Will you pay tax on the sale of your home? Likely not, unless you have gains that are more than $250,000 or more than $500,000 for married couples.

Until 1997, once you reached the age of 55, you had the one-time option of excluding up to $125,000 of gain on the sale of your home providing it was your primary residence.

Now, anyone, regardless of age, can excludeup to $250,000of gain or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly on the sale of a home.

That means most people will pay no tax unless they have lived there for less than 2 out of the last 5 years

There are many reasons you may want to add someone to the title of your home. Maybe you just got married and would like your new spouse listed as part owner of your home. Or you may want to add an adult child to your title for estate planning purposes.

Whatever the reason, you will need to retain an attorney, experienced in real estate, to draft a new deed conveying  your home  to yourself and the person you wish to add to your title. In addition to the deed, your attorney will also need to prepare transfer tax returns.

On October 3, 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) new mortgage disclosure law, also known as the TRID went into effect. TRID will help consumers be more informed regarding the closing cost.

Here are11 things you should know about the new law:

1. Initial Good Faith Estimate (GFE) and Truth in Lending disclosure (TIL) are now combined into one new form called the Loan Estimate (LE).

2. Instead of the old forms such as the HUD-1 and Final TIL we now have the Closing Disclosure (CD).

I am often asked by clients looking to transfer property whether I will be using a quitclaim deed to complete the transfer.  I tell my clients that in the New York Metropolitan area, the type of deed customarily used to convey real property, whether to a third party in an arm’s length transaction or to a family member, is a “Bargain and Sale Deed with Covenants Against Grantor’s Acts.”

A quitclaim deed must to used with caution and can be dangerous or beneficial depending upon whether you are the grantor or grantee.

Buyers and sellers involved in a residential or commercial real estate transaction have different issues and goals. The real estate contract or purchase agreement is the single most important document in the transaction. A well drafted contract that accurately reflects your interests and addresses potential problems is critical to a successful real estate transaction.  At the Law Office of Jeanne M. Reardon, we have more than 20 years of experience negotiating, drafting and reviewing contracts.