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My father passed away months ago and his will said that i get the house and some land. I am the only one left.


Does anyone know if i need to do anything on my part? When i log onto my county website and look for his house and land it already shows it in my name.


I think they do that just so i will get charged the property tax.


I don't know about the deed or even who to ask.


Anyone else been down this road? Hope i don't need a lawyer.


Thanks in advanced.

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You have a will to file for probate. Take your will and papers to a Trust and Estate attorney to walk through what should legally be done; it is honestly well worth the money to do this.
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Rick, you wrote:

"Looks like i need a lawyer to do the deed then file it with the county."

But you stated that the county records show that your name is apparently on the title.    If so, you don't need another deed.

What you can do is recheck the county records and try to find out EXACTLY what the deed shows in terms of who owns the property.   If it's already been deeded to you and you alone, and your name is listed as owner on the tax records, I'm not sure why you would need to do anything, except get homeowners insurance on the property, move there, and maintain it.

BTW, the assessor's office, clerk's office, or treasurer's office that handle property taxes can't under any circumstances list your name as owner "...just so i will get charged the property tax."  

What you should do is look at the tax bills (which I assume you're receiving), and see how your name is listed, i.e., whether there's any indication that you're not the current legal owner but have some interest in the property. 

You should also find out HOW your name is listed, as if it's listed "with rights of survivorship," that means that you inherited on your father's death, assuming no one else was listed as having an interest in title.

You've already been given good advice; I'm just emphasizing it. 

I also want to address your supposition of greed when you wrote:

"Just another way for them to make money! I have found that even after death they want money for every little thing."

Perhaps taxes in that area are low; perhaps the workers are even unionized.  They need to earn money too, and they have to provide a lot of support to residents.   And that includes explanation of technical issues.

I won't deny that I would rather go to the courthouse and look up records than pay online to review them, but that's because our county has such a ridiculous system that it's almost totally dysfunctional, and can't be relied on for accuracy.
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You need to get a copy of the deed thru the county office. Is your name the only one on it? If so then there is no transfer IMO. If you did not probate the Will, have no idea how the County would know you inherited it. To be honest, if Dad turned it over to you before he passed, it didn't need to be Willed.

It looks like you outright own the house. No changing of the deed. That does mean, you are responsible for taxes and probably water and sewer. Get a copy of deed filed with the County.
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I am so sorry for your loss. Give yourself time to grieve then work on getting this straightened out.
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In TN where I live, you would need to appear before a probate judge and have a court order to change the deed based on the will. A lawyer is not required but generally makes things go smoother.
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Of course they are going to require you to pay property taxes. That's what happens when you own a house, property taxes and home owners insurance.

I would go to the court house and ask about what you need to do, look at the assessors information and verify that the property is in your name.

You don't need an attorney to do this, unless there are liens against the property, then you might want to use an attorney to find out what they are and if they are legitimate.

So sorry for your loss. Hope this is as simple as it appears.
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Rickma Oct 2021
Looks like i need a lawyer to do the deed then file it with the county.

Country website is bad but it says you can't transfer names add a name etc to a deed.

Just another way for them to make money! I have found that even after death they want money for every little thing.

Thanks again!
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