When can I expect payment from my father's estate?
The law does not impose a specific deadline on executors, but generally requires them to administer a will and distribute the property it covers "within a reasonable time." What's considered "reasonable" depends on how much property is involved, how complex the plans for leaving it -- and in this case, perhaps, how quickly the housing market allows the house to move to a new buyer.
As a very general target, know that most beneficiaries receive the property they're due from six to eighteen months after a death occurs.
My brother is the Trustee of my father's Will. Dad passed in March of '09. The will is being handled by a reputable attorney. My sister and I are the Beneficiaries. My brother is not communicating with us about the progress toward the distribution of the assets. Is he legally bound to tell us what is going on ? The attorney has given us info only when we ask him directly, and does not elaborate, only giving short and vague answers. My dad lived with my brother for his last eight years in Florida. I reside in Ohio and my sister lives in Texas. The value of the Will is not over $500,000. My brother has told my sister and I in several emails that we don't 'deserve' anything from the Will. He is extremely adversarial. How can we get him to tell us more details ? I know the average time to close out the Will is 6-18 months. We want to minimize this from being dragged out, and my sister and I cannot afford to hire our own attorney.
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