<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Helvetica;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Aptos;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Lucida Calligraphy";
panose-1:3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle19
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;
mso-ligatures:none;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Amy:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">My view she should be receiving direction from her divorce attorney rather than you. If something goes south with the divorce and you handled setting this up, you could be left exposed. You are free to contact
the divorce attorney to give your $.02 that this shouldn’t be a problem from a tracing standpoint in the divorce and that as long as no financing is involved, she should be able to purchase the real property without much of an issue from any title company.
But you would caveat that with you’re the divorce attorney, I’m not and let the divorce attorney handle. I should note if she is helping her ex out, I cannot see why he would not be agreeable to signing an acknowledgment (even through his divorce counsel)
that this is her separate property.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">-Marcus<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Amy Goertz<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, July 21, 2025 1:47 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [WSBAPT] Buying House with Inheritance<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">* NOTICE: EXTERNAL EMAIL *</span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;background:white">
<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">
<hr size="2" width="100%" align="center">
</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Good Afternoon -</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt">I have a recent client who just inherited a substantial amount of money and a house, which we titled as her sole and separate property. She is using this home as a rental (it was already a rental; she kept
the tenants).</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt">She has the inherited money in a separate account from her community funds and she does not deposit community funds into the account.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt">She is now in the middle of a divorce and has a local divorce attorney helping her. Her husband does not have a place to live and client is contemplating using some of her inheritance to purchase another rental home
for her soon-to-be ex to live in, but wants to ensure that the property is and remains her separate property.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Divorce attorney told her that she would have to have husband "sign off" on her purchase in order for it to be and remain her separate property. Is this accurate or ‘best practice’ advice?</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Aside from the terrible idea of renting to her soon-to-be ex husband, would she be able to use her separate funds to purchase this property on her own while she is still married or would it require a signature
from the husband to ensure the continuity of the separate nature of the funds?</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Amy</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:"Lucida Calligraphy"">Amy J. Goertz, J.D.</span></i><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Calligraphy";color:black">Goertz & Lambrecht PLLC</span></i><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"><a href="mailto:amyjgoertz@icloud.com">amyjgoertz@icloud.com</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">1.888.926.2607 phone<br>
1.877.684.1627 fax<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">Address for correspondence:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">2829 S. Grand Blvd., Suite 303<br>
Spokane, WA 99203 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">Additional office locations:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">510 Bell Street<br>
Edmonds, WA 98020<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">Goertz & Lambrecht PLLC<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"><a href="http://www.goertzlambrecht.com/">www.goertzlambrecht.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-position: normal;font-variant-numeric: normal;font-variant-alternates: normal;font-variant-east-asian: normal;word-spacing:0px">
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>