Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Pennsylvania

Find a buyer. Assuming that the buyer will be getting title insurance, the title insurance company will prepare a deed that will include recitations about title automatically vesting in you upon your mother's death. It is not necessary to record a separate deed before that.

Check with an estates lawyer in your area about probating her estate, and whether you have to give DPW notice so that it may check whether it has a claim against the estate for medical services to your mother.

THIS RESPONSE IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE, SINCE I DO NOT HAVE ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED, AND I DO NOT HAVE A REPRESENTATION AGREEMENT WITH YOU.

* If the answers to your question confirm that you have a valid issue or worthwhile claim, your next step should almost always be to establish a dialog with a lawyer who can provide specific advice to you. Contact a lawyer in your county or township.

* Another reason for contacting a lawyer is that it is often impossible to give a good answer in the Internet Q&A format without having more information. The unique circumstances of your situation and things that you may not have thought to mention in your question may completely change the answer. If you want to be sure that you have a complete answer to your question and an understanding of what that answer means, establish a connection with a lawyer who practices in the area of your concern.

I would agree with Attorney Jacobson, but want to make a couple of extra points.

Since you owned the land as a joint tenant with right of survivorship with your mother that means the land passed to you automatically as of the moment of your mother's death. However, you do not indicate when the land was put in your name. If it was within one year of death, there might be inheritance taxes owed.

Also, the Medicaid department by law is mandated to seek recovery for the care rendered to your mother. This would entail repaying Medicaid from your mother's probate estate. However, if your mother was on Medicaid, then she probably did not have much in the way of assets. PA law provides that in such cases a child may be personally liable for the costs.

So you definitely need to speak with a probate lawyer and determine whether any kind of inheritance taxes or reimbursement will need to be paid to Medicaid. Neither of those things will stop you from selling the land. Just do not spend the proceeds until you can confirm whether money will be owed to the state Medicaid or revenue departments.