How to add my wife's name to my house title in CA?

Answer 1

I assume you want to add her as joint tenancy with right of survivorship.

You will need to go to Staples or another type of office supply store and pick up a form. You need a "Quick Claim Deed". Read the instructions and fill in the form. In California your signatures will need to be notarized. Take the deed to the County Recorders Office where the property is located. The clerk will ask for a fee and record the change of title.

Change of title does not change the loan obligation. The person(s) on the loan or note are still responsible for the note to the lender.

Feel free to contact me with further questions.

Good Luck,
Chris C
Real Estate Broker/Lender

Answer 2

You can easily do a quick claim deed to the property and she will have ownership. But, there is a risk. Ie lets say your wife has judgements ect against her, this might piss off the bank.

If you do this they can call the loan, ie start foreclouser. If you currently have an FHA loan you can streamline the loan and add her with no credit qualification.

You are getting kinda slippery when you just start adding people to the deed of the property. You have to realize the bank gave you (not her) consideration for the loan. If you just add her the bank can call the loan.

As was said before CA is a community property state, she already owns 50% of it, so why does she care if she is on title? *not an attorney, just my advice*. If she is worried about equity in the home have her do a lien against the property for 5 billion dollars. All she has to do is pay off the first and she is in second position. This shouldnt be as hard as you might make it.

Answer 3

Look at which title company you used for your purchase or last re-fi. Call them up and tell the escrow officer what you want to do. They should be willing to draft the deed for you and have it recorded. There will be a small fee for the recordation (depends on where you live but should be $50.00 or less).

Experience tells me that you don't need to worry about re-financing as you are still on the deed. It is a common practice for the person with the best credit score to do the re-fi (to get a better rate) and after loan closes to add the spouse on later. I've known title companies that routinely sent out the extra deed (when requested) with the loan package with instructions to record it after the loan closes.

This isn't a big thing to accomplish.

Good luck

Answer 4

Ask your title company. CA is a community property state, she is 50% owner, anyways, unless you married with a pre-nuptial contract or were married elsewhere, not in CA.

Answer 5

You will probably have to refinance in order to do that because the original financing was based on your credit alone. They will take her credit into account before adding her name to the loan, which will probably require new financing.

If her credit is not at least as good as yours, think twice about this.

Answer 6

go to what ever county agency responsible for real estate registrations and ask to add someone to your title

Answer 7

Interested in this

Answer 8

Quick Calim Deed

http://homebuying.about.com/od/glossaryqr/g/quitclaimdeed.htm

Before You Add Someone To Your Title
There are just a few valid reasons to amend your homeownership by adding another person’s name to the title to your home. This is also called transferring title. If you transfer all or part of your ownership to another person, you lose control.

Legitimate reasons to amend your home’s title:

You wish to add your spouse to the title.
You are selling the property.
You are borrowing against your home equity and you are required to amend your title to give the lender a security interest in your property.
You could lose your rights if you add someone to your title under the following circumstances:

Allowing someone to “hold” the deed temporarily.
Adding a person other than a spouse or child to the title can result in higher property taxes.
A deedholder (even one who holds only a percentage of the property) can take out mortgages and loans, tear down your house or sell the property.
A deed transfer may trigger a full payment on your mortgage.
Transferring title
There are different ways to transfer property to another person. Each has different legal consequences.

A Grant Deed immediately transfers all of your interest, ownership and right in the property. After signing a Grant Deed you have no further control over the property and if you are living on it, you become a tenant and can be kicked out by the new owner at any time. A Grant Deed contains a promise that your title and ownership of the property is free and clear, subject to the existing claims and liens that you disclose. If it later turns out that someone else has a claim of right against the property that you did not disclose, you could be liable for monetary damages and could be sued. To guarantee a clear title, you must do a title search and purchase title insurance.

A Quitclaim Deed is similar to a Grant Deed in that it immediately transfers all of your interest, ownership and right in the property. A quitclaim deed can be used to remove someone from or add someone to the title to your home or other property. But a Quitclaim Deed does not include a promise that your ownership is good or free from other claims. To guarantee a clear title, you must do a title search and purchase title insurance.

A Trust Deed is generally used when your property is security for the performance of an obligation that involves your home, like a mortgage or the repayment of a home equity loan. If you do not repay the loan, your home can be placed in foreclosure and sold at a public auction.

Don’t lose control of your property
When you add another person to your home’s title, you are giving ownership rights and control over your home to that person. If you sign a deed giving all or part of your property to another person, that person will have enforceable ownership rights in the property. You will not be able to control this.

If you transfer all or part of your ownership to another person, you lose control. That person can take out a loan on the property, remodel, tear it down or even sell the property—and you can do nothing about it. Even if you transfer only a portion of your interest in the property to someone, that person will have full control of his or her portion and may be able to force a sale of the property.

You might want a relative or friend to have your property upon your death. You don’t need to add someone to your title just because you want that person to have the property when you die. If you intend for another person to have your property upon your death but you intend to keep it during your lifetime, you do not need to add the other person to your title now. You can outline your intention to transfer the property upon your death in your will. Be careful if someone tells you there will be “estate taxes” if the property is transferred by will. Estates with a value of less than $1,000,000 are not subject to federal estate taxes. Even if your estate is worth more than $1,000,000, you do not have to add the other person to your title. You might be able to create a trust to transfer the property upon your death and avoid estate taxes. See an attorney or estate planner for a full explanation of your rights.

Don’t let someone “hold” title
Don’t agree to transfer title to your property temporarily. At some point you may want to take out a loan on your property to make repairs or pay bills or to refinance your mortgage at a better interest. Some dishonest broker or lender may ask you to sign a Grant Deed he or she can “hold” while they look for financing. Don’t do it! Once you sign the Deed, there is nothing to stop the crook from selling your property or taking out a loan for him/ herself without your knowledge. The crook may also refuse to transfer the property back to you or if they do, there may already be new liens against the property. Honest loan brokers and lending companies do not operate this way. If you need to take out a loan, be sure you deal with a reputable lender and always insist upon an escrow.

Never add people to your title to help them get credit or loans
Don’t add anyone to your title so that they can use your property as the collateral for a loan. If the person you add to your title fails to repay the loan or credit, you will be held fully responsible and your credit will be ruined and you could lose your property.

Your property taxes may increase
If you add any person who is not your spouse or your child to your title, your property taxes might increase. Under existing law, the tax assessor has the right to adjust the value of your property and increase your property taxes whenever there is a change in the ownership of your property. You could end up paying hundreds of dollars more in property taxes each year.

Do not sign a deed to your house unless you are willing to give up your property forever. If someone wants you to sign any paper and you are not absolutely sure what it is, don’t sign until an attorney has reviewed it.

Answer 9

Thanks to each and everyone of you guys for the replies.