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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>A couple went to see a lawyer who sold them a very adequate but unnecessary trust, into which they conveyed their residence. A few years later, seeing the need for long term care money on the near horizon, they came to my office to discuss Medicaid planning. As part of the overall plan, I drafted a QCD, signed by both husband and wife, both competent, as trustors and trustees, conveying the residence to the wife. Wife went to record but was stopped along the way when she went to the treasurer’s office to pay the $10 REETA fee. I was not there, but I am told the clerk at the desk became puzzled, went to confer with another clerk, who also appeared puzzled and went to talk to a third person, who came to the desk and said that they would not process the QCD because “you can’t transfer the house out of the trust to the wife, you have to transfer the house out of the trust back to the husband and wife, and then transfer it to the wife,” (and pay an additional $204.50 in recording fees). There is no mortgage as the house is paid for.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>I have done this type of transfer from a trust to a spouse before with no problems, and I have heard various opinions on whether this is an acceptable way to convey the residence to a spouse, so I called the local title company and a very nice title officer told me that conveying the house from the trust to the wife is “exactly” the way they (the title company) would do it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Before I call the treasurer’s office to see if I can persuade them to go ahead and process the QCD as is, can someone who is smarter than me (I know you are out there) offer an opinion? I know that mortgage companies sometimes want to have real property conveyed out of a trust before being conveyed to a trustor/trustee/spouse, but as I said there is no mortgage on this property.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Thanks in advance for your thoughts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Jim Dolan<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'>=========================<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'>Jones Butler Dolan, PS<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'>P.O. Box 458<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'>10027 SR 532<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'>Stanwood, WA 98292<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'>(tel) 360-336-2939<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'>(fax) 360-336-2949<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>