Florida Estate Planning Lawyer Blog
We see many problems with how homes are titled. Most are in attempt to avoid probate or make it easier on family members. Unfortunately, many of these cause real problems for family members in the future. Here is one example of something we see regularly.
Imagine this: You’re retired, your only significant asset is your home, you’re very close to your child or children, and you don’t want the cost of creating an estate plan. In such cases, what’s the harm of simply putting your home in the name of your child to avoid probate and then be done with it?
We’ve gotten this question more than once at our office, and we almost always advise against it. There are a number of reasons to keep your home in your own name, the biggest ones are, loss of control, loss of stepped up basis leading to increased income taxes the kids will pay, failure to use gift tax exclusions resulting in huge penalties to the IRS, increased property taxes and your child’s liabilities. These aren’t the only reasons to keep your home in your own name, however. Other reasons include:
- Your relationship with your child may not be as great as you think it is. Once the home is in their name they have no obligation to continue to let you live in it one, two or ten years down the line.
- You have more than one child. Putting your home in one child’s name can cause a rift of bad feelings between siblings. The alternative, of putting the home in the names of all your children, only makes it more vulnerable to liabilities and paperwork errors.
- There are other, safer ways to avoid probate. One of those ways is with a Revocable Living Trust. A Revocable Living Trust is flexible and reliable, and doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, a Revocable Living Trust can actually end up saving your family money in the long run.
Don’t make a mistake that could end up causing you to lose your home. Contact our office to discuss how we can help you protect your family and your assets from probate and liabilities.