FAQ

An estate is the property and the debts left behind after somebody dies.

An heir is a person who inherits property when somebody dies. When there is only one heir, that heir gets the whole estate, after all the bills are paid. When there is more than one heir, they divide the estate.

Probate is the process where a court decides which heirs inherit what from an estate after all the debts of the estate are paid.

When there’s a will, it’s easy. The heirs are listed in the will.

When there’s no will, there are formulas for who inherits what. Sometimes it’s easy. Sometimes it’s quite complicated.

With most of the estates we deal with, there’s no will. After we interview the family, we can figure out who the heirs are.

Most heir hunters only deal with estates over a million dollars. We handle smaller estates, even those with nothing more than an old trailer on a small lot.

Usually, with the properties we deal with, the heirs don’t have good title to the real estate, which reduces its value a lot. This is explained in more detail here.

If we can’t give the heirs at least $1000 each, we usually won’t take on an estate. So far, the highest payouts we have made to heirs have been five figures. We are not currently looking at any properties where any heir would get six figures, but that could change.

With smaller estates where there is a large family tree, a few heirs could, in theory, get less than $1000 each, but that hasn’t happened in several years.

Usually with a cashier’s check when the heirs sign the documents. As soon as the documents are signed, the notary hands the heir their money. We can also do wire transfers to bank accounts or close through attorneys.

At least $100 each, and usually no more than $1,000.

Usually with a cashier’s check or money order, mailed to them right after the heirs sign the documents. For larger finder’s fees, we can make other arrangements.

After all the heirs agree, we can usually get the money delivered in about a week. We’ve gotten money to some heirs who were nearby in as little as a day or two.

One heir who was especially close by said “yes” in the morning, and the notary handed her a cashier’s check that afternoon. We can’t promise you that, but we’ve never had it take longer than two weeks from the time all the heirs say yes, even during holidays.

Heirs and finders pay us nothing:

• Nothing in advance, and
• Nothing later.

We get paid from the estate.

No, this money is tax free. We provide documentation on this for your tax preparer to add one simple page to your next tax return so you pay no taxes on this money.

We have forms to help heirs stay out of court, and we’ve always been successful with that.

Once, we had a judge who wanted to speak to an heir on the phone to clarify something. The call lasted about 5 minutes.

It depends on the estate. With some estates, we need them all. With other estates, we can get cash to the heirs we find.

Traditional heir hunters:

• Only work with large estates.
• Do not disclose the names of the deceased.
• Get heirs to sign exclusive contracts, giving the heir hunter a large percentage of the heirs’ inheritance.
• Make the heirs wait until the estate is settled in court, which could take years, before the heirs get any money.

With us:

• We work with smaller estates.
• We disclose the names of the deceased.
• We do not ask for an exclusive contract.
• Heirs can, if they choose, bypass us and hire their own attorneys to handle the estates.
• We do not take a percentage.
• Heirs get cash in a week or so, without waiting years.

Heir hunting is legal and has been going on for centuries. There was even a reality TV series about heir hunters.

You Have Inherited LLC is fairly new, established in early 2021, but the principals have been dealing with real estate for many years, as buyers, sellers, landlords, property managers, real estate investment trust trustees, and petitioners before Florida courts on real estate title matters. Heir Helpers Real Estate Investment Trust was established in 2018.

No, but we work with attorneys. If you have one, we can work with yours.

No license is required for what we do.

Yes. You Have Inherited LLC is registered with the Florida Secretary of State, Division of Corporations. We are also members of the Florida Land Title Association.

We do a certain portion of our work on a charity basis. Sometimes, we can help heirs continue to live in their inherited real estate before they lose it in a tax auction. This program is limited, and not all families qualify.

Our success is documented in the court records of the estates we’ve handled. However, even though they’re officially classified as public records, it takes a number of steps to access them online. Contact us if you want to view them and we’ll show you how.