Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Minnesota

Re: in-law blues

I can't tell from your question exactly what you have there, and any lawyer who says he knows is lying.

I would have to see the deed - then I could at least start to answer your question.

Most likely you have joint ownership, so that if your mother-in-law dies her third - and that's only a guess that she has a third - passes more or less automatically to you and your wife.

Assuming that it's joint, one option would be for your mother-in-law to to convert the joint ownership to tenants in common ownership. Only way to convert it would be by a deed from all three of you to all three of you as tenants in common. Unless it's tenants in common, her will would have no effect on the property. If it is tenants in common, then she could provide for it in her will.

Your mother in law could perhaps just do a quit claim deed to transfer her interest in the joint ownership. Then whoever she deeds to would take her place as a joint owner. You might like this outcome, but it does have some messy implications. Remember, when a joint owner dies, the other owers get his or her share. The possible outcomes could be unexpected and strange.

Don't even think of trying to do anything with this without getting a competent lawyer involved.

Good luck.