Tag Archives: DEED

What should I do? How can I get her name off the deed?

Q: I bought a home with my ex fiancé, then we broke up. Her name is on the deed but not the mortgage. I want her name off the deed. We agreed, over text, that I owe her $600 and she would take her name off the deed. I still have the texts. But now she’s saying she doesn’t want to take her name off. What should I do?

A:  I have seen situations where one person, even a spouse, is on the deed but not on the mortgage. You have a problem if she will not voluntarily sign a deed to you. If she has any equity in the home, through mortgage payments, or has contributed to the value, as in paying for improvements, you may need to put a number on that and buy her out. If that won’t work, there are two options: a) file a quiet title action in court which is very expensive and time consuming, or b) stop paying the mortgage and have the home foreclosed on. I do not recommend this. It will cause legal proceedings to be initiated against both of you. You can give the lender her contact information and they will harass her as well. You will suffer more harm than she as your credit will take a huge hit, but she may not like being sued. If she gives in and signs, you will be assessed legal fees on top of interest and costs if you are allowed to cure the default on the mortgage.

Shouldn’t the equity go to my mother’s estate?

Q: Unbeknownst to me and my two siblings, my sister and brother-in-law who live in White Oak drove to Florida where my mom lived and moved in with her. Apparently, they drove her to another county and had her sign an “Enhanced Life Estate Deed.” The deed says they bought the house for $10. As it stands now, the equity in the house from November 10, 2011, when she signed the deed, until her death, February 2, 2017, is going to my sister. In 2009, my mom became physically and mentally weaker from “mini stroke episodes” that forced her to become more reliant on my sister. For example, my mom put her house on the market because she couldn’t keep up with the house expenses. The realtor told me whenever he had a good offer, my mom would say ” I have to talk to my daughter” and never took any of the offers. Soon after that, my brother in law and sister took over the mortgage payments and as soon as that happened my sister’s strong arm tactics were to tell me and siblings this was none of our business, and then she took over everything including my mom’s finances. She decided who visited my mom at the nursing home and who got info from the hospital about her condition. They stole the house, while my mother lived in a state nursing home.

A: There are many issues here and more information is needed to properly advise you. You need to consult with an experienced estate lawyer in the state and county where this house is located. Florida, I assume? It may be extremely helpful to support the allegation that your mother was incompetent at the time she signed the deed if you have a medical opinion. You may want to talk to her doctor or doctor’s office to see if they would support you. The main issues would be possible elder abuse, her incapacity to execute a deed and fraud.

I want to get mom’s house in my name but there are many legal issues

Q: My 83 yr old mom is in a health care facility and I want to get her home. There are many legal issues I need advice on. In January, our three story home suffered severe water damage by thawed water pipes in the attic and its taken four months to get the damaged materials out (inc. lead materials). I was sent a check payable to mom & her mortgage holder. I don’t know how to be sure that we’re getting contractual entitled benefits. I believe that there are circumstances going on that I don’t agree with. I need help to understand how to get the benefits she’s entitled to. FAST!! I’m in search of contractors now. They will be replacing walls & floors, possibly all appliances, for 3 floors in the back half of the house. That’s a lot of work. I just don’t know what detours the insurance company will send me to get everything

A: More information is needed. As long as mom is competent, and it is her desire, she can transfer ownership of her house to you by signing a deed. However, there other issues lurking out there that you need to be aware of. If she is receiving Medicaid, or may likely need to apply for Medicaid within the next 5 years, a transfer of the home to you for under fair consideration could result in her being ineligible for Medicaid. Plus, this is mom’s home. She may need to sell the home to pay for nursing care. Does she want you to have the home even if it means she cannot live comfortably in a facility of her choosing? In addition, mom will lose her Homestead Act exclusion for real estate taxes as well as any senior citizens discounts. Furthermore, is mom aware that any judgments against you will result in an automatic lien on the house if it is in your name? If you are having difficulty in dealing with insurance people and contractors, you may want to consider having mom sign a Power of Attorney over to you, either a specific POA or a General Durable POA, assuming she is competent. I think you could benefit greatly by consulting with an attorney.

 

How can a lawyer file a quiet lawsuit against me over a property I sold that belonged to me?

