@fanfare wrote:
If the Will leaves the home to the son, doesn't that exclude the home from the estate?
No. There are certain instances in some states where title to real property vests immediately (in the heirs or devisees), but an estate is created upon the death of an individual.
Generally, you can bypass the estate with a trust or some form of joint tenancy with rights of survivorship (or something like a named beneficiary in a retirement account or life insurance policy), but that is about it.
