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    <font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">My recollection, from
      decades ago, is that deeds to married couples generally included
      "husband and wife" after their names, and that such verbiage
      indicated that the property was considered their community
      property. And at the death of the first spouse, generally no
      affidavits were then prepared or recorded if the surviving spouse
      intended to continue residing in, or at least owning, the property
      (whether or not the couple ever had signed or recorded a community
      property agreement).  At such time as the surviving spouse died or
      chose to sell the property, that spouse or an executor then would
      provide a title insurance company whatever assurances that company
      requested (for its internal files) in order to insure the buyer's
      title.<br>
      <br>
      I don't recall ever preparing or recording a Lack of Probate
      Affidavit for a surviving spouse, nor am I aware of any statute or
      case law requiring such. I viewed lawyers who routinely prepared
      such affidavits at a first-spouse's death as simply doing so to
      generate fees.  Practices appear to have changed over the decades.<br>
      <br>
      Doug Schafer, WSBA 8652 (admitted 1978)<br>
    </font><br>
    <br>
    <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 5/4/2023 14:40, Eric Nelsen wrote:<br>
    </div>
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        <p class="MsoNormal">I agree, JTWROS works, but I generally
          avoid it as an EP mechanism because JTWROS is such a fragile
          state of title. Even some off-public-record events can be
          enough to sever the right of survivorship, if I remember
          correctly. And certainly it’s unilaterally severable by
          executing a quitclaim deed from “X to X, to hold as tenant in
          common and sever right of survivorship.” In contract, a
          Community Property Agreement is contractual and not
          unilaterally terminable, and can also apply to all property
          instead of just one particular parcel of real estate. If the
          parties sell and buy a new property, the CPA will cover the
          new property but otherwise they’d have to remember to take the
          new parcel as JTWROS.<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal">Eric<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal">Eric C. Nelsen<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal">Sayre Law Offices, PLLC<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal">1417 31st Ave South<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal">Seattle WA 98144-3909<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal">206-625-0092<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:eric@sayrelawoffices.com"
            moz-do-not-send="true"><span style="color:#0563C1">eric@sayrelawoffices.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
        <div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1
          1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
          <p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b>
            <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>
            <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com"><wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com></a>
            <b>On Behalf Of </b>Kira Rubel<br>
            <b>Sent:</b> Thursday, May 4, 2023 2:02 PM<br>
            <b>To:</b> WSBA Real Property Listserv
            <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com"><wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com></a>; WSBA Probate & Trust
            Listserv <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com"><wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com></a><br>
            <b>Subject:</b> [WSBARP] JTWROS - Community Property
            question<o:p></o:p></p>
        </div>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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          <p class="MsoNormal">Hey team - I don't know about the rest of
            you but I'm so tired of telling my surviving spouses that
            they have to do a lack of probate affidavit or, worse yet, a
            probate for the home they owned as community property! <o:p></o:p></p>
          <div>
            <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
          </div>
          <div>
            <div>
              <p class="MsoNormal">Assuming there is no living trust or
                community property agreement, am I correct that RCW
                64.28.040 is the third workaround, in that it allows a
                married couple to hold title to real property as JTWROS
                and still get the full step-up in tax basis on the first
                death? If so, why don't I see more deeds held this way? 
                Is anyone else doing this? <o:p></o:p></p>
              <div>
                <div>
                  <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
                </div>
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                    <div>
                      <div>
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                          <p><i><span
                                style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif">Kira
                                M. Rubel, Esq.</span></i><span
                              style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times
                              New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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