By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or
[email protected] to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our
Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our
Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
So order a bunch initially. A dz -15 per property address seems to be what’s needed in my experience.
For death certificates, usually its the funeral home who orders these, but you have to tell them the #. Ordering initially cheaper and you get them pretty quickly from the State Vital Statistic office.
For Letters, those you pay in cash for at the PC hearing when you are appointed & staff prints them out as you wait. Again get the #s needed (and then some).
Should you run out, it will take probably w...e..e..k...s to get them.
She could give Executorship to you. Which would be more logical you are in the same State her Mom was in. You then would be entitled to a percentage of the Estate. She could give over her Executorship to a lawyer.
I’ve had to get bonded and the probate atty handled doing it. There seemed to be an equation as to how much bond needs to be placed at, and it’s time limited but renewable. Specialty insurance underwriters can do these; it doesn’t have to be from Sneaky Pete’s BailBonds & Towing across from the jail. You get a credit ck run and do a notarized questionnaire. Estate pays for it, assuming there’s $, lol.
If it’s as you described it, your mom died with no assets. No assets = no need for probate. No assets = No Estate. Death certificates could be mailed to debtors / accounts to get closed. Or bills flat get ignored.
But if your Sister died with assets, unless all completely in Trusts or had her daughter listed as only beneficiary, there will need for probate court to determine & allow distribution of assets & show “standing”. TX has 3 basic types: small estates affidavit, Muniment of Title & traditional probate. Which type imo (been Executor x3) depends on what status her assets & debts were at time of death. If your niece was super involved in moms life... like signatory on all accounts, had them TOD or POD to her, & there’s no debts, she might can get info needed to determine assets with her nonTX ID & an original death certificate for each account. Then use info to submit paperwork & fees to court for sm. estates affidavit or a Muniment along with valid will. It would mean several trips to TX as MACinCT described.
But if there’s debts or management of or sale of property to be done, imho it’s going to need full traditional probate with her named Executor and Letters Testamentary issued from the court and not a DIY. Kinda best to get a probate atty who has a practice in county where her mom resided as filings for PC done via online portal that attorneys recognized by court have access to. Your niece can’t realistically do this PLUS she is not a legal resident of the state. Court doesn’t know her from the Easter Bunny; but court knows the probate atty and can contact them if need be.
For TX it’s imo a pretty straightforward process to be named Executor & get Letters Testamentary if there is a valid will. The will must be presented to the court, & validated before Letters issued. Probate attys run on avg. $2500-7500 plus court fees unless this is bigger M+ estate imo. If any “foreign” stuff, like assets in another state (actually happens lots if oil & gas assets), that might need atty in those states or Executor goes & files jurisdiction request (loads of fun). If any possibility of litigation, thats speciality work, those prices way different.
Yes, she is expected to show up in person to be named Executor & get Letters Testamentary. You take an oath, serious responsibility. 2 types of Administration: Independent and Dependent (court supervised). Judges can have discretion as to which. Wills can be viewed as invalid, an atty might can smooth that over. (TX revised estate laws few years back, all new formats). If she’s total heir, judge may place Dependent as you don’t want it to look like self dealing. There are specific formats for paperwork; some filings need notary; if real assets (home, land,car) then value determined & filed. Notice to Creditors placed. Doing from out of state imho not feasible unless able to go & spend days or weeks every few months, know exactly how paperwork to be done, and do till assets, claims and distribution done.
TX is a Level of Claim by Class & nonTifra state. These make a huge butt difference as to what happens with debts imho. If Sis died owning property & died with bills (utilities, CC, cable, fone) unpaid, those vendors can file claims. It’s cheap filing & can pay off. No distribution till they get paid or released. I’ve done loads of periodic Executor administrative filings & there’s always a “runner” in line filing a stack of debt claims on behalf of Comcast, AT&T, Reliant, hospitals, etc. onto dockets.
Also if property, expect taxes to triple or quadruple. Tax bills go out Oct. If assessor value whack, she or atty has to file for a hearing (done usually June -Aug) & present why inaccurate. Otherwise it will increase annually.
Also homeowners insurance no longer valid; property needs Vacant Dwelling policy & their $$$.
Should Medicaid be involved that’s a whole other issue....
Really y’all need to find probate atty.