Length of Probate:

How long does probate take?  That's a great question, and I typically like to give a range.  In North Carolina, you're looking probaby, anywhere between 9 and 12 months.  Now, having said that, every single probate case is different.  Some of the things that may effect the length of time are: maybe the assets are not all in one place.  You have clients that might have, you know, ten different stocks with ten different companies.  It's the time that it takes to start collecting the assets.  We may have to locate beneficiaries; that's additional time.  We also have to make sure that we go according to the North Carolina probate statutes so there are notice to creditors we have to do, there's time that we have to wait for that, there are instances where we have to file documents, so typically, I like to say: 8, 9 to 12 months - but again, it really depends on what the work is that's involved in that particular file.  So if you want to avoid probate and do it quicker, you do have an option of doing a revokable living trust.