No Will; No heirs!

I have a friend who lived in Jacksonville, Florida and he died last year (Feb 2002) at the age of 82. He had no will and according to him, no heirs - no siblings, no cousins, no one. To date, no one has appeared to claim any property, belongings, etc. I have left the electricity on and pay the bill; the property tax is un-paid for 2002. I would like to purchase his house but don't know where to start. Any advice?

No will, no heirs, everything goes to the state.

Contact your county tax office to inquire how long you will have to wait before purchasing the property on back taxes. And stop paying them.

You should also inquire about who is the legal authority for intestate estates. That's where your answers will be found.

[Dandy Don]

Do you have any idea as to the value of his estate?

If you wanted to, you could serve as personal administrator for this estate (and collect a fee for doing so if there are other assets in the estate), or you could ask a probate attorney to serve in that capacity and he would get his fee from the estate.