# Will terminology question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-terminology-question/140412>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 4, 2002, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-terminology-question/140412 "2002-12-04T12:31:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-terminology-question/140412/1 "2002-12-04T12:31:07Z")

</div>

If there is no specific reference to real estate in a will, does “personal effects” typically include it? The only other reference is to “the rest of the estate.”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-terminology-question/140412/2 "2002-12-04T12:52:48Z")

</div>

Depends on the law of the place where the will is made, but “personal effects” does not generally include real estate.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-terminology-question/140412/3 "2002-12-04T13:38:50Z")

</div>

FWIW, the state is Pennsylvania.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-terminology-question/140412/4 "2002-12-04T14:28:05Z")

</div>

Get a lawyer specializing in wills and estate planning. This is such a specific and tortured area of the law, you absolutely need an expert to assist you.

–Cliffy, Esq.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-terminology-question/140412/5 "2002-12-04T18:57:14Z")

</div>

As someone going through an estate situation, I echo the call for an attorney.

Don’t make half-assed guesses at this. There is usually too much at stake and death tends to bring out bad feelings among people.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-terminology-question/140412/6 "2002-12-04T21:41:17Z")

</div>

What BobT said is exactly right, but I’ll put in some half-assed California information, in that I understand that there is only “real and personal property”, and real property is land and buildings, while personal property is everything else, from your underwear to your stocks and bonds.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-terminology-question/140412/7 "2002-12-04T21:44:29Z")

</div>

Oh, and “personal effects” is probably the person’s clothing, jewelry, books, etc–different from “personal property” which is a bigger category and includes personal effects as a subset.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-terminology-question/140412/8 "2002-12-04T23:57:02Z")

</div>

My family is arguing over the phrase “major repairs”.

It’s not fun.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-terminology-question/140412/9 "2002-12-05T00:24:52Z")

</div>

First, I second all of the advice about getting an attorney.  
As a point of general interest, my opinion is that land would not be personal effects.