Real Estate AgentReal Estate Market UpdateSelling House June 14, 2025

Should You put your home into a Trust?

5 Key Benefits of Putting Your Home in a Trust

  1. Avoids Probate
    Your heirs can receive the home quicker and without the delays and costs of probate court.

  2. Maintains Privacy
    Unlike wills, trusts aren’t public record—keeping your property and plans confidential.

  3. Provides Clear Instructions
    A trust can lay out exactly how and when the home should be transferred, reducing family disputes.

  4. Can Protect in Incapacity
    If you become mentally or physically unable to manage your affairs, your successor trustee can take over without court involvement.

  5. Possible Tax and Legal Protections
    In some cases, trusts can help reduce estate taxes or protect the home from certain creditors (though not always).


⚠️ 5 Disadvantages of Putting Your Home in a Trust

  1. Initial Cost and Setup
    Creating a trust usually requires a lawyer and can cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.

  2. Ongoing Maintenance
    You’ll need to keep your trust updated as your circumstances change—and that takes time and attention.

  3. Refinancing Can Be Complicated
    Some lenders may require you to remove the home from the trust before refinancing, then re-title it back afterward.

  4. Doesn’t Guarantee Asset Protection
    A revocable living trust (the most common kind) doesn’t shield your home from nursing homes, lawsuits, or creditors.

  5. Must Properly Fund the Trust
    Simply creating the trust isn’t enough—you have to legally transfer the home’s title into it, or it won’t work as intended.