Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in New York
How do I retitle my house on Long Island, New York that is currently jointly owned by my husband (now deceased) & me? Do I need a lawyer to do this? How do I leave the house if I still own at my death to my son with minimal or no estate tax?
2 Answers from Attorneys
1. As the survivor, you own it. No reason to change title now.
2 .Unless you must avoid probate, prepare a will.
Or, consider adding your son to a new Deed now or giving him the house, but reserving a life estate to you, Another possibility is to create a living trust and re-title the ownership to the trust. You provide no values as to the house or your other assets, so a more specific answer cannot be given. There may be no estate tax concern. I suggest speaking with an attorney familiar with real estate, estate planning and death taxes, for assistance.