Grandmother passed away, tell me about hidden costs

[phamy76]

My grandmother passed away on 12/21.

My dad is handling the estate. It's the first death on that side of the family in 22 years and I know things have changed (rules, etc).

They are holding on to the house and car until spring.

But, what "hidden" costs pop up while closing out an estate.

 

[Sadie22]

I am sorry for the loss of your grandmother.

Around here we can go to the Register of Wills and receive guidance regarding settling the deceased's affairs and what accountings need to be filed. Your dad would need to file papers with the Register's office to receive the forms he would need in order to open an estate checking account, transfer title to grandmother's car, sell her property, and settle your grandmother's final debts. Notice of dad's appointment as personal representative and notice giving creditors time to send in claims may need to be published in the local newspaper of record.

Legal counsel may or may not be necessary.

 

[prncess674]

Well since you are holding onto the house someone will need to make sure all the household bills are paid and up to date. These include: gas, water, electric, homeowner's insurance, trash pickup, snow removal, lawn maintenance, etc.

Will you be selling the contents of the home piece by piece? Are you going to have an estate sale? Running an estate sale can be a big endeavor and if there are plenty of collectibles you may want to consider hiring someone to do that.

 

[cm8]

My grandmother passed away on 12/21.

My dad is handling the estate. It's the first death on that side of the family in 22 years and I know things have changed (rules, etc).

They are holding on to the house and car until spring.

But, what "hidden" costs pop up while closing out an estate.

I didn't have any thing to add but a big and my condolences for the loss of your Grandmother.

 

[powellrj]

My first advice would be to hire an estate attorney. When DHs father died a few years ago, we hired an attorney when we knew the end was near and the advice he gave us more than paid his fee. I would also consider hiring an auction house to come in and give you an estimate on selling the items for you. Unless you have lots of free time, and live locally, those things can really take up lots of time and resources.

I do know there were things we did on our own to save on the attorney cost like closing his credit accounts for which you may or may not need a death certificate. Every account was different. We had bought like 15 copies and I think we used almost all of them.

We had some family issue come up that we weren't expecting, and it was so nice to be able to say, call the lawyer and he will handle it, and he did!

 

[PatMcDuck]

We are working on my Dad's estate, he passed in mid-October. Some things popped up, a few medical claims, like for medication. We also found out Dad was sending in $$ to MANY sweepstakes places. SCARY. He was only sending small amounts, and he could afford it. We came to realize he was getting 75 pieces of sweepstakes mail a week, or more. Over 10 a DAY.

He had a will. We ended up with an attorney, because he had lots of assets to deal with, and there is loads of paperwork. This attorney is great, charges a FLAT fee, not an hourly rate. And the fees includes ALL tax filings, for my Dad and the estate. Cost, $8800. There are 5 of us "kids" so that is not much for each of us to bear, and it will just come out of the estate $$.

I dumped it ALL on them, with their blessing. I even had them cancel all the magazine subscriptions and deal with closing my Dad's EZ Pass toll account.

The only thing that will take a long while to settle is selling my Dad's apartment. He was in a senior independent living place, and with the economy sales are down there. Could take 1-2 YEARS to sell? Ugh. We cannot control the sale, we can't lower the price, or "fix" the place up nicer. We no longer have access to the unit. The estate gets back 90% of what he paid. Someday. When he went in there, there was almost a waiting list for apartments. Much different now. They told us people still want to buy in, they are just stuck with their current houses, can't sell them.

We did well cleaning the place out and dividing up the furniture, etc. The 5 of us get along very well, and we still do. He made me and one brother c0-executors, so we both have to sign each check, which is sort of a pain, we do not live close. The attorney sends it to me, with a stamped envelope to send on to my brother.....

Sorry about your grandmother.

 

[Danibelle]

Well since you are holding onto the house someone will need to make sure all the household bills are paid and up to date. These include: gas, water, electric, homeowner's insurance, trash pickup, snow removal, lawn maintenance, etc.

Will you be selling the contents of the home piece by piece? Are you going to have an estate sale? Running an estate sale can be a big endeavor and if there are plenty of collectibles you may want to consider hiring someone to do that.

And the property taxes need to be up to date also!

I want to add that I used an attorney and he was worth every penny.

 

[akcire]

If property was owned by your grandmother, contact the home owners insurance company to let them know that she is deceased. Particularly if the home is now going to be vacant.

A few years ago a friends neighbor died, a couple months later while the family had the home for sale it burned down. The insurance company denied the claim, even though the policy was current, because the policy was written for a home that was "lived-in". Since the owner had died and they were not notified, they were able to avoid paying the claim, despite a lawsuit.

I know when my husband's grandmother died, we immediately (like the first week) called her homeowner's insurance company. They made a note in her file, and her policy rate increased maybe $20 for 6 months, but it was well worth it to have peace of mind. Every policy varies, so yours may not include a rate increase, but they may still require notice.

Also husband's grandmother lived in a rather rural area. We called the local sheriff to let them know that the house would be vacant (due to her death) until it was sold. The deputies paid additional attention to the house--we know this for a fact, because we were there one time doing some business and they knocked on the door to check us out. Of course, they were only doing what we asked them to do, it was just funny. We couldn't convince the deputy that came by that he might "need" the 4000 Parkay butter containers we were taking to the recycling center, nor the 10 years of the community newspaper.

