Linden, NJ asked in Real Estate Law for Florida

Q: Any possible way that my mom could add me to her half of the house in case she passes away I could ask him to sell?

My mom wants to know if she could put me down as a beneficiary of her half of her home now why she still alive. The reason why, my stepfather is sick, he's an alcoholic and is having issues with memory lapses, change in personality, in other words a sign of Alzheimer and my mom is afraid that if she passes away, he's going to lose the house, let it go to waste or just give it away to somebody because of his issue with alcoholism and Alzheimer. Is there any possible way that she could add me to her half of the house in case she passes away I could ask him to sell the house and get her half? She’s in the state of Florida. Thank you in advance...

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1 Lawyer Answer

A: If your asking if your mom can add you to the deed, then answer is only if your stepfather agrees to sign the deed. If he is not competent to sign the deed and does, it can be challenged by other possible heirs.

Your mom should contact an estate planning lawyer to, at the very least, set up a will. There may be other estate planning measures she can take as well (sorry, that's not my area of expertise). A self-executing will with you as the personal representative could transfer ownership of her half to you under an expedited process called summary administration.

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