How do I transfer my home to my trust?

For most families, their primary residence is the most valuable asset they own. As such, transfers of said property to the client's trust is a crucial and central part of the estate planning process. 

The process of transferring real property to a trust is not complicated. It basically entails the recording of a deed in the Recorder's Office of the county where the property is located. The deed contains critical information such as the identity(ies) of the transferring party and the receiving party, as well as the legal description of the property to be transferred.

Unfortunately most individuals who try to "DIY" (do-it-yourself) their estate plan fail to take the proper actions to transfer their home to their living trust. As a result, after the individual's death and unbeknownst to him or her, the beneficiaries discover that the individual was under the mistaken belief that simply creating a trust was adequate to avoid probate (usually a primary motivation for creating a living trust).

If you own real property and also have a trust, it's not a bad idea to check the title to your home and ensure that it is in the name of your trust. A real estate professional or your estate planning lawyer should be able to do this for you.