Can Probate be avoided?
Yes. One of the many ways to avoid probate is to execute a 'living trust'. This is a separate entity to which a person transfers ownership of his real property (house, etc.) from himself to a trust which he controls and can revise at any time. Upon death, the persons named as beneficiaries in the trust acquire ownership of that trust and the property contained within.
As probate is a public process, a living trust has the added advantage of preserving the privacy of the deceased and their heirs as well as avoiding some estate tax.
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