Dying "intestate" means dying without a valid will. When that happens, your state's intestacy statute decides who inherits — a fixed hierarchy of blood relatives that has nothing to do with who was actually present in your life.
The typical hierarchy
Most states prioritize, in order: spouse, children, parents, siblings, then increasingly distant relatives. For a solo ager without a spouse or children, this often means assets passing to relatives you may barely know or haven't spoken to in decades — while close friends who provided real support receive nothing.
The home specifically
Your home, as part of your estate, follows the same intestacy rules unless it's jointly titled with survivorship rights or held in a trust. Without a will, it typically must go through probate and be distributed according to that same default hierarchy, regardless of who's been living in it or caring for it.