Things to think about first
- Property taxes. Adding a child gives them part ownership now, and the county may reassess the share they receive. Proposition 19 narrowed the parent-child exclusion in 2021, so check with your county assessor or a tax professional before you record.
- Capital gains. A share you give away now doesn’t get the step-up in tax basis it might get if your child inherited it later.
- Gift tax. Adding a child is usually a gift. Depending on the value, a federal gift tax return may be required, even when no tax is owed.
- Control. Once your child is on title, you’ll need their signature to sell or refinance.
This is general information, not tax or legal advice.
How the title can read
Parents and children usually hold title as joint tenants (the survivor owns it all) or as tenants in common (each share passes on its own). You choose, and we prepare the deed to match.
Want them to get it later instead?
A transfer on death deed names your child to receive the home when you die, without giving them any ownership now. It’s $295 too.
What we need from you
The property address, your child’s full legal name, and how you want the title to read. We pull the current deed and legal description and handle the county forms.
How it works
- Buy and tell us who and where. Checkout takes about a minute. We need the property address and how the new title should read.
- We research and prepare. We pull the current deed and legal description, then prepare your document and the county forms.
- Notarize, and we record. Sign in front of a notary (free at our Redding, Roseville, or Sacramento office, or at most banks), upload it, and we e-record it with your county. The recorded copy comes back by email.