ABA Family Legal Guide

Estate Planning

Some Special Circumstances

I own a vacation house in a state other than the one where I have my primary residence. Which law applies to property in different states?

The laws of the state where your primary home is located determine what happens to your personal property—car, stocks, and cash.

The laws of the state in which any other real estate is located govern its distribution. If you do own homes or land in different states, it's a good idea to make sure that the provisions of your estate-planning documents comply with the laws of the appropriate states.