Selling a house
The agreement a seller has with her agent or broker.
What is a listing agreement?
Property held in this form is not subject to a will.
What is a joint tenancy with a right of survivorship?
The author of the will.
What is the testator?
This survivor may not be eliminated or excluded.
What is a surviving spouse?
A person who dies without a will.
What is intestate?
These are discovered in a title search.
What are liens and encumbrances?
A deed with enforceable promises.
What is a warranty deed?
Distribution to each descendant individually.
What is per capita?
Restrictions on this relationship will be ignored.
What is marriage?
The people who take in the absence of a will.
What are heirs?
Successful negotiations to sell a house lead to the original offer and acceptance, or this document.
What is a purchase and sale agreement?
Typical financing for a home purchase.
What is a mortgage?
A holographic will is entirely this.
What is handwritten?
Typically, these may not benefit from a will unless they would have received the same property by intestate succession.
What are the witnesses to the will?
The property of a person who dies without a will is distributed according to this.
What is state law?
The Torrens system eliminates the need for this.
What is title insurance?
In most states, these two indexes are critical to the title search.
What are the grantee and grantor indexes?
Distribution to each descendant based on his or her parent's share.
What is per stirpes?
Allowing people to control disposition of their property at death encourages them to do this actively throughout their lives.
What is manage their property?
Rather than an executor, this manages the estate of a person who dies without a will.
What is an administrator?
This ensures the correct property is being sold and all buildings and fences are on the right property.
What is a survey?
A deed that makes no promises.
What is a quit claim deed?
A nuncupative will must be made during this.
What is one's final illness?
Cy pres is the doctrine that will alter bequests to these that would otherwise fail.
What are charities?
This court appoints the person who manages the estate.
What is the probate court?