In this financial advice column a married woman asks if she would automatically inherit her husband’s home if he died before her. The laws governing inheritance and probate issues can be complex and whether a spouse will inherit a piece of property often depends on the individual situation. A person would need to know if their spouse had children from a previous marriage. If there are children from a previous marriage then a married couple might want to have a “quit claim” deed that would add the spouses name to the deed and would ensure that they inherit the property. Another technique involves naming the spouse as a beneficiary of the marital home. There are many different types of disputes that can arise in probate and that is the reason why it is important to speak with a professional about creating an estate plan.
See Quentin Fottrel, Will I automatically inherit my husband’s house?, Market Watch, November 20, 2015.
Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse for bringing this article to my attention.
