d like to see our entire conversation, please click here. You’ll also see more helpful videos and resources to successfully navigate the probate process.
If you have further questions about the probate process or real estate in general, please call or email me. I would love to help you.
