The probate process can be a difficult experience, even if you have an experienced Cobb County probate lawyer on your side, and the estate is uncontested. But if a family member died in another state, you may face unique challenges.
The probate case lives and exists in the state where your loved one lived, even if you and other family members reside elsewhere. It can be very difficult to deal with an estate from far away, especially if this is your first time ever handling an estate. Here are four common challenges:
1. Limited ability to travel to Georgia. Whether you live one state away or thousands of miles from where your family member died, you might face daunting travel logistics and costs. To plan effectively, you will want to figure out when you’ll need to travel to Georgia during the process and for what.
2. Limited amount of time and energy to invest into the estate. If you take on responsibility to be the estate’s personal representative (i.e. executor or administrator), you may need to spend significant time and resources. Can you afford take on this big project, especially if you’re managing it from afar?
3. Limited ability to coordinate dealing with estate property from far away. Some elements of the probate process can be handled remotely. But others require more hands-on effort. For instance, you may need to sort through papers and boxes, visit a bank in person to access a safety deposit box or secure your loved one’s home or car.
4. You may not know what to do or whom to trust. Even if you have roots in Georgia — e.g. friends or close relatives who live nearby — you may not have a robust support network to help you through the diverse parts of the probate process. For example, as you move to different parts of the process you will need to engage different local professionals to help you, such as a real estate agent, accountant, financial advisor, and potentially someone to hold an estate sale, just to name a few. How do find someone you can trust to do a good job, and then make sure that everything has been done right?
These additional factors can make the already complex and confusing probate process, and make it overly cumbersome and time consuming.
Finding a Qualified Probate Law Firm
It is often best to have someone local — who knows what they are doing – to manage everything and to make the process as smooth and easy as possible.
The team at Georgia Probate Law Group understands what you are going through and has helped many others though exactly this kind of situation. We know what it takes to get the job done right the first time, and as quickly as possible. And, we work all over the state of Georgia.
• Our legal team has special systems in place to help those who do not live in Georgia with probate in our state. We’ve honed these systems over years in diverse matters — a benefit of our narrow focus on probate cases. These processes bring structure and order to what can otherwise become a chaotic and stressful experience.
• Usually, our clients do not have to travel to Georgia unless they want to visit. We typically do everything remotely by telephone, fax, email, and mail. We use smart technology to organize what needs to be done, so that our clients feel in control, even when they’re not here physically to oversee things. Our goal is to make the process of managing your estate remotely as simple and stress-free as possible.
• Make settling the estate simple. We can help as much or as little as necessary. Some clients ask us to answer questions and provide guidance, while others want a partner in the process. A lot of our out-of-state clients ask us to take on the whole process for them. We’re happy to help in any of these scenarios.
Contact us today for a complimentary consultation with one of our helpful probate team so we can help you make a plan for your situation.