Al Roker (yes, that Al Roker) is the executive producer of a new documentary on heirs property. Heirs property refers to property owned by the descendants of the deceased persons listed on the deed, where the estate was never probated or administered. This land very often involves substantial title issues impeding selling the land for value or borrowing against it.
Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land tells the story of land loss among black farmers since the Civil War. One study showed that black farmers lost $326 billion worth of land in the 20th Century.
One of the proposals to ameliorate and correct this loss is the Uniform Heirs Property Act.
You can read my article in the Tennessee Bar Journal about Tennessee’s implantation of the Act.