Q: A family member gifted their home to me. We went through the whole process legally…the house was appraised; contracts were signed and a new grant deed for myself was recorded at the county recording office. Since then I have sold this home (was cash owned) and purchased a new home. The family member is now angry at me for a personal reason and is saying she wants the house back…which means the new house I bought. I received a letter from her attorney stating that she should have been on the title to the new home because I sold her home. The attorney is also saying that I am responsible for elder financial abuse because the home that was sold was hers. This sounds ridiculous! I sold the home when it belonged to me. That is my legal right. Grant deed recorded and papers signed over. She was in no part of the selling process for purchase of the new home. The attorney is threatening to file a quiet title, financial elder abuse and duress lawsuit. How is that possible? After my grandmother gifted the home to me and I received the grant deed she gave up all rights to the home I’m assuming. (Pittsburgh, PA)

A: There is no easy answer for this without you sitting down with an attorney and going over all the facts and reviewing all the documents. This attorney may be alleging things that he cannot prove. I hope the prior deed to you from grandmother was done by an attorney, as the attorney would have made sure the law was complied with and this was a gift/transfer for no consideration and grandmother was of sound mind as evidenced by her notarized and witnessed signature. So, if all those measures that you stated were done, it sounds like you have protection. Again, gather all your documents and sit down with an attorney, preferably the one who handled the original transfer from grandmother to you.

Is a bill of sale legal for piece of land and how do I get the deed?

Q: The owner sold me part of his land and now he said he can’t split.

A: No one can answer that question on the limited information you have given. I would need to know much, much more. A real estate attorney should review the sales agreement, the deed, the map and so forth. It may be that the seller had good intentions but now he realized he needs to subdivide his lot to sell you a portion. The subdivision of property requires much work and usually involves getting zoning approval from the municipality. It concerns me that you think you were sold a piece of land but do not mention that your name is on the deed. It sounds like neither of you has an attorney and you need the advice.

HUSBAND DIES, DOES WIFE OWN HOUSE?

Q: Who owns the house? I co-owned a house in which my ex-husband resided. He died with my name still on the deed. Who owns that house now, me or his heirs?

A: If you were married to him at the time your name was put on the deed, it is presumed to be property held by the entireties and passes to the survivor spouse, upon death of the other spouse. I would take the deed to a local lawyer to review it. There is no legal necessity to have a new deed prepared if your deceased husband’s name is still on it, however, some surviving spouses do this.

Can we remove father from mortgage and deed without divorce?

Q: My mother in law is trying to remove her separated husband (my father) from the title of their house. He got kicked out years ago as he cheated on her for 10 years (a child was produced from this indiscretion) He doesn’t want to be on the mortgage anymore but doesn’t want to pay anything on a house that he is not living in. My mother in law doesn’t believe in divorce (old world Italian Catholic) but wants him off the deed. He also wants off. The mortgage has not been paid for in 5 plus years. Is there a way to fix this without Divorce and him not having to pay anything (it is the only way he would sign any type of paperwork, willingly). Could I get on title thru a refinance or something?

A: He can always sign a deed over to her. However, the issues are complicated. If he is on the mortgage with her, the mortgage instrument (contract) may have a due on sale clause which means if there is ever a new deed filed, the mortgage can be foreclosed upon immediately. Most mortgage contracts do not allow a change of the deed. So, drafting a deed from both of them to her, may trigger a foreclosure, or potential problems. However, the fact that the mortgage has not been paid in 5 years may trigger a foreclosure anyway. But, in general, when someone wants off a deed, and there is a mortgage, you should always check with the mortgagee (lender) and see if they will agree to release someone from the deed. Sometimes they will but it really depends. I have had mortgage companies accept a simple assumption of the mortgage but they likely will want to refinance and in either case put the house in the name of someone who has good credit.

 

Is a bill of sale legal for piece of land and how do I get the deed?

Q: The owner sold me part of his land and now he said he can’t split.

A: No one can answer that question on the limited information you have given. I would need to know much, much more. A real estate attorney should review the sales agreement, the deed, the map and so forth. It may be that the seller had good intentions but now he realized he needs to subdivide his lot to sell you a portion. The subdivision of property requires much work and usually involves getting zoning approval from the municipality. It concerns me that you think you were sold a piece of land but do not mention that your name is on the deed. It sounds like neither of you has an attorney and you need the advice.

What holds more ground a will or a deed?

Q: My mom passed and left her house to me in her will. My niece and nephew are listed on the deed along with me. Her will only names me as sole heir. Do they own any of the house?

A: If the deed is joint tenants with right of survivorship, the property upon death passes to the surviving tenants. So in this case, your mom’s share passes to your niece and nephew. If the deed is tenants in common, the deceased tenant’s share goes into their estate. In this case, one third of the house would pass through your mom’s will to you as a sole heir in the will. Don’t do anything until you have a local attorney review the will and deed for you.