{"id":597,"date":"2019-01-10T08:00:57","date_gmt":"2019-01-10T13:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/?p=597"},"modified":"2024-04-25T23:21:07","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T03:21:07","slug":"name-changes-and-the-real-estate-deed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/name-changes-and-the-real-estate-deed\/","title":{"rendered":"Name Changes and the Real Estate Deed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have\nan interest in a piece of real estate, your ownership is reflected by your name\non the deed. There are all sorts of reasons, short of a sale or purchase,\nrequiring a name change on a real estate deed. Life happens, and that means\nmarriage, divorce, death or just the changing of a legal name. It\u2019s important\nthat your real estate deeds reflect your current legal name and having your\nlegal name on the deed makes the process much smoother if you want to put your\nproperty on the market or take out another mortgage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When\nto Change the Name on the Deed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps you\nand your significant other purchased a house together prior to marriage, and\nnow that you\u2019ve tied the name, you\u2019ve legally taken your spouse\u2019s name. While\nchanging the name on the deed isn\u2019t something you must do immediately, it\u2019s\nprobably wise not to wait too long before making the switch. That\u2019s because\nlife continues to happen, and you want to be prepared. However, if something\nunexpected does happen and you haven\u2019t yet changed the name on the deed, there\nare other ways to prove who you are. A copy of your marriage license should\nsuffice, or the court order agreeing to the name change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your\nspouse has died and the property was owned jointly with right of survivorship,\nyou don\u2019t have to change the deed to reflect that the property is now owned by\njust one person. If you decide to sell your home or take out a mortgage, it\u2019s\njust a matter of explaining in the new deed or new mortgage that your spouse\nhas died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Quitclaim\nDeeds<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps the easiest way to change a name on a real estate deed is via a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/quitclaim-deed\/\">quitclaim deed<\/a>. This is also the least expensive method, and you can download these forms online. While quitclaim deeds aren\u2019t recommended between parties who don\u2019t know each other \u2013 since no warranties are included \u2013 but they are suitable for divorcing couples who agree that one spouse receives the property; adding another owner to the deed, and legal name changes, whether through marriage or the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\nquitclaim deed form must include the property\u2019s legal description, the county\nin which the property is located, the date of the transfer, and the name of the\nperson transferring the property, known as the grantor, and the name of the\nperson receiving the property, or grantee. &nbsp;If you are transferring the\nproperty to yourself under your new name, all you have to do is update the deed\nfrom your former name to your current one. You\u2019ll find the legal description of\nthe property on your current deed. While all quitclaim deeds require\nnotarization, in some states a witness to the transfer is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Keep in mind\nthat laws regarding quitclaim deeds vary by state, so find out exactly what\nyour state requires in terms of notarization, recording and other details. For\nexample, in most states, the grantee does not have to sign the deed, but that\nis not true everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Formerly\nKnown As <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are\nthe sole owner of the property and want to change your name on the deed, in\nsome states you file a quitclaim deed to your new name using the formerly known\nas (FKA) with your prior name. This deed is then filed, and a new deed is then\nfiled back to you using just your current name.&nbsp; Fill out the first deed\nby signing your name as Jane Jones, FKA Jane Smith. Your title insurance\ncompany may have a preference as to exactly how FKAs are signed, and a quick\nphone call or email to them should get you the information you seek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, if\nthe deed has both you and your spouse as the property owners, you need only\nrecord one deed. Use your FKA name as the grantor and your new name as the\ngrantee. As noted, check with your state to ensure you are followings its\nregulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Recording\nthe Quitclaim Deed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Depending on\nyour state, you must file your quitclaim deed with either the county clerk or\nthe recorder in the town in which the property is located. Have the quitclaim\ndeed properly notarized beforehand. Expect to pay a nominal recording fee. Once\nthe quitclaim deed is recorded, anyone performing a title search will find your\nnew name on the deed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Contact\nan Attorney<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While a\nquitclaim deed is the easiest way to make a name change on a deed, some people\nmay feel more comfortable consulting an attorney to have these changes made.\nThat may also prove a good idea during a divorce, especially if you and your\nformer spouse\u2019s relationship is far from amicable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you have an interest in a piece of real estate, your ownership is reflected by your name on the deed. There are all sorts of reasons, short of a sale or purchase, requiring a name change on a real estate deed. Life happens, and that means marriage, divorce, death or just the changing of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[90],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-name-change"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Name Changes and the Real Estate Deed - Deeds.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s important that your real estate deeds reflect your current legal name and having your legal name on the deed makes the process much smoother if you want to put your property on the market or take out another mortgage.\" \/>\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\/name-changes-and-the-real-estate-deed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Name Changes and the Real Estate Deed - 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