Tracking down Heirs to Property?

Question

Hi everyone, I have lead on a house that the owner just died and wanted to track down the heirs. The house is in Portland, OR but I live in Austin, TX how can I get a hold of the person responsible for the house?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Brian Braunhuber · Answer

Thanks everyone for your input. I got in contact with the sellers and have sent them an email. I will be calling to follow up on Friday. Wish me good luck. :)

Phillip Pommier · Answer

Brian, unless there is a revocable trust and a will spelling out the deceased's wishes, it probably has to go through the probate process.  You could try the probate section in whatever county court the house is in.  Portland is spread across three counties, Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas.  The probate process is time consuming, probably 6 months or more.  A revocable trust and will could shorten the time considerably.

If you are looking at the possibility of obtaining the house from an heir in a short period of time I might be interested There are others in this forum more knowledgeable than me on this topic.  If you somehow find a relative who needs a probate attorney I can give you a lead on a good one.

Good luck.

P.

Mike Sattem · Answer

@Brian Braunhuber,

Did the property go through probate? If so, the probate order should list heirs. Also, you can check the county tax assessor website to see if the mailing address for tax statements has been updated to somewhere that is not the property.

Neal Collins · Answer

Sometimes you can find relatives just by searching Whitepages.com. A skiptracing service like TLO will be the best bet though.