Why Should I Purchase Title Insurance

Purchasing title insurance in Florida is one of the more expensive components of your Florida real estate transaction, but arguably also one of the most important.  If you are getting a mortgage loan to purchase your property, the lender is going to require you provide them with a lender’s title policy, which protects the lender, and for just an additional […]

To Survey or Not to Survey

To survey or not to survey, that is the question.  If you are purchasing a single-family home, patio home or townhome via fee simple ownership, you should purchase a survey, plain and simple.  The survey provides you with a wealth of knowledge, the most important likely is the actual boundaries of your home.  You don’t have to purchase 100 acres […]

Doing a Deed Yourself Without Consulting an Attorney May Cost more in the Long Run

In our Florida real estate practice, we see lot of do-it-yourself documents used by people trying to save money.  When it comes to valuable real estate, you should consult a licensed Florida real estate attorney when you prepare recording documents, especially deeds.  There is specific granting language that is required for a deed to validly transfer ownership of real property […]

Latest Scam: Fake Grandson and Dead ‘Grandmother’

By Lisa J. Huriash A man targeted a deceased 96-year-old Tamarac woman without in-state relatives. He squatted, faked inheritance papers and eventually planned to sell her home. TAMARAC, Fla. – A man posed as a dead woman’s grandson to steal her home, moving into her three-bedroom Tamarac residence, with plans to eventually sell it, the Broward Sheriff’s Office says. Braden […]

Estate Administration – Second Homes in Florida

Florida is a popular destination for people who want to own vacation or second homes in the Sunshine State but maintain their legal residency outside of Florida. Many people who own property for years and when they pass away their estate would require the probate process if the owned property in their individual names. Florida Statute 734.102 governs ancillary probate […]

If I have already filed for probate in another state, do I have to file a probate case in Florida if there is personal property of the estate in Florida, but no real property?

When a nonresident decedent dies with a Will in another state and leaves property, other than real property in Florida, which has a value less than $50,000.00, and two years have not passed since the death of the decedent; the personal representative of the estate can file a transcript of the foreign probate case and a copy of the Will […]

Can anybody be a personal representative of an estate in Florida?

All personal representatives in Florida must be “qualified.”  Generally, to be qualified in Florida to serve, you need to be the spouse of the decedent or related to the decedent.  Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, Uncles, Aunts, Nephews, and Nieces of the decedent can also qualify to be personal representatives in Florida.  If none of these family members exist, the majority […]