FREE RESOURCES

Plain-English references for executors, administrators, and families settling an Ohio estate. Free to download — no email required.

Guides to help you get your footing.

✓No form. No email. Download anything here and read it on your own time.
ANDREW HOWELL
eXp REALTY
Understanding
Probate & Estate
in Ohio
19 pages · Franklin County

The Ohio Probate & Estate Guide

The complete plain-English walkthrough — the three estate tracks and which one you're likely on, all fifteen steps from first filing to final accounting, the deadlines that actually matter, and how to protect a vacant home while the estate settles.

Includes visual guides to the estate tracks, the deadline timeline, and the three ways an estate home gets sold.

Download the guide (PDF)

PRACTICAL CHECKLISTS

For when the house needs attention now

Short, printable, and built for the things that can't wait until probate finishes.

Vacant Estate Home Checklist

Securing, winterizing, and protecting an unoccupied property so weather, theft, and deterioration don't erode its value while the estate settles.

Download PDF

Foundation Maintenance Checklist

Central Ohio's clay soils are hard on foundations — especially in a vacant home where nobody is managing the drainage.

Download PDF

Ohio Probate Forms Reference

A map of the official Supreme Court of Ohio forms — what each one does and when it comes up in the process.

Download PDF

These are informational references, not legal advice. Your attorney prepares and files the actual court forms.

WHERE TO GO DIRECTLY

Official Franklin County resources

Everything below is free and comes directly from Franklin County.

Franklin County Probate Court

E-filing, local forms, and court procedures.

probate.franklincountyohio.gov

Supreme Court of Ohio Forms

Every standard probate form, free to download.

supremecourt.ohio.gov

Franklin County Auditor

Property values, parcel data, and tax status.

auditor.franklincountyohio.gov

Legal notices

Franklin County probate notices are published in the Columbus Dispatch.

Still have a question a guide doesn’t answer?

Most people do. A short conversation usually sorts out which estate track applies, what the home is worth, and what to do first. No cost, no obligation.

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Or call or text 614-632-5733

Andrew Howell is a licensed Ohio real estate agent with eXp Realty and is not an attorney. These guides are for general informational purposes only and are not legal or tax advice