{"id":1167,"date":"2021-01-04T06:00:28","date_gmt":"2021-01-04T11:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/?p=1167"},"modified":"2024-04-25T23:20:04","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T03:20:04","slug":"dont-be-the-intestate-homeowner-write-your-will","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/dont-be-the-intestate-homeowner-write-your-will\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Be the Intestate Homeowner: Write Your Will"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

No homeowner should die intestate. In plain English: Every homeowner needs a will.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By now, everyone knows life is fragile. Nobody has forever and\na day to put an estate plan down in writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you do leave things hanging, and you do pass away without\na will, or without some combination of a will and other instruments to convey\nproperty, you\u2019ll leave assets to be distributed under the state\u2019s intestacy\nlaws. States try to send everything to your closest relatives, and if you\u2019re single\nwithout children, the state will contact siblings and so on, and pass your\nproperty to them. That might be OK with you. But if you\u2019re like most homeowners,\nyou\u2019d prefer to decide for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a parent, it\u2019ll be hard for your family to agree\non what to do without your written guidance. You also need a will to bequeath\nassets to non-family members or nonprofits. You need a will, too, to explain\nwhy you are not giving your home to a close family member if you choose not to.\nOtherwise, you might be setting up a will contest after you pass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person\u2019s wishes are logically thought out and\nexpressed through a will, though, messy scenarios are far less likely to unfold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Yes, Your Home Can Be Passed Along Through Your Will. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For simple estates, a will is an effective way to bequeath\nyour home. Yes, property passed through a will must go through probate. Yes, that\nprocess takes several months. But fear not. The court process ensures clear\ntitle transfers, overseen by a probate judge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yes, probate is costly. There are appraisers, lawyers\nand CPAs to pay, fees for the courts and commissions for executors. Yet these payments\ncan be partially offset by tax advantages when property is left through a will.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you give your home away during your life, for example, to\nyour adult child, and the home has appreciated in value during the time you\nowned it, that taxable capital gain carries over to your child. (Capital gains taxes, like other taxes, can go up<\/a>.)\nBut if you pass the home through a will (as with a living trust), you\u2019re giving\nyour beneficiaries the advantage of a stepped-up tax basis under current law.\nThe recipient of the house need not carry over your profit and possibly owe\ntaxes on it. Long-time homeowners might therefore leave their homes through\nwills rather than passing them along during life.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, a will is a perfectly valid, beneficial vehicle to\npass a house along. And most anyone can write a will at home. Of course, your\nhome is valuable, so be sure your estate is in good hands by naming an executor\nin your will. If possible, prepare your named executor for the process. Courts\nallow executors a fair amount of decision-making discretion when following a\nwill, so it\u2019s important to name a responsible executor \u2014 optimally, one who\nknows you well. The person inheriting from you can be your executor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro tip:<\/em><\/strong> Depending on the state, probate may\ntake 6 months to a year, and can take longer for complicated estates. But some\nstates provide a simplified probate process for surviving spouses and life partners,\nor for relatively modest estates. Check with your county probate court for\ndetails and be sure to let your executor know if your estate is likely to\nqualify.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Happens If the Home in Your Will Has a Co-Owner? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Is a co-owner \u2014 your spouse or someone else \u2014 vested with\nrights of survivorship on your house deed? Then you can\u2019t pass your house\nthrough your will; the will\u2019s instructions will have no effect. The co-owner(s)\nautomatically receives your interest, by virtue of survivorship rights, once you\npass on. Similarly, if your home is vested as a tenancy by entirety, it passes\nto your co-owner without probate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u261b<\/strong> <\/strong>Here,\nwe explore how your property is vested<\/a><\/strong> on the deed, and how the vesting can be\nchanged during your lifetime.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of joint ownership, you might wonder if you should\nyou just add your beneficiary right onto the deed now. That way, conveyance is\nautomatic and completely taken care of before you\u2019re gone. If you\u2019re thinking\nof adding\nsomeone to your house deed<\/a>, be prepared to share ownership and any\nbig decisions about your home with a co-owner. Think carefully before adding\nsomeone to a title by conveying a deed to both of you.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You Pass Away and Leave the House in Your Will. Now What?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When your will is actually put to the test, how will your\ndirections play out? Under the law, whoever has or retrieves your original will\nmust promptly file it with the probate court upon your passing. With the\ncourt\u2019s authorization, the executor you\u2019ve named in your will represents you.\nThe boundaries of your executor\u2019s authority depend on the instructions set\nforth in your will (so, be specific!) and by the probate court. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The executor performs an inventory, which typically includes\na home appraisal. The executor pays off your taxes and debts. After a period of\npublicizing the estate and allowing creditors the required time to make claims,\nyour house can go to the named beneficiary, or the executor may sell it to pay\noff your debts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, your will itself can direct the executor to sell. Especially\nif you line up more than one beneficiary to receive the value of your home,\nit\u2019s easier to sell the home and divide the proceeds in probate \u2014 what remains,\nthat is, after paying the mortgage and closing costs \u2014 than for beneficiaries\nto decide how and when to buy each other out later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another reason to sell the home during the probate process?\nIf you still owe something on the mortgage, the lender will likely demand a\nloan payoff from your estate. In most cases, that means selling the property\nfor its equity value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The court must authorize the listing and sale. The court-authorized\ntransfer of real estate occurs through an executor\u2019s deed<\/em>. Under\nstate law, the executor\u2019s deed<\/a> provides the name of the executor and\na statement of conveyance of the property, pursuant to the will and following\nprobate, on behalf of the deceased. It includes your home\u2019s legal\ndescription<\/a>. The heirs and executor must sign the deed, which is witnessed,\nnotarized, and recorded at the home\u2019s county recorder\u2019s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What If Your Will Is Nowhere to Be Found?