Can we sell a house left to us in a Will without contacting everyone related to him?

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Can we sell a house left to us in a Will without contacting everyone related to him?

My uncle left us the house in the Will. He had no children and his wife preceded him in death by 5 years. She had one son by a previous marriage. He died a few years before she did. He had 2 children from a failed marriage but had no contact with the children. No one has had any contact with his kids for over 20 years. Do we have to contact my uncle’s step grandchildren in order to sell the house? We were supposed to close on a sell today but the lawyer for the purchaser said we could not sell it without them signing off. We attempted to contact them after his death but could not.

Asked on June 21, 2012 under Estate Planning, Georgia

Answers:

FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 11 years ago | Contributor

If legal title to the home that you received under your uncle's Will is not in your name yet, you legally cannot transfer title of it to a third party by way of a sale absent court order to do so.

Assuming legal title to this home is in your name now, then you have no legal obligation to contact any third party about your intent to sell it.


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