News and Articles

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Surplus Funds Q&A Series · Dec 1, 2025

What does the commissioner’s percentage cover, and can that amount be reduced or challenged?: North Carolina

What does the commissioner’s percentage cover, and can that amount be reduced or challenged? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a commissioner’s percentage is compensation for administering a court-ordered sale and distribution—things like giving notices, coordinating the sale, handling deposits, filing reports, and overseeing disbursement. It is treated as a cost of the…

Surplus Funds Q&A Series · Dec 1, 2025

Is it faster or safer to pick up the check in person instead of having it mailed, especially around the holidays?: North Carolina Surplus Funds

Is it faster or safer to pick up the check in person instead of having it mailed, especially around the holidays? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, once the Clerk of Superior Court has a final order and the notice/appeal period has run, in-person pickup often avoids postal delays and can be faster…

Guardianship Q&A Series · Dec 1, 2025

What ongoing duties, reports, and accountings will I have after I’m appointed?: North Carolina Guardianship

What ongoing duties, reports, and accountings will I have after I’m appointed? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a guardian’s reporting duties depend on the type of guardianship. A guardian of the estate (and a general guardian) must file an inventory within three months of appointment and submit annual accountings with supporting documents.…

Real Estate Q&A Series · Dec 1, 2025

How can I confirm a law firm actually received my deed and land documents if my emails may not be going through?: North Carolina

How can I confirm a law firm actually received my deed and land documents if my emails may not be going through? – North Carolina Short Answer Use redundant, documentable channels and act quickly because North Carolina protects real estate transfers by the first deed recorded. Call the firm’s main line, ask for the closing…

Real Estate Q&A Series · Dec 1, 2025

Can you handle the closing and coordinate with the title company, escrow, and the buyer’s lender?: North Carolina

Can you handle the closing and coordinate with the title company, escrow, and the buyer’s lender? – North Carolina Short Answer Yes. In North Carolina, a real estate attorney typically serves as the settlement agent and coordinates the title work, escrow/trust accounting, and the buyer’s lender. State law requires collected funds and recording of the…

Real Estate Q&A Series · Dec 1, 2025

What steps do I need to complete a deed transfer when another firm is involved and I’m waiting on their instructions?: North Carolina Real Estate

What steps do I need to complete a deed transfer when another firm is involved and I’m waiting on their instructions? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, title is conveyed by a properly signed and notarized deed that is delivered and then recorded in the county Register of Deeds where the property sits.…

Real Estate Q&A Series · Dec 1, 2025

Do I need an EIN for this property transfer, and how is it used in the paperwork or recording process?: North Carolina

Do I need an EIN for this property transfer, and how is it used in the paperwork or recording process? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, an EIN (or other taxpayer ID) is not required on the deed and should not appear in the public record. A taxpayer ID may be needed if…

Estate Planning Q&A Series · Dec 1, 2025

Can I make my power of attorney effective only if I’m incapacitated, or should it be effective immediately?: North Carolina

Can I make my power of attorney effective only if I’m incapacitated, or should it be effective immediately? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a financial power of attorney is effective when signed unless the document says it becomes effective later (for example, upon incapacity). That delayed version is often called a “springing”…

Partition Action Q&A Series · Nov 28, 2025

How can I complete a partition sale without attending the closing or signing anything if a commissioner was appointed?: North Carolina

How can I complete a partition sale without attending the closing or signing anything if a commissioner was appointed? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, once a partition sale is confirmed, the court‑appointed commissioner—not the co‑owners—signs the deed and completes closing under the court’s order. Co‑owners typically do not attend closing or sign…

Partition Action Q&A Series · Nov 28, 2025

Can I be held in contempt for speaking with the closing attorney when a court order says not to contact the buyer?: North Carolina

Can I be held in contempt for speaking with the closing attorney when a court order says not to contact the buyer? – North Carolina Short Answer Yes—if a North Carolina court order bars contact with the buyer (and especially the buyer’s agents), reaching out to the buyer’s closing attorney can be treated as indirect…

Partition Action Q&A Series · Nov 28, 2025

If I choose not to participate, will my proceeds be deposited with the court and how do I later claim them?

If I choose not to participate, will my proceeds be deposited with the court and how do I later claim them? – North Carolina Short Answer Yes. After a partition sale is confirmed, the commissioner can pay recorded liens from a co-owner’s share and, if a co-owner will not cooperate or cannot be paid safely,…

Surplus Funds Q&A Series · Nov 26, 2025

Who is holding the funds before the hearing, and do they earn interest?: Who is holding the funds before the hearing, and do they earn interest?

