BiggerPockets

Check with the probate court. These are public records and they should be able to let you know when wills are submitted for probate. There is also a docket of cases that you should be able to follow as things come up before the court. Making friends with someone in the probate court can be a tremendous asset.

8)

Nope, you don't have to go to the probate court. "Using" a friend in the probate office is a bad idea. (you will get them in trouble).

The properties in the probate proceedings are generally not listed... if I get it right, most of it are confidential. Not all lawyers are willing to divulge the information considering that it is within the "lawyer-client" confidential matters.

Unfortunately some states are easier than others when dealing with probate cases. I think what you really want to pay attention to in California is to look into the decedents will to see if there is a provision included which directs that the estate be administered under the "Independent Administration of Estates Act" otherwise known as >CA Probate Code 9640<.

I have talked to attorneys about this, and basically it allows the PR to have an independent administration of the estate which basically means NO court supervision... This is a great thing for investors because it eliminates the need for you to make your way through the hurdles of court approval which can delay the process a lot.

As for finding the real estate Arnold is correct. This will be found on the county tax rolls. Basically with probates you are looking for a few key things which are:

1.An Independent Administration. ((with a will on file))
2. Deceased Name & If they owned real estate.
3. The PR's name and mailing address.

With those 3 things you can send your letters out. If you had to add another criteria you might also want to mail letters to the other heirs as well. Mailing to the attorney is not a requirement at all in my opinion.

Once "Letters testamentary" are issued then the bank accounts and assets will be "unfrozen" so to speak. Without the court appointing a PR you are basically at a stand still. With "Determination of Heirs" cases it is usually an ongoing battle because there is no will on file.. don't waste your time with these estates OR Dependent administrations either.

Hope some of that helps. It's a great niche to be in, because it takes EFFORT to track down the leads which many aren't willing to put forward in most cases, so the competition stays pretty low in most markets. The leads are going to outpace foreclsures by A LOT over the next decade so I'd say it's a pretty good time to become an expert at this right now.

Bring a dozen donuts with you every time you go down to the probate court. Treat the people working behind the counter like they're your friends.

Most people who work in courts spend their days to getting yelled at. They'll love you. Pretty soon you'll be getting phone calls when they come across a property you'd like.

Paul you said "With our Court Records they show if there was a Property attached to the estate. "
Are you referring to Florida? So I get the records from the court house they'll say if there was property?
We are new to Florida and loking forward to getting our probate investment business off the ground, so any info would be greatly appreciated!

Melford & Concetta