The death of a loved one is a burdensome time.

When walking through a season of loss, a question that many want to know when dealing with probate is how long will the probate process take? You may be surprised at how much time it takes to tie up the loose ends of your loved one’s financial life until you consider how many loose ends there may be to address.

Probate is the legal process through which your loved one’s personal representative handles any obligations your loved one left behind. Then the representative may distribute your family member’s belongings according to a will or the laws of Texas.

The following list includes a few factors that may affect the length of time the probate process requires are as follows:

Complexity of the estate: If your loved one had a car, a house and a bank account, probate should go quickly. However, if the property includes a family business, real estate in other parts of the country or other complex assets, you and your fellow beneficiaries can expect probate to take more time. As with most aspects of life– complexity of issues to be addressed creates a longer timeline.

Distance: Probate documents often require original signatures, which may be delayed if you have to travel to sign them.

Number of beneficiaries and location of beneficiaries: As with any process where decisions and agreements are necessary, multiple recipients may complicate probate, especially if they dispute the will. Additionally, probate may take more time as documents requiring multiple signatures travel from party to party.

While the probate process may be combursome, probate is essential to ensuring the respect and legitimate handling of your loved one’s estate.

The above blog is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice nor does any information or communication with this website create an attorney-client relationship.