A title is a document that proves that you own property such as a home or a car. When you have a car loan your lender will usually have the title until you pay off the loan. When you buy a home you’ll buy title insurance to make sure your home’s title is clear and there are no liens on it. The title insurance company will run a title search to find out. Learn about how to make changes to a title here as well.
Kids on title to house? Another take
Should you put kids on title to house? Here's another reason why it's a bad idea to have children listed on the title to your home. Q: Friends of mine put their two children on the title of their house some time ago. The home has no mortgage. The father is now deceased and the [...]
Can You Have Three Joint Tenants With Rights of Survivorship?
Can you have three joint tenants with rights of survivorship? This reader wants to know if it’s legal to add a third person to the title of their home. Q: There are two of us on the title of a home. We own the home as joint tenants with rights of survivorship. Is it legal [...]
What Happens If My Husband Dies and the Title Is Only in His Name?
What happens if my husband dies and the title is only in his name? This reader is on the mortgage but not the title and hasn’t had any luck fixing it. Q: My husband died in 2013. After his death I learned that the title to our home we purchased when we got married was [...]
How to Resolve Title Issues
How to resolve title issues. This reader sold one property but the closing attorney used the legal description for two and they need to get it fixed. Q: Earlier this year, I sold my house through a real estate company. I then moved next door to a rental home I own. A few months later, [...]
Can You Sell a House If You Are on the Title but Not the Mortgage?
Can you sell a house if you are on the title but not the mortgage? Two names were on the title, but only one was on the mortgage when one spouse died. Q: My stepfather bought a house in Miami in 1999 and he included my mom on the title of the property at that [...]
What Are the Tax Implications of Joint Property Ownership?
What are the tax implications of joint property ownership? This reader is on their mother’s home title and wants to know how their taxes will be affected. Q: When my mother purchased her home 10 years ago she put me on the title with her. I do not live in the home. She did this [...]
Leaving an Abusive Home: How to Protect Your Assets
Leaving an abusive home: How to protect your assets when you fear for your safety but rely on the ownership interest for your financial future. Q: I pay half the mortgage on the home that I own with my boyfriend. I live there with him and our son. The title of the house is in [...]
What Happens to Taxes When You Co-Sign a Mortgage for Your Child?
What happens to your taxes when you co-sign a mortgage for your child? It all depends on how you decide to hold title on the home. Q: If I co-sign a mortgage so my son can buy a house, how will that affect my taxes for the profit when it is sold? He will make [...]
Selling Your Home After Your Spouse Dies Doesn’t Mean You Have to Change the Title
Selling your home after your spouse dies doesn't mean you have to change the title. What really matters is if you own it under joint tenancy or tenants in common. Many homeowners whose spouses have died think they need to change title into their own name as sole owner if they are going to sell, [...]
Will Adding Child to Title Increase Property Taxes?
Will adding a child to the title of a property increase property taxes? A father wants to add his child to the title to his home, but his child is worried that this will increase property taxes. She might be worried about the wrong thing. Q: I was wondering if you might be able to [...]