 

[msmama]

Sorry for the loss of your grandmother.

Only one other thing not mentioned - the people at the funeral home were very nice to my mother when my grandfather died. They were able to make suggestions, etc.

And make sure you order A LOT of death certificates. A lot of places need "original" copies and they're cheaper to order a lot at the begining.

 

[libraryfreak]

I too am sorry for your loss.

IIRC, attorney's fees were 4% of the value of the estate, but that was 10+ years ago it probably went up since then. I probated both my parents wills, but they were both pretty straightforward, i.e., my moms property went to my dad and when he passed it was divided equally by the children. While it wasn't what I call easy, it certainly is doable and in my mind worth the savings. From what I've heard others say, you do alot of the leg work anyway - going to the banks to close the accounts, etc, the attorney works pretty much in an advisory capacity. The people at the courthouse were very helpful to me.

Keep in mind that if you start probating it yourself and you feel you are in over your head, you can always hire an atty at that point.

I went to the library and got some books to start with, but that was before the internet was as useful as today. This website is for CA residents, but I imagine it will provide useful information for anybody:

http://www.scselfservice.org/probate/prop/frequentlyaskedquestions2.htm

 

[PatMcDuck]

Some of what previous poster said was not true in our case concerning the attorney, so ask lots of questions. Our attorney's firm specializes in wills and estates.

Our attorney charged a flat amount, NOT a %. We did not want the % thing (large estate).

Also, our attorney was not just for "advise". Although, that was an option I guess, for less $$. They closed all the accounts, and deposited the $$ into the estate account, that they opened. They did the running around. When we ran out of death certificates (despite ordering 12!), they went to courthouse for more. They cancelled the homeowners and car insurances, cancelled subscriptions, helped with some of the smaller life insurance policies.

All WE did , was (1)handle the main life insurance (it was not payable to the estate, and was not owned by the estate). (2)We also had to close the stock broker account, the stock was also outside the scope of the estate, he had it in all our names as co-owners. (3) Empty out the apartment, distribute some stuff among ourselves, donate the clothing, towels and such to SPCA, give away some other furniture to people who could use it.

Even that 1-2-3 stuff was lots of work.

 

[Kycha]

Phamy76, my condolences on the loss of your Grandmother.

If property was owned by your grandmother, contact the home owners insurance company to let them know that she is deceased. Particularly if the home is now going to be vacant.

A few years ago a friends neighbor died, a couple months later while the family had the home for sale it burned down. The insurance company denied the claim, even though the policy was current, because the policy was written for a home that was "lived-in". Since the owner had died and they were not notified, they were able to avoid paying the claim, despite a lawsuit.

I know when my husband's grandmother died, we immediately (like the first week) called her homeowner's insurance company. They made a note in her file, and her policy rate increased maybe $20 for 6 months, but it was well worth it to have peace of mind. Every policy varies, so yours may not include a rate increase, but they may still require notice.

Also husband's grandmother lived in a rather rural area. We called the local sheriff to let them know that the house would be vacant (due to her death) until it was sold. The deputies paid additional attention to the house--we know this for a fact, because we were there one time doing some business and they knocked on the door to check us out. Of course, they were only doing what we asked them to do, it was just funny. We couldn't convince the deputy that came by that he might "need" the 4000 Parkay butter containers we were taking to the recycling center, nor the 10 years of the community newspaper.

Good point about the homeowners insurance. After my Dad died, there was a lot of fighting over the estate between my Mom and my Dad's 2nd wife. So, Dad's house sat vacant for almost a year. We spent that time cleaning up the house and doing minor repairs. At some point, the young, punk neighbor decided to break in and vandalize the house...set off fireworks in the garage, flooded basement by leaving laundry room faucet on, carved initials into walls throughout the house(bright, huhmade it real easy to figure out who did it). Anyway, fortunately he didn't do any major damage. When my oldest brother(executor) contacted the insurance company, they denied the claim for the same reason as the ops friend. The property was not being "lived in" and we had never contacted them to change the policy.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I am taking care of my mom's things after she died 3 mo ago. First, finding out where everything is. Insurance policies, bank accounts, bills, insurance on home, cars etc.

We still have a few medical bills coming in and have left open a bank account to pay for these things.

-Any funeral cost not covered.
-Probate fees (vary per state)
-death cetificates
-post to creditors
-Watch for any automatic bank drafts you may need to stop.
-insurance/taxes on anything you keep- cars house etc
-power bills if you leave the power on the house (beware of frozen pipes etc)
-Be sure to stop things like cable, garbage, phones etc. We needed a death cetificate to get out of a few contracts (phone etc)

We did everything without a lawyer and there was quite a bit of money involved. HOWEVER, my parents had everything set up to go directly to the two children and nothing has been hard. We do have to wait 90 days to transfer to house to our names (we are keeping it)

It can be emotionally tough so prayer for your family.

 

[Principessa1284]

I'm so sorry for your loss I hope everything goes smoothly for you and your family.

