131 Cash Home Buyers
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Case study

The 42-heir probate

A Tampa Bay homeowner passed away without a will, and under Florida law the house passed to his extended family — 42 heirs spread across the country. Here’s how we got it closed.

42Heirs on title
28Signed voluntarily
1Underwriter that said no
42 / 42Heirs paid at closing

The problem

When a homeowner dies without a will and there is no close family to inherit, Florida’s intestacy rules move outward through the family tree — siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins and beyond. In this estate, that tree branched into 42 living heirs, each owning a small fractional share of one home. Some knew each other. Many didn’t. A few had never heard of the man who left them the house.

The house couldn’t be sold until every one of those interests was dealt with. That’s where most buyers stop.

“Too complex” — even for a title underwriter

In summer 2025 we brought the file to a St. Petersburg title company. After reviewing it with senior underwriting counsel at a national title insurer, they told us neither the firm nor the underwriter had the capacity or resources to close a transaction with 42 heirs. We thanked them — and moved forward with a different title company and our probate attorney.

What we did

Built the family treeA professional heir search confirmed every heir and their percentage of ownership.
Reached every heir personallyWe contacted each heir, explained the situation in plain English, and kept the whole family updated with regular group emails.
28 heirs signed voluntarilyEach received a signing payment, and the consents allowed the sale to move forward by court-supervised partition.
Followed Florida law for the restFor the heirs who didn’t respond, the judge authorized process servers, and the remaining notice was published in the newspaper as Florida partition law requires. No one contested the sale.
Court approval and closing — spring 2026With the court’s approval in hand, a licensed title company closed the sale and mailed proceeds to all 42 heirs according to their ownership shares. The only deduction from the estate was the past-due property tax bill.
Note on timing: this estate needed a partition action because so many heirs couldn’t be reached, which takes months. Most of the estates we handle are far simpler and qualify for Florida’s fast summary process, which we can often complete in 24–48 hours.

Why it matters for your family

If your relative’s estate has a long list of heirs — cousins, half-siblings, relatives you’ve never met — it can still be settled, and you don’t have to be the one to organize it. We do the outreach, pay the costs, keep everyone informed, and the title company makes sure every heir is paid their exact share.

Talk to us about a multi-heir estate

More

Heirs overseasRomania and Russia Selling with multiple heirsFlorida guide Contacted by us?Start here

131 Cash Home Buyers is a real estate investment company (the buyer), not a law firm. Probate filings are prepared and handled by an independent licensed Florida probate attorney who represents the estate. Timelines depend on the estate and the court, and not every estate qualifies for the fastest track. Nothing here is legal advice.

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