Unknown Heirs Home in SW Florida, Education Resources?

Question

I'm looking at a property in Fort Myers FL and the county Property Appraiser data shows the owner as "Unknown Heirs of ..."  for a deceased owner.  Can you recommend good resources to read to educate myself on this kind of scenario?

The home is listed and being shown by a realtor. I talked extensively with the agent showing the home at an open house and learned about some specific repairs being done.  The agent at the open house is not the listing agent shown on the yard sign and she had to ask the listing agent a few of my specific questions. Since the online county records show "unknown heirs," I'm trying to learn more and see if this is something used by the county when there is no will.  At this point, I think analyzing this property is more an exercise in education than anything else.

I read up on Florida law and what's needed for notifying heirs when there is no will.  It's not clear if this kind of "Unknown Heirs of" label is normal when there is no will. Can any of you more seasoned investors recommend additional reading suggestions?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Stetson Miller · Answer

Hi Account Closed,

My first question would be if the property is currently undergoing probate. The easiest thing would be to connect with the actual listing agent of the property, as this is a question they likely already know the answer to. Most agents wouldn't take a listing if they weren't sure that it could actually be sold in the near future. If the probate process was just started, it could be a few months, but in most cases, the property isn't listed until they're sure it's ready to be sold. In this case, the PA's website just might not be updated yet.

Let me know if you need any help getting in contact with that agent!

Nickolas Quartez · Answer

Very interesting question.