May I just say how disgusting it is that a grieving family has to go through all this crap, these fees? I had no idea!! Having to hire experts for every little thing? It's awful what this country has come to, sometimes. When did it get so expensive to pass away? I wish a family could just concentrate on their loved one's last wishes and saying goodbye.

 

[allison443]

I'm so sorry for your loss I hope everything goes smoothly for you and your family.

May I just say how disgusting it is that a grieving family has to go through all this crap, these fees? I had no idea!! Having to hire experts for every little thing? It's awful what this country has come to, sometimes. When did it get so expensive to pass away? I wish a family could just concentrate on their loved one's last wishes and saying goodbye.

What do you mean hire experts for every little thing? Do you mean hire an attorney to handle the legal transfer of real and personal property and other assets? I don't understand what's disgusting about it.
Of course it is very sad when there is a death in the family, but what are you referring to?


OP, I'm very sorry for your loss.

 

[bumbershoot]

Well my advice is...you don't need anywhere near the number of certified death certificates as AARP (and one poster here) tells you.

I believe only one of FIL's credit lines needed anything but a FAXED certificate. His pension needed it sent to them, as did SS. Both of them sent the certificate back almost immediately.

I believe one phone company (they had a landline, two cellphones with two companies, and they used another landline company for charges when calling Korea) needed the certificate sent, and again, they sent it back almost instantly.

I had everything taken care of for my MIL inside of a month; she never missed a pension payment (he was already receving them), and got her SS payment set up.

But with an estate it'll be different; FIL died with debts and owning nothing...a bit different to take care of his stuff.



I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Just wanted to give you a and tell you how sorry I am. My mom passed away in August & we definitely were not prepared for all the legalities. I have 2 bros & 1 sister. Even though we are all VERY equal & want to be fair, the state of TX requires so much. We did have to get an attorney for things made out to "the estate of..." My bros & sis requested for any checks/reimbursements be made out to ME b/c they knew I'd handle it properly. But, the state has to have certified copies of this & that, and an attorney is required Hope it all runs smoothly for your family, and again--I'm so sorry.

 

[keishashadow]

OP sorry for your loss

jmho re certified copies of death certificates/number the funeral home director advised me to order (10) which i thought excessive 24 years ago for my dad...

i'm down to just 2! my mom is still alive (thank God) and I'm surprised how often I was expected to produce them over the years mostly medical/SS/financial stuff.

 

[powellrj]

Well my advice is...you don't need anywhere near the number of certified death certificates as AARP (and one poster here) tells you.

I believe only one of FIL's credit lines needed anything but a FAXED certificate. His pension needed it sent to them, as did SS. Both of them sent the certificate back almost immediately.

I believe one phone company (they had a landline, two cellphones with two companies, and they used another landline company for charges when calling Korea) needed the certificate sent, and again, they sent it back almost instantly.

I had everything taken care of for my MIL inside of a month; she never missed a pension payment (he was already receving them), and got her SS payment set up.

But with an estate it'll be different; FIL died with debts and owning nothing...a bit different to take care of his stuff.



I'm sorry for your loss.

I am glad it was so easy for you! That is great! Believe me it isn't always so easy. For whatever reason my DFIL had lots of small accounts in several different banks around town. The only thing we can figure out is he must have gotten a free gift everytime you opened an account so he had 7 or 8 small accounts all over town. Every BRANCH had different rules for getting the money out. If we felt the branch was asking too much we would just go to another branch. I know one branch of one of the banks wanted us to get a court order?!?!?! We had already closed several accounts so we knew we didn't need a court order to close his little $100 account, so we just went to another branch and they wrote out a check to the estate. Another one told us we needed to leave the money in for a year after the estate closed which once again we knew wasn't right so we just went to another branch. That amount was only $25!

The major credit cards were very easy to close. Most just needed a phone call. A few of the other smaller accounts were much more complicated and did require a death certificate.

We did use a lawyer and like I said, his advice more than paid for his fee, but if its a small estate without any conflict, you may not need one. we didn't think we were going to have any conflict until it was close to the end and we saw how his family was starting to behave, we knew then we needed to get legal advice.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I'm so sorry for your loss I hope everything goes smoothly for you and your family.

May I just say how disgusting it is that a grieving family has to go through all this crap, these fees? I had no idea!! Having to hire experts for every little thing? It's awful what this country has come to, sometimes. When did it get so expensive to pass away? I wish a family could just concentrate on their loved one's last wishes and saying goodbye.

It does not have to be so hard or expensive. PLAN AHEAD to make it easier for your family. My parents had survival- ship rights to all bank accounts and that made a huge difference. A good will was great too. Something I had not counted on was getting death certificates for my dad that died several years ago. We need a few of those and we did need quite a few for my mom. Maybe 6 or7.

Just about everyone we dealt with, register of deeds included, was very kind and easy to deal with. I so understand why the rules are in place. It is a tough time but just a fact of life you have to deal with.

Has anyone dealt with transfering titles of homes and property?? WE plan to keep the house and a large amount of land and plan to transfer it to a joint title of my and my sister's name.
This is all we have left to do and will be able to do this in
March.