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After you pass away, someone will look for a will. It\u2019s up\nto you to make sure the search is fruitful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A safe deposit box is not the best place for your original\nwill. The bank might let a relative open the box to retrieve the will, but the\ncourt might have to produce an order for this. You can leave your will with\nyour lawyer \u2014 but this, too, can cause difficulties when you\u2019re not around to\nsay who the lawyer is. This is why the local county paper occasionally\npublishes legal notices titled \u201cSearching for Jane Doe\u2019s last will and\ntestament\u2026\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t be Jane Doe. Rather than create a time-consuming will\nhunt, write your will, and leave it where it will be found. A copy for\nverification can be placed with your attorney or in a safe deposit box. Discard\nrevoked wills and delete your previous estate plans from your computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your will is nowhere to be found after you pass, despite\nthe obligatory good-faith search, the court will consider you to have died\nintestate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where There\u2019s No Will, Is There a Relative? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If no valid will can be produced, your estate has no\nexecutor. The court will assign an administrator to tie up all your loose\nfinancial ends. If you have no surviving spouse or domestic partner to be your\npersonal representative, the state will contact other heirs (relatives) and ask\nthem to step up. If no one does, or if distribution becomes contentious, the\nheirs might need to pay a neutral accountant or lawyer to administer your\nestate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By default, your assets pass to the heirs who are located\nwhen the administrator goes down the list of relatives by the state\u2019s order of\nsuccession. If you pass without children or a spouse or registered domestic\npartner, your nearest blood relatives will be sought. Friends, no matter how\nclose, are left out under the laws of many states. If no heirs can be found at\nall, your assets could escheat to the state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If potential beneficiaries can be found, someone might\nattempt to prevail upon the probate court for special consideration. Probate\ncourts have legal mechanisms to go around the rigid intestate succession laws in\nexceptional cases, where strong reasons indicate an asset should go to a\nparticular person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often, heirs find it practically impossible to agree on what\u2019s\nfair and reasonable. A valid will can avert a situation that embitters your\nheirs and creates unnecessary legal struggles. In times when your heirs might\nalready be facing economic stress, we can\u2019t overstate the importance of dying\ntestate <\/em>\u2014 leaving a valid will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To-Do List: Creating Your Last Will and Testament<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can write your own Last Will and Testament, following\nyour state rules on valid wills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wills are best printed out and signed, even if you live in a\nstate that allows holographic (handwritten) wills. Your state bar will have samples\nof correctly drafted wills that meet your state\u2019s legal requirements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bequeath your home at the stated address to the named\nbeneficiary, including that person\u2019s full name and contact information. In\nanother paragraph, you\u2019ll name the executor responsible for distributing the\nvalue of your home and other probate assets. Also name a back-up executor in\ncase your preferred executor is not available. Include the witness and notary\nacknowledgement section on the last page. (Preferably, include them even if\nthey are not required; this will make probate easier.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then sign and date your will, in front of two witnesses who\nalso sign. Setting up an appointment with your local bank manager is a simple\nway to have three people together with you in one room. Usually, there is no\nfee for account holders. The notary will witness the signing, and acknowledge\nthe will. In some states, notaries can even notarize your estate planning\ndocuments remotely, using state-authorized webcam technology, rather than in\nperson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the dynamics of your life change, you can always change\nyour mind and write a new will. Be sure to adhere to the same formalities you\nused in your existing will, such as witnessing and notarization where required.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set aside some time to protect the value of your home beyond\nyour lifetime. Help and support those you care about, by writing your will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Important note:<\/em><\/strong> Deeds.com<\/em> offers this article to our\nreaders as a public service. Although the information here addresses legal\nmatters, it is not legal advice. There are significant differences among\npersonal situations; and estate and tax laws vary over time and from state to\nstate. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to seek your own attorney for case-specific\nguidance as you consider the best estate planning options for you and your\nbeneficiaries.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo credit: krakenimages<\/a>, via Unsplash.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No homeowner should die intestate. In plain English: Every homeowner needs a will. By now, everyone knows life is fragile. Nobody has forever and a day to put an estate plan down in writing. And if you do leave things hanging, and you do pass away without a will, or without some combination of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3935,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[107,81,108],"tags":[1305,1321,1316,264,1315,1318,1319,1320,792,1317],"class_list":["post-1167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-elder","category-estate-planning","category-wills","tag-asset-protection","tag-avoiding-intestacy","tag-estate-distribution","tag-estate-planning","tag-homeowner-will","tag-intestate-succession","tag-legal-advice-for-homeowners","tag-preparing-a-will","tag-probate-process","tag-writing-a-will"],"yoast_head":"\nDon\u2019t Be the Intestate Homeowner: Write Your Will - Deeds.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Understand the crucial importance of having a will to ensure your real estate and assets are distributed according to your wishes, avoiding state intestacy laws and potential family disputes.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/dont-be-the-intestate-homeowner-write-your-will\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Don\u2019t Be the Intestate Homeowner: Write Your Will - 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