Is Your Spouse on Your Deed?

I consider myself officially as an old lady.

And I’m grateful to be the age I am.  Not everyone gets the privilege.

Back with I still considered myself “young,” I noticed many of my elders were “old fashioned.”

The wives and husbands held traditional roles.

And one of those “old fashioned” ideas was that the house was only in the husband’s name.

I’m no lawyer, but that seems like a bad idea.

Of course, there are reasons why a house might only be in just the husband’s name.

One example might be that the wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and while she was still able to sign documents legally, she switched the home to be just in the husband’s name. 

But if the deed was originally done just in the husband’s name because of traditional role assignments, you might want to talk to an attorney and get advice on making a change.

Generally speaking, it’s a fairly easy process to do what’s called a Quit Claim Deed to establish joint ownership with a right of survivorship for both spouses.  That way, when one spouse passes away, there are no legal gotchas with probate for the surviving spouse.

If you live in Georgia and if you’re curious to know if both you and your spouse are on the deed, you can either....

• Go to the Georgia Superior Court Clerk's Cooperative Authority website, org and check. Note: There is a $5 fee for 4 hours of access.

OR

• Email me at [email protected] with your name, phone number, and address, and I’m happy look up the information for you at no charge!

And if you need a connection to a real estate attorney to do a Quit Claim deed, text your name, email, and address to 770-597-1108, and I’ll connect you with an attorney.

Being a Seniors Real Estate SpecialistÒ who works with a lot of people over the age of 50, and being an old lady myself, I know these are not easy conversation to have.  But it’s better to be uncomfortable in the short term so we ensure there are no unnecessary problems after the first spouse dies... just because we once believed in some “old fashioned” ideas.