Massachusetts - need advise

[sjab]

Live in Massachusetts ... home / land has been verbally passed down throughout the generations of family ... no wills ... unable to find deed ... have paid property taxes for approx the last 40 years {still come in great-grandmother's name} ... what is the quickest way to get home / land into my name ... have gone to many, many lawyers and keep getting the run around ... finally found someone good, but it's been over a year with no results ... getting up there in years and do not want to pass on headaches to children. THANKS!

[elklaw]

If great grandma is alive, ask her to deed the house to you. Otherwise, it sounds like you would need to file some kind of papers with the probate court showing you as the rightful heir to the home and get an estate deed from the great grandma's estate made to you. I am not a MA attorney, so cannot answer. This gets to be complicated because you may owe back fees for transfers of the property. Another option is to file under the adverse possession law to quiet title presenting proof of your ownership.
http://www.lawyerviews.com/lawsite/basicinfo/ap.html