Deceased Home Owner Property with Squatter living in it

[Nixon Vayupak]

Need some input from my fellow BP friends.  In my old neighborhood, I was told that the original owner of a small house passed away many years ago. The person has no living relative per neighbor, since they were close friends. So the house was abandon for just less than a year and then a squatter moved in.  How do we know it was a squatter?  Because he told the neighbor straight forward.  I did run a title search and did find that the deceased owner is still on the title.  Question, is how can one move in legally and take over the property and evict the squatter.  Note, the property tax has been paid by the squatter which is $400 a year.

[Rick H.]

Nixon - I live in your community and have plenty of real experience (successes and failures) with adverse possession deals. That is probably what the squatter is attempting to do.

I've actually tracked deals in Chino Hills, which not common, however vacant abandoned properties occur everywhere; even in upscale canyon area where I live. Even beach cities and Beverly Hills!

Since I've been involved in literally thousands of probate (and pre-probate) deals over the years, no one dies without heirs. Hard to believe, but it's true. I'm involved in two related estates now (as admin of both) whereby mother and daughter died without close relatives. They did leave some distant "shirt-tail" cousins, whom I found and signed up. 

Hence, I've got a deal and superior standing to the squatter that thought he was so smart. Sold that property and now dealing with next estate (plus many others). 

The only ones I haven't figured out how to research are FBI informants who have undergone identity changes. But I haven't given up, either.