Heir Hunters

[Saracen]

Yes, like the BBC TV series, where you get a knock on the door from some bloke telling you you may have inherited money, probably in unspecified amount, from a relative you may not have known you had!

Well, guess who had such a knock a while back?

Yup.

It actually, genuinely, really does happen. No TV crew, though, so I'm guessing I'm not the sole heir of some reclusive billonaire, and the buying of my private island paradise may have to go back on hold.

Still, the news was ..... unexpected. Very definitely good news/bad news.

So, anyone else had the knock? If so, what happened (less private details, of course)?

What was the experience with the heir hunters like?


Oh, and by the way folks, this is why we should all have a will (unless you've nothing to leave).

[scaryjim]

... So, anyone else had the knock? ...

Nope, but given what I know of my family that's not surprising. If someone did go I wouldn't be first in the queue to track down.

... the heir hunters ...

Is anyone else having real difficulty saying that due to the conflict between written alliteration and the pronunciation?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Most men would love hair hunters when they get to a certain age.

[scaryjim]

most men become hair hunters when they get to a certain age.

ftfy

[virtuo]

If they can find Saracen, we are all doomed.

[Saracen]

I'll have to relocate my secret lair to a different discontinuity in the time-space continuum, and recalibrate the cloaking device.

[Saracen]

Nope, but given what I know of my family that's not surprising. If someone did go I wouldn't be first in the queue to track down.

That's part of the problem of being will-less. They don't have to trace the first in line. They have to trace ALL possible heirs, because all valid heirs are entitled to their share.

It ain't first-come, first-served.

It can get quite involved, time-consuming and therefore costly, and so in the absence of a decent-sized estate it probably won't get done, and the will-less person's assets end up going to the state.

[TheAnimus]

and the buying of my private island paradise may have to go back on hold.

So no hollowed out volcano just yet then?

[Saracen]

So no hollowed out volcano just yet then?

A bit passé. And déclassé. You get a very ordinary type of supervillain in them these days. The whole scene has just been ruined by Fleming. Oh, and the interminable cocktail parties, and the damn cats. Nobody with any style does that anymore.

[Saracen]

Something tells me I'm not going to get too many serious answers to this thread.

Just a feeling. ...

[scaryjim]

... in the absence of a decent-sized estate ...

Another reason they're unlikely to come knocking at my door...

[Saracen]

Another reason they're unlikely to come knocking at my door...

Well, it's relative (excuse pun).

Two things.

Firstly, "decent-sized" doesn't mean huge. A few grand can be enough. Anything involving owned property will be. I've known cases from £10k to £1m+.

Secondly, the heir hunters often don't know (and often can't know) how big the estate is when they start research. It's a gamble, because often, they work on a percentage basis IF they find heirs, IF they get to them before competitors and IF the heirs sign up.

So it can depend hiw hard it is to find you. The harder it is, the less likely they are to proceed too far, unless they know there's a decent chance of getting paid at the end. But often, to a degree, it's a gamble, a punt, a calculated risk.

[Saracen999]

Just for closure of this thread, in case anyone remembers it, the whole process took about 18 months, but that "knock on the door" was very real. Well, sort-of. It was actually a letter and an info pack. But the deceased relative was very real, as was the unexpected inheritance. Not life-changing money (for me), and certainly no flashy mansions or Ferraris, but still a tidy sum, into the thousands. And it's now in my bank.

So if anyone's wondering if it really does happen ..... yup, it sure does.

[TeePee]

Saracen is the true heir in Jarndyce and Jarndyce!

[Saracen999]

Saracen is the true heir in Jarndyce and Jarndyce!

What the Dickens? That's a Bleak view.

As I remember it, Jarndyce v. Jarndyce didn't work out terribly well for anyone. Except the lawyers.

Thanks for the reminder of my A-Level English Lit, though. We did Bleak House .... and Nicholas Nickleby. Cheerful bu.... begger Dickens was, wasn't he? Mind you, with his subject matter, there wasn't much in real life of the times to be cheerful about (unless you were rich).

[Ttaskmaster]

I'll have to relocate my secret lair to a different discontinuity in the time-space continuum, and recalibrate the cloaking device.

^ But you already posted what you're doing, so They will now know what to look for...

Congrats, though!!