Find and file the will, get authority from the court, secure the property, open an estate account, notify creditors and government agencies, value everything, pay valid debts and taxes, keep records, then distribute and account to the beneficiaries. You are personally responsible for doing it properly, which is why executors hire help even for small estates.

No. Property held in a living trust, accounts with a named beneficiary, and assets owned jointly with rights of survivorship pass outside it. Many states also offer a simplified route for small estates. What is left in the deceased's sole name is what drives the court process, so an inventory is the first honest answer to this question.

Months, not weeks, and a year or more is common for anything with real estate, a business or a dispute. The creditor notice period, tax filings and the court calendar set the pace, and none of them hurry. A firm that quotes you a fast finish before seeing the assets is guessing.

Hourly in most firms, flat fee for a straightforward filing, and in some states as a share of the estate set by statute or by agreement. Ask what the quote covers, what is charged separately, and whether the fee comes out of the estate rather than your own pocket. Get the answer in the engagement letter.

Yes, and the two are different fights. A challenge to the will questions capacity, undue influence or how it was signed. A complaint about the executor is about conduct: delay, missing records, self-dealing. Courts take accounting seriously, so an executor who keeps clean records and communicates is rarely the one in trouble.