The estate attorney asked me one question: “Did your mother-in-law ever tell you that she was leaving the house to him?” I said no, but I told him my mother-in-law had mentioned the will several times and had been very specific about who would receive the property. He asked whether anyone else in the family had seen it. I said nobody had, which apparently was exactly why my brother-in-law felt comfortable making plans. The attorney told me to bring him every message and photograph the real estate agent had taken that day. Then he said something that made me realize this was much bigger than an inappropriate listing.
The will left the house to all four children equally, not to the three brothers my brother-in-law had already promised to split it with. It also stated that no sale could proceed until the estate had been formally settled. The attorney contacted the agent and learned that my brother-in-law had presented himself as the person handling the property. He had even given the agent a proposed listing price and told him the other siblings had agreed. None of us had. The agent immediately withdrew the listing after the attorney explained the situation and asked for documentation before taking another step.
When my brother-in-law found out, he was furious and said someone had to make decisions because everyone else was “too emotional.” I reminded him that he had been taking photographs of his mother’s home while people were still eating after her memorial service. He said he’d only been trying to protect the family’s money, but the attorney showed him the will and asked why he’d promised three people something that legally belonged to four. He couldn’t answer. The house eventually sold months later, after everyone agreed on the terms and the estate was properly settled. My mother-in-law had left four children a house, and before the funeral flowers were even gone, one of them had already divided it into three pieces.
