Posted by Rick, the Probate Guy on September 11, 2006 at 14:37:03:
You’ll need to chain out title to confirm deceased owner’s interest, then determine approximate value at date of death to determine if value exceeds threshold for requirement of probate. If so, then it will be necessary to probate the decedent’s estate, including this (and any other) assets (offset by his liabilities).
Power of attorney doesn’t work when the signor is dead. Since it’s a proxy of sorts, the power is extinguished upon the signor’s demise or change in capacity.
Hope this helps.