When appointing an executor of a will, some people may choose a person who does not live in North Carolina.
There are many reasons for this. They may want their child to be the executor and that child lives out of state. They may have retired and moved to a different state while their friends and family did not move. Regardless of the reason, it is not uncommon for an executor to be located out of state.
North Carolina allows an executor to be out of state. The executor must meet all the requirements that an in state executor would have, including being 18 or older and competent. However they do also require that the executor appoint a “resident agent of the state” to “accept service of process in all actions and proceedings with respect to the estate.” This means the out of state executor will have to have someone in the state who they authorize to act on their behalf when needed.
While there is nothing wrong with appointing someone who lives out of state, some people may not want multiple people involved in administering their estate. They may also not want to deal with delays that may come from having to mail important documents. However, that may be worth it if the administrator is someone trusted.
