Wallingford, Pennsylvania. Wallingford is an unincorporated community in Nether Providence Township, Delaware County in Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1687, it is named for Wallingford, England. In 2007, Wallingford was named by Money Magazine as the 9th best place to live in the United States; two other towns in the area made the top 15.
These are just a few of the factors that can lengthen the probate process. As a result, it is a reasonable estimation that an estate will remain open on average for about six months. Obviously, some could be open for as little as four months while others could last upwards of nine months or more. Each estate is different.
Statute of Limitations. Statutes of limitations govern how long an individual has to file a claim against an estate. Depending on the type of challenge, some documents may be discarded after as little as two years. However, even after an estate is settled, there may be challenges to the distributions by heirs who only recently learned of the death. To be able to defend against such a challenge, it would be wise to keep any documents at least seven years.