{"id":3415,"date":"2020-08-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-21T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chrisbuyshomesstlseller2.carrot.com\/?p=3415"},"modified":"2024-10-22T10:48:54","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T10:48:54","slug":"the-probate-process-for-a-house-in-portola-valley-ca-how-to-avoid-getting-scammed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.johnbuysbayareahouses.com\/blog\/the-probate-process-for-a-house-in-portola-valley-ca-how-to-avoid-getting-scammed\/","title":{"rendered":"86. The Probate Process for a House in Portola Valley CA \u2013 How to Avoid Getting Scammed"},"content":{"rendered":"

We Buy Houses In Portola Valley California<\/a>. As Portola Valley home buyers, Probate is simply the process of administering a decedent’s estate. Most of us have heard the stories about how long and headache filled the probate process usually is, and we dread it when we actually have to face it.<\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n

The reality, though, is that done right, the probate process for a house in Portola Valley can be as simple as four easy steps. The flip side is that both the dread and simplicity often open people up to certain probate scams. Let’s take a look.<\/p>\n

The Probate Process for a House in Portola Valley \u2013 How to Avoid Getting Scammed<\/h2>\n

Probate Process for a House in Portola Valley<\/h2>\n

Without the right kind of trust in place, probate usually follows a person’s passing. Probate<\/a> is when the decedent’s debts are settled, and his or her property (held on his or her name alone and not otherwise legally distributed) is transferred to beneficiaries and heirs.<\/p>\n

Typically, the probate process follows four steps.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The first step involves filing a petition with the probate court<\/a> to admit the will and appoint an executor or, if there’s no will, to appoint an estate administrator. A hearing date is set, and a notice of the hearing is published locally.<\/li>\n
  2. After being appointed by the court, the decedent’s personal representative gives notice to all creditors, and an inventory of the estate is made.<\/li>\n
  3. After determining which claims are legitimate, the personal representative pays all expenses, debts, and taxes from the estate. Sometimes, this involves selling estate assets to meet obligations.<\/li>\n
  4. Assets (legal title to a house, for instance) are disbursed according to the decedent’s wishes expressed in the will or, if there is no will, according to the state’s intestate succession laws.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    And that’s it for the probate process for a house in Portola Valley and the entire estate. Just be wary about any scams that may pop up along the way.<\/p>\n

    Common Probate Scams<\/h2>\n

    These are some new twists on old scams that owe their re-birth (and effectiveness) chiefly to the Internet and email. They always, however, target the vulnerable.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Probate Avoidance Scam<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The perpetrators of this scam usually target the elderly. It involves persuading victims to buy fraudulent products that purport to help them avoid probate<\/a>, such as a very expensive living trust kit. Once the scammers have the money in their hands, they either never deliver or provide a product that is actually legally useless.<\/li>\n
    2. Inheritance\/Estate Tax Scam<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Some states still levy an inheritance or estate tax. Using a trusted person’s or organization’s name, scammers contact potential executors\/personal representatives informing them that they stand to inherit a bunch of money. The only catch is that \u2013 because in these states the tax must be paid before probate can go forward \u2013 the victims must first send the scammers an inflated tax.<\/li>\n
    3. Fraudulent Listings Scam<\/strong> \u2013 This one owes its effectiveness to the popularity of sites like Craigslist for home shoppers, especially renters, and applies particularly to the probate process for a house in Portola Valley. Scammers research the property of recently deceased individuals and advertise it for rent. Then, when the scammers collect the deposit and first month’s rent, they disappear, leaving them engaged in probate to deal with the upset victim.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Sell My House In Portola Valley CA<\/h2>\n

      If you’re facing probate, especially the probate process<\/a> for a house in Portola Valley, it’s probably not as ominous and frightening as it first seems. Knowing what it involves and being aware of the common probate scams are good first steps \u2013 but there’s more to consider.<\/p>\n

      We are local homebuyers in CA that offer cash for houses in Portola Valley. We also won\u2019t charge any fees as our services are at 100% no cost to you, and we will not only make it easier for you to sell your house in CA<\/a>\u00a0fast; you won\u2019t even need an agent.<\/p>\n

      If you’d like to learn more about probate and how to get through it smoothly, contact us by phone at (510) 283-9871 or\u00a0fill our simple form.<\/a><\/u><\/span><\/h3>\n

      <\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      We Buy Houses In Portola Valley California. As Portola Valley home buyers, Probate is simply the process of administering a decedent’s estate. Most of us have heard the stories about how long and headache filled the probate process usually is, and we dread it when we actually have to face it. The reality, though, is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-probate"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.johnbuysbayareahouses.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.johnbuysbayareahouses.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.johnbuysbayareahouses.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnbuysbayareahouses.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnbuysbayareahouses.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3415"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnbuysbayareahouses.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18027,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnbuysbayareahouses.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3415\/revisions\/18027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.johnbuysbayareahouses.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnbuysbayareahouses.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnbuysbayareahouses.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}