Hey, so I’ve got this real estate situation in Texas that’s been passed down through my family for over 80 years. It’s a 160-acre property that my great great grandma bought way back when. The issue is, according to the tax records and county documents, the land seems to be divided among three owners: my great grandmother’s trust, my grandfather’s trust, and my mom’s trust.
The thing is, my great grandmother passed away over 20 years ago, and my grandfather just kept paying the taxes without transferring the property after her death. When my grandfather passed away four years ago, my mom inherited his share, but she never got around to sorting out the estate. So now, my mom is the only living owner, holding a one-third share, while the other two-thirds are owned by the deceased great grandmother and grandfather.
According to the wills and trusts, the property should have passed from my great grandmother to my grandfather and then to my mom. Here’s the kicker: my mom is in Arizona, while the deceased family members were all in California when they passed. So, we need to sort out the title deeds and get everything in my mom’s name so she can sell the land.
The thing is, my mom doesn’t want to shell out $40k for a lawyer if the property is only worth that much. I mean, with 160 acres, it’s gotta be worth more than that, right? But the question is, do we really need a lawyer for this mess, or can we figure it out on our own somehow?
If we do need legal help, would it be a real estate lawyer or an estate/inheritance/probate lawyer that we should be looking for? And on top of that, do we need a realtor to estimate the land’s value and help with the sale once we sort out the ownership?
I’m a bit lost on what steps to take and who to reach out to, especially since it seems like most professionals in this area might be based out of Lubbock, considering how small Cochran is. Any advice on the easiest way to untangle this property ownership web would be greatly appreciated!