A grantor may not be in the title at all; they can transfer an acquired interest. For instance, a grantor married to the owner of a property might sign and record a quitclaim deed to transfer any interest the grantor may have acquired in the property to the spouse. The spouse would be referred to as the grantee. Quitclaim deeds only apply to whatever interest a grantor owns at the time of the transfer. If a grantor were to acquire rights to the property at a later date, the prior quitclaim deed would have no impact. Quitclaim deeds are not used for sales, which utilize warranty deeds or grant deeds. There also are circumstances that might call for an interspousal transfer deed in lieu of a quitclaim deed. But they can be helpful in certain scenarios.
How Does a Quitclaim Deed Work?
Quitclaim deeds are useful when a straightforward transfer of ownership is needed. Divorce is one of the main reasons you might file a quitclaim deed. If a couple owns a home jointly, the spouse not keeping the home would need to sign a quitclaim deed. They would transfer interest in the property to the spouse keeping the home in the divorce. This can also apply when a person is simply passing a house to another relative. For instance, let’s say a father wants to grant a house to his son without being paid back. He could sign a quitclaim deed. There are also cases in which you could run into issues with a title. It might raise questions of whether another person has ownership. Lawyers may seek to have that person sign a quitclaim deed; this would relinquish any possible rights they may have to the property.
Mortgage Impact
A quitclaim deed does not remove a borrower’s name from a mortgage. Nor does it relieve a borrower from responsibility for the payment of a mortgage. A borrower is only relieved of the obligation in a few cases: a refinance, a payoff of the mortgage, or sale of the property which results in a payoff of the mortgage.
How Do You Prepare a Quitclaim Deed?
You can download a quitclaim deed from many websites. But it’s important that your quitclaim deed was prepared properly. Also, you’ll want to be sure that your interests are protected. It is often wise to consult with a lawyer or other legal professional specializing in real estate. You will also need to have the deed notarized and recorded in the county in which the property is located.
Quitclaim Deed vs. Interspousal Transfer Deed
Interspousal transfer deeds are similar to quitclaim deeds; they relinquish any further claim of community property. It can be signed by a current spouse or a spouse in the midst of a separation or going through final divorce proceedings. These also are commonly used in a refinance of the home. Perhaps one spouse has a better credit score than the other, for instance. In this case, the spouse with poor credit would transfer a claim to the spouse with better credit. There is no state or city transfer tax due on a property transferred by an interspousal transfer deed. The interspousal transfer also passes any mortgage obligations along with ownership.
Quitclaim Deed vs. Grant Deed
In many cases, a quitclaim deed is not enough for transferring ownership. That’s because it offers no guarantees. Often, a more firm and declaration of ownership is needed, as is the case with a grant deed. Unlike a quitclaim deed, a grant deed explicitly promises that the current owner has rights to the property and is transferring them. This guards against any potential title issues that could have happened during the grantor’s tenure of ownership. It does not, however, guarantee there are no title issues that occurred outside that ownership period. For that, some states use an even stronger deed, called a warranty deed, along with title insurance. Grant deeds and warranty deeds are the most common types of deeds used in sales transactions.
