The Oklahoma Estate House Checklist

This week

• Lock it up. Change or rekey the locks and collect the spare keys. Know who can get in.
• Call the homeowner's insurance company. Tell them the owner has passed and whether the house is empty. Many policies limit coverage once a home sits vacant 30 to 60 days, so ask what yours requires.
• Keep the utilities on. Heat and water prevent frozen pipes. A few lights on a timer help the house look lived-in.
• Forward the mail. A USPS change of address keeps bills and tax notices from piling up at an empty house.
• Take dated photos of every room. The court will expect an inventory of estate property, and photos protect you if questions come up later.

The first 30 days

• Find out what is owed on the house. Mortgage, home equity line, reverse mortgage. Call each lender to report the death and keep regular mortgage payments current. A reverse mortgage usually comes due when the borrower passes, and it has deadlines, so call that servicer early.
• Check the property taxes. Tulsa County taxes are due by December 31, or half by December 31 and half by March 31. The County Treasurer's website shows what is owed.
• Surviving spouse living in the home? Ask the County Assessor whether the homestead exemption or senior valuation freeze needs updating.
• Hold on to the contents. Don't sell or give away belongings, or let family take things, until your attorney says the estate allows it.

What can wait

• Deciding whether to keep, rent, or sell.
• Repairs and updates. An estate house can be sold exactly as it sits.
• Clearing out every room.
• Listing the house. In most Oklahoma probates the court approves the sale, and your attorney handles that step.

The executor's duties, in plain words

In Oklahoma the executor is called the personal representative. If there is no will, the court appoints one, called an administrator. Either way, the job is much the same. Your probate attorney guides each step.

• Get appointed by the court. Being named in the will isn't enough. You can act for the estate once the court issues letters, the paper that says you are the personal representative.
• Protect the house and everything in it. Keep it locked, insured, and in decent repair, and keep receipts for what you spend.
• Give notice to creditors. Your attorney publishes a notice and mails it to known creditors. Claims come in by a set deadline.
• List what the estate owns. The court expects an inventory with values, and the house goes on it.
• Keep estate money separate. Use an estate bank account for rent, bills, and any sale money. Don't mix it with your own.
• Sell only the way the court allows. Most estate houses are sold with the court's approval or the written consent of every heir. Your attorney handles that step.
• Report and distribute. At the end you account for money in and out, and the court orders what is left passed to the heirs.

The full court process is in probate in Oklahoma, explained.

Questions? Bucky Cordray · KRE Group, Tulsa estate homes · (918) 317-2874, call or text.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Your probate attorney has the final word on your case.