What if the decedent owned land in more than one state?
The probate laws of the state in which the decedent was a permanent resident determine who will get the decedent’s personal property (wherever it was located) and the decedent’s real property located within the state. This is why probate is almost always filed in the decedent’s home state. If the decedent owned real property in another state, that state’s laws determine how the real property will be distributed. There will be probate in each state where there is real property, in addition to the home state. Each state has its own method for distributing the decedent’s real property. Even if there is a Will, the Will is first admitted to probate in the home state, then it must be submitted to probate in each state in which the decedent owned real property. The extra probate procedure is called “ancillary probate.” Some states insist upon the appointment of a personal representative who is a local resident to administer the property in that state.
