change name on deed after death in order to sell?

Don't ask an 80 years old man to do too much by himself. Get a lawyer.

Rather ageist there, Vic. Perhaps the gentleman could run circles around you (perhaps not literally).

Assuming he was executor of the last parent to die, he needs to record a deed transferring it from himself as executor to himself as an individual. No big deal, but he does need to dig up the estate records.

Even so, he needs a lawyer, as everybody who sees is this is going to wonder WTF he was thinking for 40 years, and what else is wrong.

To qualify as an ageist, you need to dismiss an elderly person's chance of adimission despite the fact that he is showing satifactory qualifications. So, when I yield my subway seat to an edlderly person to prevent him from stumbling on the train, I am not an ageist. In this case, I recommanded the most effective and efficient way to help this 80 years old man to solve his problem by using a lawyer. The intention was to prevent him from "stumbling" while trying to prove himself the rightful owner of this property.

So people should understand their language first before blasting out accusations.

Well, he's first has to prove that the property is his, either by will or by the laws of intestacy. Given the time that has elapsed, this could prove to be a time consuming and potentially complicated task. So yes, get a t&e and/or a real estate lawyer.