One of the first concerns many families have after a loved one passes away is: “What happens to the mortgage when the owner dies?” Some worry the bank will immediately foreclose. Others believe the entire loan must be paid off immediately. Fortunately, the reality is often less alarming. What happens Read more
One of the most common questions families ask after the death of a parent is: “What happens to the house now?” The answer depends on how the property was owned and what estate planning, if any, was completed before death. Some homes transfer relatively smoothly. Others require probate proceedings, deed Read more
Don’t Wait Too Long to Start Estate Planning Many people know they should have an estate plan. They intend to get around to it someday. After the holidays. After retirement. After the next vacation. After life slows down. Unfortunately, estate planning is one of those things that often gets postponed Read more
One of the most common questions homeowners ask is: “Should I add my child to my deed so they inherit the house when I die?” At first glance, it seems like a simple solution. By adding a child to the deed, many homeowners hope to: Avoid probate Simplify estate administration Read more
One of the most common misconceptions in estate planning is that having a will allows an estate to avoid probate. It does not. In fact, a will is typically the document that directs how property is distributed through the probate process, not around it. For homeowners and families in Maryland Read more
Many people create a revocable living trust believing it will help their family avoid probate after they pass away. Often, that is exactly what happens. However, simply signing a trust agreement does not automatically avoid probate. In fact, one of the most common estate planning issues I encounter is a Read more
When people think about estate planning, they usually think about wills and trusts. But there’s a critical piece that is often overlooked: How your real estate is titled. In Washington, DC and Maryland, estate plans frequently fail—not because the documents were drafted incorrectly, but because the deeds were never aligned Read more
When most people think about trusts, they imagine a static legal document—signed, funded, and then left alone to operate exactly as written. In reality, well-designed trusts often last for many years, sometimes decades. During that time, laws change, family circumstances evolve, and administrative challenges arise. That’s where a trust protector Read more
Step-by-Step: How to Transfer a Property into a Trust in Maryland Owning real estate is often a family’s biggest asset and one of the most important pieces of any estate plan. Often the estate plan will transfer a property into a revocable living trust or another type of trust to Read more
Most people assume a deed only changes hands when there’s a sale. In reality, a large share of Maryland deed transfers involve no money at all — what real-estate law refers to as no-consideration transfers. Even though no money changes hands, these transfers must be done correctly to avoid recordation/transfer Read more