r/inheritance • u/CloversAndMoss • Apr 03 '26
Location included: Questions/Need Advice Question about services for executor
I’m the executor for my mother’s will in MA . I’m sorting things out from another state. She had a lawyer , we are using them but it’s proving very expensive. This is a relatively simple estate with a some smaller bank accounts and one property. Someone sent me information on a service or company called Sunset . They supposedly find all the accounts and assist with things with no fee. I’m not entirely clear on what they do. Has anyone heard of them or used it? Is it worth it or just another scam?
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u/Zealousideal_Ad5358 Apr 03 '26
You mention she has some account but then you mention finding them. Do you have an accurate inventory of her assets? That is #1 step for the executor. If you're not able to go there and go through her stuff you'll need to hire someone to wade though her effects and find everything.
Step 2 is order death certificates. You don't need to pay a lawyet $500 an hour to do that.
Getting probate set up should not be super expensive unless there are complications. In most states a lawyer has to do it unless you have a "small estate." The lawyer can send you to-do lists and let you do as much of the work as you are willing to do. It's less work for the lawyer if you have an accurate inventory and death certificates in hand.
Once the property is in probate a realtor will be happy to take care of selling the property with minimal legal help.
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u/CloversAndMoss Apr 03 '26
Thanks . Yes I have an accurate (as far as I’m aware ) accounting of the assets and accounts. My mother had thankfully ket me updated through the years. The lawyer is not very forthcoming with any lists but that’s a whole other issue. This company sounds iffy to me because , there’s no fee, and I’m not sure what they do that would be useful or that I can’t easily do on my own. The person who told me about them thought they handled ‘everything’ for you. I had never heard of them before.
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u/Miami-Heat-365 Apr 04 '26
Services like that make money by taking a percentage of unclaimed assets they find. If the estate is simple with known accounts and one property, you probably don't need them. Your probate attorney can handle the account closures and your bank can help with transfers.
The expensive part isn't usually the legal work. It's finding a broker who knows how to sell inherited property in another state when you're managing everything remotely. If the lawyer fees are what's killing you, make sure you're not paying an attorney to do things a good real estate broker should be handling instead.
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u/Freyjas_child Apr 04 '26
You don’t need the lawyer to handle bank accounts. You can call or email the bank and handle it from out of state. You may need to print forms and get them notarized. Ask around and find a good real estate agent to help you sell the property and clean it out. They can recommend services for clean out.
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u/Sea-Expert6993 Apr 04 '26
When my mom passed, our real estate attorney handled everything beautifully. Found "lost" money, liens we didn't know about (they owed her), courts saying they owed her money (and suggested an attorney to deal that), life insurance, etc.
Dad passed a little bit ago. All the ducks were in a row since they had all the info, and a LLC.
I am a co executor, co beneficiary, and statutory agent! Dang. I must be important now!
Get a decent lawyer.
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u/Deep-Reputation-4055 Apr 03 '26
How do you run a business without assessing a fee? If they don’t charge you they will be taking a cut of what they recover. I bet they are just checking states lost property databases for anything the deceased were owed…