Wills can be contested. Not all families follow the rules of probate. We're dealing with this on my husbands side. Grandparent's will wasn't probated - who inherits a shared vacation property keeps changing... Lies are being told. Siblings are stabbing each other in the back. And it seems to be a survival thing. Only 2 of 5 sibling survive at this point. DH is executor for my FIL - and can't get a straight answer about this asset. So FIL's probate is being held up. Families can get SO weird about money.
So - it appears the shore house might actually be sold... despite the bad behavior of many parties.
My husband kept pushing for a legal solution to allow the sale - and finally got the answer that his grandmothers probate could be reopened by one of her children (2 surviving children), and the house could be sold as an estate sale... then her will would dictate the split of the proceeds (even split among her children.) For the deceased 3, their wills would determine how their share would be split... or in the case of one of the dead uncles, PA law would apply since he died intestate.
Oldest uncle (over 90, but still mentally capable) is executor of his mothers 30 year old probate. The aunt that still survives is refusing to sign paperwork because she objects to money going to the children of the uncle who died intestate. The hope is she will sign before Friday (closing date) or closing will be postponed so the check can be issued "to the estate of" rather than checks being distributed to the inheriting parties. The aunt feels that HER OPINION bears more standing than probate laws, her mother's will, etc. She wants the wife of the intestate uncle, and his kids from a previous marriage cut out. Legalities be damned.
My husband just hopes it can close, so he can close probate for his dad - who died 2 years ago. His mom is now in a memory care unit - so the money would be useful to pay her monthly expenses. There's not a lot of expectation that the money would trickle down to my husband's generation.