Pay off house with windfall?

[squiffy]

For example, let's say your mom one day told you ORALLY that she wanted your brother's 1/3 share of the proceeds from the house to go to her cat.

Do you think that as an executor, you could or should legally enforce her ORAL instruction to you?

Remember, in many legal situations involving the disposition of money or property, ORAL instructions often are not worth the paper they are NOT written on.

ORAL instructions often = garbage, or no instruction at all

Otherwise it would be too easy for everyone to take the stand and testify falsely as to what your mother said should be done with the money.