How to Sell a Car if the Owner is Deceased

There may come a time when you are faced with the task of being in possession of a close family member or friend that has left everything to you once they have deceased.  One of the common things that is always left to deal with if a car of the owners and you might have to sell it if you do not need the vehicle but if you are thinking about selling a deceased owners car then you are going to have to look over the laws in the area that you live in.  Knowing the laws in your area is going to be a big help to you so that you can understand what is suppose to happen when there has been a death and the question of who exactly has the title of the car.

You are going to need to know a few things before you can sell any vehicle if the owner is deceased but you will have to have the lawful title when you wish to sell the car.

• The need for the vehicle to pass into the Estate

When there has been a death then a lot of the times, it will be that it should be passed into the estate of the owner who has passed on.  This means that the next of kin or whoever the owner had wished for all of their possessions to be passed over to should be receiving the vehicle.

If there is a will in place or any legal documents including instructions over trust funds then they should be with a lawyer and they will gather everyone for the reading which will then say who is the beneficiary and who gets what in the estate – and this should include who will be getting the car.  If you are the one who has got possession of the car then you will have to know if you can claim for the legal title of the deceased owner’s vehicle and then when you do you may sell it or keep it.

• Dying Intestate

Now here is the tricky part because if you find that the owner hasn’t actually left any instructions or a will then you are going to have a dying intestate on your hands.  Now this does change quite a lot in fact because there is no legal word from the deceased over his or her last wishes meaning that it might have to go to might so that it can be decided about any possessions.  It could be that if there are any outstanding debts then this might pay them off with the car.

When you find that someone dies intestate then it may take years before anything may be settled which if it does then it could be that you might never be able to sell any deceased owners vehicle.

• Understanding how the process works with all Heirs

When you have someone who dies then hopefully they will have left a will but if not then if you have an understanding from all of the heirs as to who is to take possession of the vehicle.  If you have this understanding then you have a good chance to sell the vehicle quickly; you should have everything settled amongst the heirs so that you will run into no problems while selling the vehicle.

• Trustee

When you want to sell the car then you could get your attorney who may be acting as a trustee then they might be able to help you when it comes to selling the vehicle which may be easier to do however.  They may be getting a percentage or sale tax when it comes to the selling of the vehicle.

• Knowing about the State and Federal taxes

You might have to pay tax liabilities when it comes to your cars and selling it but also there might be other taxes attributed to this if there are unpaid taxes which the state might used to help settle any debts that may be unpaid or unsettled as yet.  There could also be a lot of state or federal taxes added if the cost of the inheritance is millions, if this is then your percentage could be very high in deed possibly over half of the estates value.

Before you think about selling the vehicle then you should think about consulting other members of your family or friends if you think there might be a problem so that any grievances will be taken care of before the car is sold.  If there is someone who isn’t sure of selling the car then you could discuss so that there will be an agreement made so that there are no problems after you have sold the car.