Who is holding the funds before the hearing, and do they earn interest? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina foreclosure and judicial sale cases, surplus proceeds are typically paid into the office of the Clerk of Superior Court if entitlement is unclear or disputed; otherwise, the trustee or sale officer may hold them…

Surplus Funds Q&A Series · Nov 26, 2025

Can someone object to how the remaining funds are split, and what happens if they do?: North Carolina

Can someone object to how the remaining funds are split, and what happens if they do? – North Carolina Short Answer Yes. In North Carolina, any person with a legal claim to surplus funds (the money left after a foreclosure or similar court-ordered sale pays costs, taxes, and the debt) can object to how those…

Probate Q&A Series · Nov 25, 2025

Do beneficiary‑only assets need to be listed on the probate forms, and do they affect the estate’s fee calculation?: North Carolina

Do beneficiary‑only assets need to be listed on the probate forms, and do they affect the estate’s fee calculation? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, beneficiary‑only assets (like life insurance or retirement accounts payable to a named person) are typically not part of the probate estate and generally are not listed on the…

Probate Q&A Series · Nov 25, 2025

How can I move forward with my probate case after missing a filing deadline?: North Carolina Probate

How can I move forward with my probate case after missing a filing deadline? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a missed probate deadline can often be cured by promptly filing the late document and asking the Clerk of Superior Court for more time. If the deadline has already expired, the clerk may…

Partition Action Q&A Series · Nov 25, 2025

How can I make sure the commissioner credits the delinquent property taxes I paid before the sale when the proceeds are split multiple ways?

How can I make sure the commissioner credits the delinquent property taxes I paid before the sale when the proceeds are split multiple ways? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina partition sales, necessary carrying costs that preserved the common property—like delinquent property taxes—are paid back from the sale proceeds before the net is…

Partition Action Q&A Series · Nov 25, 2025

How can I add my name to the deed of a home and land that were in my late spouse’s name?: North Carolina

How can I add my name to the deed of a home and land that were in my late spouse’s name? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a deceased person’s solely owned real estate passes at death to the will’s devisees or, if there is no will, to the heirs by intestate succession.…

Estate Planning Q&A Series · Nov 25, 2025

Is it better to name healthcare agents in a sequence rather than requiring joint decisions, and how many backups should we include?: North Carolina

Is it better to name healthcare agents in a sequence rather than requiring joint decisions, and how many backups should we include? – North Carolina Short Answer Under North Carolina law, it is usually better to name one primary health care agent and then list backups in sequence instead of requiring joint decisions. Sequential authority…

Estate Planning Q&A Series · Nov 25, 2025

How should we set up beneficiaries on our retirement accounts so they avoid probate and still match our will plans?

How should we set up beneficiaries on our retirement accounts so they avoid probate and still match our will plans? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, retirement accounts pass by beneficiary designation, not by a will, so naming primary and contingent beneficiaries keeps them out of probate. To match will goals, align each…

Estate Planning Q&A Series · Nov 25, 2025

Do we need to list any specific account details in our wills, or is it best to keep those off the documents and rely on beneficiary forms?: North Carolina

Do we need to list any specific account details in our wills, or is it best to keep those off the documents and rely on beneficiary forms? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a will controls probate assets, while most financial accounts with beneficiary, POD, or TOD designations pass outside the will. It…

Estate Planning Q&A Series · Nov 25, 2025

Can a married couple name different executors in each will, and how would that work if one spouse dies while an estate is being handled?: North Carolina Estate Planning

Can a married couple name different executors in each will, and how would that work if one spouse dies while an estate is being handled? – North Carolina Short Answer Yes. In North Carolina, each spouse’s will stands on its own, so each spouse may name a different executor and different backups. If one spouse…

Estate Planning Q&A Series · Nov 25, 2025

What’s the best order for naming primary and backup executors and agents for financial and health care powers of attorney?: North Carolina

What’s the best order for naming primary and backup executors and agents for financial and health care powers of attorney? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a common, sound order is: spouse first, then one or two trusted adult alternates listed in a clear sequence. Use one active decision‑maker at a time to…

Partition Action Q&A Series · Nov 25, 2025

How does the existing mortgage affect a partition or court-ordered sale?: North Carolina

How does the existing mortgage affect a partition or court-ordered sale? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a mortgage stays with the property in a partition case unless it is paid off at closing. In a court-ordered sale, the Clerk of Superior Court can order the property sold free and clear, with the…

Partition Action Q&A Series · Nov 25, 2025

How can I stop a forced sale in a partition case or buy out the other heirs if I want to keep the house?

How can I stop a forced sale in a partition case or buy out the other heirs if I want to keep the house? – North Carolina Short Answer Under North Carolina’s partition laws, a co-owner can often avoid a forced sale by using the heirs-property buyout process or by asking for a partition in…

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