If the house were being sold, we would know. It isn't. We have no way of knowing for certain why not, but we do know it isn't.
Perhaps? However, I know from experience that not all rural estate companies are great at getting stuff listed quickly on Realtor, Zillow, etc. Some just put up signs and list them on their own local website. Seems super-antiquated in 2022, but we are talking about rural Virginia here. Unless a) a stalker is driving by regularly and reporting back to us and b) checking all the local real estate websites regularly, we may not know immediately if it is put up for sale. But generally, I agree as there are too many stalkers checking the place out occasionally that we will know when it is listed.
I'm not sure if Bob needed to leave the house to Barb in the will, they were both listed as property owners for 14BC since 1998 and Bob was the sole listed owner prior to that date. I think what would happen in that case is once Bob died, his share of the property ownership reverted to Barb.
That'd also explain why she was able to take out a mortgage on the property herself since she is the owner. What's interesting is Bob is still listed as an owner on the property but for property tax purposes that doesn't really matter.
That last sentence is good information that I didn't know. Typical lazy Barb. This also indicates to me that she doesn't have a living trust as she would have put the house into either her name or the name of the trust by now. There is a lot of focus on wills in this forum, but the real thing that people need is a living trust. This also indicates to me that Bob probably didn't have a living trust either as couples typically build them together at the same time.
Tip to young Kiwis from an oldtard: as soon as you have ANY assets you care about where they go after you pass, get a living trust, even if you are in your 20s. I'm not just talking real estate or cars, but family heirlooms you may have inherited as well. You wouldn't believe the shit that previously loving families will do to each other over family heirlooms. Spell out what goes to whom. A living trust can be done well by a good pro for under $1k. An uncle of mine got theirs done at a mall kiosk for a couple hundred bucks. It was sloppier than a more expensive one but it got the job done for his heirs. Main thing is that a living trust is much more likely to keep your heirs out of probate, which is a living hell with seemingly no end.
As for who gets the house with no will or trust (as is likely the case), that depends on the state. I have no idea how it works in Virginia, but in some states, even though Barb is the only living person on the deed, Bob's children would also have a right to a share upon his death and Barb could have been forced to sell the home if that were the case. Again, that may not be true in Virginia, but it is something to consider. It is also possible that Bob's kids didn't know or didn't care and were fine with Barb keeping it. In California and some other states, they would have been entitled to a share if there was no living trust, but I don't know about VA. Either way, I trust that Bob and Barb have handled all of this poorly at every step of the way. After learning just now that Bob is still on the deed, I think that Chris and possibly Cole have a fun time in probate ahead of them, as that implies to me that there is no trust and likely no will.
People forget the place was fixed up after the fire. The same points about reselling formerly horrendous heaps must be restated every few pages. Many people got their knowledge of inheritance laws from TV.
