Keyes, CA Estate Planning Law Firms & Lawyers

Although unmentioned in your question, a reasonable assumption is that your father and mother made their wills together. When the first spouse dies, it is quite common for people to leave their entire estate to the surviving spouse. Upon death of the surviving spouse, typical parents leave their entire estate to their children. So, you want to get a copy of your father's will from which you might learn whether you were specifically mentioned and omitted if your mother had died first. If so, that may be what her will says, too. If your mother makes a will that omits you from inheriting her estate, there is little you can do, especially if the will mentions you as a son or adopted son. If she makes no will, you would inherit her estate under Michigan intestacy law.

First if the survivor is alive, it is not time to make these valuations because she could use it all. Second, how it is distributed will be determined 100% on how she holds the account now since the assets are either hers or titled in the survivor's trust.

You can keep it until you can't keep it, so long as your possession is lawful in the first instance; e.g., you were already living in the house when mom died. The lender may have an equitable claim against you for the fair value of your use, and certainly for any wanton damage (waste), but lenders rarely pursue those claims if there is no clear indication amounts awarded would be recoverable, commonly referred to as not throwing good money after bad.