What Is a Personal Representative (or Executor) and What Do They Do?
The personal representative is the one person the court puts in charge of a deceased person's estate. Connecticut calls that person the Executor; Maryland, Massachusetts, and Washington DC call them the Personal Representative. Same job, state-by-state names.
The role in one sentence
The executor or personal representative runs the estate from the opening of the court case to the final distribution, collecting everything the person owned, paying what the person owed, accounting to the court, and turning what is left over to the heirs named in the will or defined by state law.
This is a fiduciary role. That means the person in charge must act in the best interest of the estate and its heirs, never their own, and can be held personally liable for mishandling the job. It is a position of duty, not power, and a good one feels manageable with the right attorney and agent around it.
The day-to-day job
- Opens the estate in the correct court and files the will and documents
- Obtains Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, the official authority to act
- Notifies creditors and publishes the required notice to the public
- Inventories and appraises every asset, including the home
- Pays valid debts, taxes, and administrative expenses in the right order
- Protects and may sell estate real estate with the required authority
- Files the final accounting with the court and distributes what remains
Which name your state uses
Connecticut
Executors and Administrators, supervised by the Probate Court. The will names the Executor; the Administrator is court-appointed without a will.
Maryland
Personal Representative, answerable to the Orphans' Court in the county where the estate is filed.
Massachusetts
Personal Representative under formal or informal administration in the Probate and Family Court.
Washington DC
Personal Representative under unsupervised or supervised administration in the DC Superior Court Probate Division.
Can you say no?
Yes. Being named in a will is not a forced appointment, and a court-appointed role can be declined or removed for good cause. What many families find instead is that the honest first step is learning what the job actually involves before deciding. Some of the best meetings Robert has are with people who thought they had to fight through the estate alone and discover that a team carries most of the weight.
Whether you took the role by love or by default, you are allowed help. The court expects a good team: a probate attorney for the legal lane and an agent who understands estate sales for the house.
Watch: The Basics First
Start with the video library when the role feels brand new.
Introduction to Probate Real Estate
Understanding the Probate Process
You were named executor? Let's get you oriented
Robert helps executors and personal representatives understand the real estate side of the job and hands the court side to the right attorney.
Chat with Robert
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