Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Georgia
Our elderly parents reside in a home that we purchased for them (they did not want to have a mortgage, so they pay us rent). We are trying to get our propery taxes lowered as we do not receive any homestead exemption or any other deductions. I was told by Rockdale County office that we could do a life estate for our parents and that would give us the benefit of homestead exemption and possibly other deductions such as for elderly and vets. Any thoughts on this?
1 Answer from Attorneys
A life estate would be a way to get a homestead exemption.
There are some downsides too (such as possible gift taxes, and problems if the property needs to be sold), so step one is to sit down with a lawyer to weigh the options. Having said that, the positives in some cases will outweigh the downside.
Feel free to contact my office to discuss the details.