Thanks so much for your reply, and your compliment. Yes..I loved my stepdad very much, he was the only dad I ever knew, and remained close freinds with my mom after their divorce, which was an amicable divorce. This is what is going on as of now...we don't have a copy of the will, my stepdad's brother and three adult kids took it. My mom and stepdad had the will drawn up after they were married, and she told me that my name is specifically in there, for sure. The attorney who is advising my mom on other matters pertaining to the estate is going to represent me in this matter. He is supposed to be getting a copy of the will and has been in contact with the attorney representing my stepdad's family...the same attorney who drew up my parent's will. We've been told that the house is going into probate, but we've been checking the legal notices and haven't seen anything yet. (he died Aug.2) My stepdad's family and kids disowned him years ago, resurfaced when my stepdad was dying, and then cleaned his house out two hours after his death. The attorney who is going to represent me most likely will remind the family's attorney that I'm in the will too, but it looks like they're all stalling on their end. My mom's name is still on the mortgage too, along with other bills that my stepdad never took her name off of, and she has been told by the mortgage company that she can assume the mortgage, they can foreclose on the house and then transfer the deed back over to her. (she signed a quitclaim deed at the divorce hearing but the mortgage company has no copy of it...only the original title of ownership which my parents signed when they mortgaged the house). The house is heavily mortgaged, it has no equity, my stepdad's family wants the house foreclosed upon but doesn't want it going to my mother for spiteful reasons. We were even barred from attending the funeral. The family's attorney is supposed to be representing the estate, and my stepdad's brother was named executor (or administrator, I'm not sure). It was my stepdad's last wish to have myself and my mother take over the house, and that's what we'd like to do. Unfortunately he never had an attorney make up a document stating these wishes. Since I'm stationed in North Carolina (US Marines) and this fiasco is taking place in Massachusetts, my mom would like to enter the property and see what damage the family has done to it, (the neighbors told my mom that the family trashed the place after they cleaned it out)...but is afraid to since she has no legal rights to the house. The mortgage company is getting involved with this, they want to help her take back the house, and may have a representative accompany her to the house to inspect it. It's one big mess...but hopefully the end result will be that my mother and I get the house back, with the mortgage company's help, so that we can carry out my stepdad's last wishes.
Again, thanks for your advice and suggestions, it is greatly appreciated! take care..Mike