One Number Decides the Probate Path: Ohio's Three Estate Tracks
When a family first reaches out about an estate in Central Ohio, one of the earliest questions is almost always the same: which probate track are we on? Most people have never heard of the three tracks, and even fewer realize that the house is often the number that decides it.
Ohio sorts estates into three paths. Full Administration is the complete process. The court appoints an executor or administrator, issues Letters of Authority, and oversees the inventory, creditor claims, and a final accounting. In Franklin County this typically runs nine to fourteen months. Release from Administration is the simplified path available when the probate estate is $35,000 or less — or up to $100,000 when the surviving spouse inherits everything. That “spousal bump” keeps many widows and widowers out of full probate. Summary Release is the smallest track, used mainly to reimburse funeral costs or provide a spouse’s support allowance. Estates with a home to sell rarely qualify.
Real estate is usually the largest asset in the probate estate, so its value frequently determines which track applies. A modest home can quietly push an estate over the $35,000 line and turn what looked like a few weeks of paperwork into many months of full administration. That makes the valuation one of the first things worth getting right — before anyone files anything.
Getting the valuation right means neither inflated nor lowballed. It has to be defensible. An honest market analysis does three jobs at once: it tells the attorney which track the estate is on, it supports the inventory the court will see, and it anchors the pricing conversation when the home eventually sells. A number pulled from a tax card or a Zestimate does none of those reliably.
Whichever track applies, Ohio’s six-month creditor window runs from the date of death, not from the day the estate is opened. The sooner the estate is opened and the track is confirmed, the sooner that window closes. The house does not have to sit idle while it runs. Marketing, showings, and often closing can all proceed; it is usually only the final distribution that waits.
If a family you’re working with needs that first number — a clear, defensible market analysis so everyone can choose the track with eyes open — I provide it at no cost and no obligation for any home in the Columbus metro.
Andrew Howell, REALTOR® | eXp Realty
(614) 632-5733 · andy@centralohioestateservices.com
Andrew Howell is a licensed Ohio real estate agent with eXp Realty and is not an attorney. This article is for general informational purposes and is not legal, tax, or insurance advice.
