The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Good Deeds Program educates community
The Lorain County Good Deeds Program hosted a community education forum Sept. 20 at Lorain County Community College’s Spitzer Conference Center, 1005 N. Abbe Road in Elyria.
In collaboration with Lorain County Probate Judge James T. Walther, County Recorder Judy Nedwick and the Lorain County Bar Association, the deed review program provided guests the opportunity to learn about estate planning issues and ask questions of professionals specializing in probate and estate law.
“The whole idea of this program is to try to get people to think about the assets they have, and think about how they want to pass those assets along after they’re no longer around,” Walther said. “We talk about these issues because we think they’re going to save time and a lot of aggravation for the loved ones that are left behind.”
Walther, a probate judge since 2009, said the court deals with about 7,000 cases a year and has seen the pitfalls of lack of estate planning and proper preparation.
“How you hold your property while you’re alive, will decide what happens to your property when you pass away,” he said. “If you don’t make the decision now, then your property might not pass the way you want it to.”
Walther encouraged all adults to have a will and to take simple steps to help alleviate some of those problems down the line.
As an example, Walther said a $200,000 home could face up to $17,000 in probate and attorney fees if the proper documentation in the form of a proper transfer deed or a will is not drafted in advance and that has the potential to create additional anguish for families in their time of grief.
Following the presentation, a team of eight volunteer attorneys specializing in real estate and probate law were available for free consultations to review property transfer deeds and identify if present deeds would transfer properly through Probate Court.