Both owners on vacant house are deceased now what???

Question

So found a vacant boarded house and went to county website found out owners names..googled around and found out they are both dead...so now what?? get a hold of the children? If so how do I find out their names to start looking for them? Or is there another way?

Rick H. · Answer

Experience and continual education has provided me many other tools, including a technique to deal with this very scenario that I call buying property "Pizza-by-the-Slice"

John Teachout · Answer

We've encountered houses here in Georgia that were owned by estates and in some cases, the kids can't agree as to the disposition of the property and I've literally seen houses fall apart over the course of several years while the family squabbles were taking place.

It's much drier where you are so hopefully the properties have a longer "shelf life" but around here, an abandoned home doesn't last too long.

The municipality there probably wants their property taxes so maybe you can find out if those are being paid and by whom?

John Teachout · Answer

Regarding the above post, I have actually tracked down owners of abandoned properties and heard from them that their siblings were bickering over the options for the property so it wasn't on the market. One that I drive by often is just a vacant lot now as it was bulldozed a few years ago. It was definitely a viable fixer upper when we first inquired. I watched it deteriorate. Sad...

Rick H. · Answer

First, make certain that there's plenty of equity to make this viable.

Go to county and check death certificates for listed next of kin. Obits may help but there may not be an obit for either decedent.

Try skip tracer service to find offsprings, if any.

Subscribe to ancestry dot com and see if any relatives after building a family tree.

May all be a pain.

Bob H. · Answer

Look for the county court that has records of people being appointed as personal representatives to administer estates.

Both owners on vacant house are deceased now what???

Most Popular Reply