Probate confused you.
It shouldn’t have.
That’s on us. Not you.
Someone you love died. And suddenly everyone around you is throwing around words like probate, executor, letters testamentary — and expecting you to just keep up.
You’re not stupid. It was just never explained right.
Until now.
What Is Probate?
Your grandpa had $10,000 in a bank account.
He never told anyone which grandkid he wanted it to go to.
He dies.
Three grandkids show up at the bank the next day. Everyone says the money should be theirs.
The bank won’t give any of them a single dollar.
Not without a judge saying who gets it.
That’s probate.
A judge steps in when there’s no adult left in the room. They look at everything the person owned — the money, the house, the car — and they make sure it goes to the right people.
That’s the whole thing.
Why Can’t You Just Sell the House?
Here’s the part that confuses everybody.
The second someone dies, their house freezes.
You cannot sell it. You cannot give it away. You cannot do anything with it.
Even if everyone in the family agrees. Even if there’s a note that says exactly who should get it.
Doesn’t matter.
The judge has to say it’s okay first.
And until the judge says so — the house just sits there. The house doesn’t care that the owner died. The bills don’t stop. Taxes. Electric. Insurance. Every single month. Money that was supposed to go to the family — just gone.
How Do You Get the Judge Involved?
You fill out one form.
It’s called the PC-200.
Think of it like sending the court a letter that says: “Hey. Someone died. Here’s who they were. We need your help.”
You bring:
- The paper that proves they died
- Their will — the document where they wrote down who should get their stuff — if they made one
- Their Social Security number
- Their name, their address, when they died
- The names and addresses of everyone in the family who might get something
When in doubt about who to list, ask a probate attorney before you file. Leaving someone off can get the whole thing rejected.
You take all of that to the courthouse in the town where the person lived. You hand it in. You pay a small fee.
Probate has started.
One form. That’s how it begins.
Then What Happens?
The judge picks someone to be in charge of sorting everything out.
This person’s job is simple: pay what the person owed, and make sure everyone who is supposed to get something actually gets it.
The judge then gives this person a piece of paper that says: “This person is allowed to make decisions. Banks, listen to them. Buyers, listen to them. Everyone, listen to them.”
Without that paper, nobody will deal with you.
With it, you can start moving.
“But There’s a Will. Do We Still Have To Do All This?”
Yes.
This surprises almost everyone.
A will does NOT mean you skip this process.
A will is just a piece of paper where someone wrote down what they wanted to happen to their stuff. But wanting something to happen and it actually happening are two different things.
The judge still has to read the will. Check that it’s real. And officially say: okay, follow it.
Think of the will as the instructions.
The court is what makes the instructions actually happen.
No court? Nothing moves. Even with a will.
How Long Does All This Take?
In Connecticut — between six months and a year and a half.
That’s a long time.
And the whole time the house is just sitting there. Costing money every single month. Money that was supposed to go to the family.
That’s why a lot of families decide to sell the house early instead of waiting it out.
What Do You Do With the House?
That depends on your situation. And honestly — that’s a conversation worth having before you make any decisions.
When you call us, we don’t hand you a contract. We sit down with you and figure out what actually makes sense. Sometimes that’s selling to us. Sometimes it isn’t. We’ll tell you either way.
We once told a seller not to sell to us. We’d do it again tomorrow.
(203) 901-4198 | snapsalect.com
SnapSale Homes is a local Connecticut cash home buyer. We are not attorneys and nothing here is legal advice. The PC-200 filing requirements described above are a general overview only. Court requirements can change. Always verify current requirements directly with your local Connecticut Probate Court before filing. For guidance on your specific situation, consult a licensed Connecticut probate attorney.