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For some, life’s end has been expected for some time. For others, it may come rather unexpectedly. Whether anticipated or not, passing away means that your estate must be settled, including any real estate you may own. Unless you plan ahead to avoid it, your house will go into probate. Do you know what happens to a house in probate?
It’s pretty common for a house to be inherited by a single beneficiary. If you make a will, you can designate a single beneficiary. If someone else’s name is on the deed to the house, the property may pass to them automatically, depending on state laws. A single beneficiary is often a surviving spouse or single child, though there’s little reason why a will couldn’t designate another person as the intended beneficiary.
If you have multiple children who you wish to benefit from ownership of the house, you may designate multiple people as inheritors of the house in your will. That can make things a little tricky for the beneficiaries since many of them may have their own primary residences and may not all agree on what should be done with the house. In this case, the house will commonly be sold and the profits divided amongst the beneficiaries.
Some people have outstanding debts when they pass away. That debt doesn’t just go away simply because you aren’t around to pay it anymore. When this happens, the estate becomes responsible for paying off the debt. Selling the house to settle your debts may become necessary. In this case, anyone who is intended to inherit anything from the house won’t be able to do so until after the debts have been settled. Only after any debt has been resolved can the beneficiaries of your estate receive their inheritances.
There are a few potential outcomes for a house in probate. Whether it’s inherited and kept, inherited and sold, or sold before any inheritance happens, knowing the potential outcomes makes it easier to plan your estate. If you plan ahead well enough, you may even be able to avoid the house going through probate altogether. That can make things simpler for everyone involved in what happens to your estate after you pass on.
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