| My probate student spotted this lawyer’s shenanigans from a mile away Last week one of my students sent me this email about a probate property he is working on: —- Hi, Ernie. I have a probate property and I suspect there are some shenanigans going on. In December, I received a lead from a woman that is set to inherit a hoarder’s home. Seller’s story is that the deceased homeowner willed the home to her and her daughter. They would like a quick sale for cash. I asked if we could walk the home and she said she was waiting to get the keys from the lawyer. Since that initial call, she has been waiting on the lawyers to do some process or another. Yesterday, she let me know that the lawyer decided to have a real estate agent sell the property. I’m not sure how that will work with the clean out, repairs, etc.. The bigger issue, though, is that the lawyer seems to be making these decisions unilaterally. Is that legal? It doesn’t seem right. —- Although I don’t know all of the specifics of this situation (was there a will? is the seller the sole heir?), it sounds like the lawyer is a deal killer. And it’s your job to advocate for the seller by leveraging your knowledge and expertise to become their hero. Maybe the attorney is just meddling in something that is not his business, but sometimes their intentions are more nefarious. Does the attorney have a previous relationship with the agent? Will he be getting an under-the-table kickback or split from the agent? Whatever the case, he doesn’t have the seller’s best interest in mind and shouldn’t be manipulating the direction of the sale. People stuck in probate are often very vulnerable and can be taken advantage of by the unscrupulous. Knowing how to buy, flip, and sell houses is not enough. You need to be the seller’s last line of defense making sure they get everything they deserve. And as I always say, solving big problems means BIG PAYDAYS! When you’re ready to become a probate superhero, let me know. Committed to your success, Ernie “Killing the Deal Killers” Vargas | The Probate Fox |
March 23
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