If my sister inheritied my father’s house, does this include its contents?
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If my sister inheritied my father’s house, does this include its contents?
Before my father’s death, since my sister lived with him, her name was added to the deed to his house. At his death she inherited said house. The contents of the house are not mentioned in the Will. The remainder of the estate (cash, investments, etc.) is to be divided equally between us.
Asked on April 18, 2011 under Estate Planning, North Carolina
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
I am so sorry for your loss. An estate is generally divided in to two categories: real property and personal property. When someone inherits "the house" the Will can play an integral part in determining exactly what that means overall. If there are contents in the house that are given specifically in the Will to a beneficiary then one could assume that the contents were not considered part of the package. Here you say that the contents are not specifically mentioned so State law will also help determine what goes with the house and what is distributed separately. The attorney that helps to probate the estate should be able to answer this question more definitively. Good luck to you.
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