One of the hardest things in life is for someone to come to terms with the loss of a loved one, never mind having to decide on what to do with their sentimental and cherished items.
Selling their car might just be one of the items you’ll find yourself having a bit of difficulty logistically, but we’re on hand to help and make the process as simple as possible during this difficult time.
Did the deceased leave a Will?
Generally, the vehicle will pass into the Estate and this is to be distributed among the rightful heirs or beneficiaries. A Will or other legal documents will see how this is to be distributed. This is the first place you should probably look to. Locating the Will is a starting point and will help to make the process as straightforward as can be.
The main thing to look out for is whether or not you are the executor of the estate, which, means that you can legally sell the car. You’ll also need to acquire the title to sell the car too. Once you have this, it doesn’t matter if you don’t have experience selling a car yourself, Jamjar is here to help you with that and can guide you through selling your car online while making the most money that you can from a sale.
What if there is no Will?
If the car owner has passed away and has not left a Will behind, then this is known as dying intestate. If this is the case, then the state probates the estate of the deceased so that they can find out who the living heirs are, along with and debt and liabilities.
This is where things can get a little complicated and tricky as the process of probating an estate can take years for a person who passes without a Will. This means it may make it near enough impossible to try and sell the car.
What is a Probated Estate?
This brings us on nicely to probate. You might have heard of this term before, sounds pretty fancy, doesn’t it? This is a legal procedure that involves administering the estate of the deceased. This might sound easy, but it can actually become really tricky.
The purpose of Probate is to establish the validity of the last will y examining the deceased’s assets and property, which would include any cars. If this is the case, then you’ll need to set up a time with the Probate Court.
Probate Court
If you are the administrator of the deceased’s property and you’re struggling to transfer car title until probate has finished, then you should get in touch with the Probate Court as soon as.
Essentially, what will happen is the heir will receive the car once Probate has finished or the executor if they were given the car, chooses to sell it.
Will unpaid loans cause you an issue?
If the car in question has had a car loan taken out in order to pay for it, then you’ll need to make sure that the balance has been paid off in full before doing anything else. Once this is done, the company that issued the loan will be able to provide you with a clean title.
If there was never any car loan, this doesn’t matter sadly as you still need to make sure that you have the title, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be in your name. Once you have made the sale, all you need to do is sign the back of the title, almost like if you own the vehicle and next to your name, write “executor of the estate” along with your deceased family member’s name.
Another important thing to note too is that you’ll need to make sure that you’ve cancelled the insurance on the car before doing all of this. You should also be prepared to incase the insurance company ask for a copy of the death certificate.
The bottom line
As difficult and deeply saddened that you may be, having lost a dear friend or family member, if you can be organised in arranging the sale of their car. If there is a Will or a title for the car, then this can make the selling process a whole lot easier.
If you’re looking to ease your stress levels and fancy selling your car to someone that you can trust, for the best price, then this is the place to be. Find out how much your car could be worth today with our FREE and easy-to-use online valuation tool.
