Houston, TX Deed Transfer Attorney
Legal Solutions for Seamless Deed Transfers in Houston, TX
Your real estate property is probably the most valuable asset you own. This is especially true if you are a long-time homeowner and have seen a significant increase in value over the last decade or so. If you are an estate administrator, the decedent's home may be the most challenging part of his or her estate you will need to contend with. Taking a house through probate is no easy task, but distributing interest in a house controlled by a trust may also be difficult. Whether you are planning your estate, administering an estate, or an estate beneficiary, Attorney Vicky Fealy can help you manage the posthumous transfer of real property.
The Fealy Law Firm, PC is experienced in working with homeowners and their beneficiaries and fiduciaries to plan for and carry out deed transfers with ease. Attorney Fealy will discuss all of your options for preparing to transfer your home to your beneficiary or beneficiaries if you are in the planning stages. If you are already in the probate or trust administration phase, she will work with you to ensure that the decedent's wishes can be carried out.
Estate Planning Lawyer for Real Property Owners
Homeowners and others who own land or buildings should take steps to ensure that their intended beneficiary or beneficiaries can easily transfer the deed during the estate administration phase. Owners of real property may have options including:
- Wills - As probating real property may be challenging, using a will to decide who should inherit your house is not often recommended. Probate fees, taxes, and creditor claims may apply, and wills are far more likely to be contested than trusts. The costs of probate could potentially force your beneficiaries to sell the property and keep the leftover profits rather than keep the property.
- Trusts - Trusts are usually a strong choice for planning for the transfer of real property. Property contained in a trust is likely exempt from most of the costs incurred by probate estates. In most cases, your chosen trust administrator can help your beneficiary transfer the deed into his or her name fairly easily and with minimal court intervention.
- Co-ownership - Another method is to simply add your intended beneficiary's name to the deed during your lifetime. If he or she already has ownership interest before you pass, little or nothing will need to be done to transfer the deed into his or her name when you are gone.
Affidavits of Heirship Attorney
In Texas, property that is not controlled by an estate plan when its owner passes away is subject to the laws of intestacy. This normally means that the heirs will need to go through the difficult process of intestate probate. However, real property can be transferred through a simplified process that allows the decedent's natural heirs to transfer the deed with minimal court intervention.
Filing an Affidavit of Heirship may be all you need to do to transfer your close family member's house into your name.
Estate Administration Lawyer in Pearland, TX
Moving real property through probate can be difficult, especially if there is any probate litigation taking place. While transferring real estate controlled by a trust may be easier, there are often still legal challenges associated with this process. It is best for estate administrators and beneficiaries alike to be represented when real property is part of the estate.
Contact a Brazoria County, TX Estate Lawyer for Real Property Transfer
The Fealy Law Firm, PC is experienced in helping estate planners and those involved in the estate administration process manage the transfer of a deed to real property. Houston area estate planning attorney Vicky Fealy will work to make this process as seamless as possible. Contact us at 713-526-5220 for a complimentary consultation.