What to Look for When a Property is Held In a Trust

It is becoming more common to find that a property is held in trust. This presents several issues of concern for a realtor when the property is to be listed and sold. The term trust describes the holding of property by a trustee (which may be one or more persons or a corporate trust entity) in accordance with the provisions of a written trust instrument for the benefit of one or more persons called beneficiaries. A person may be both a trustee and a beneficiary of the same trust.

For real property held in trust, the title must be in an entity “as trustee” of the trust. Title purportedly held only in “the trust” (i.e., not in an entity “as trustee” of the trust) is void. For Example, Jane Smith as Trustee of the Joseph Smith Trust dated May 1, 2017, would be correct. The Joseph Smith Trust dated May 1, 2017, would be incorrect.

When reviewing the written declaration of trust the attorney is looking for two things in particular:

Who is the Trustee?
Does the Trustee have the power to sell real property and under what circumstances?

For this reason, prior to listing a property held in trust, it is essential to review the title deed and trust instrument (or trust certificate) and make sure the title is properly held in the correct trustee and that the listing agreement is properly executed by the correct trustee. A beneficiary of a trust who is not the trustee typically has no power to enter into any listing agreement or contract to sell the property.

The signature block for a trust is a little different from a Warranty Deed. It should be as follows:

The John Smith Trust

By: Jane Smith, Trustee

Finally, it should be noted in the contract that the title will not be transferred by Limited Warranty Deed as it is provided for in the Georgia Association of Realtors (GAR) Contract but instead by Trustee’s Deed.

Editor’s note: This article was created by Kerry Lucasse, Agent/Owner at eXp Realty. Information deemed reliable but is subject to change.

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What to Look for When Real Estate Property is Held In a Trust

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Kerry Lucasse

After almost 20 years in the real estate business, Kerry Lucasse has had the pleasure of building one of Atlanta's top real estate teams, generating thousands of internet leads, and received numerous awards, including eXp ICON Agent, #1 Team in the US, Chairman's Excellence Award, and Rookie of the Year. She currently manages a local team of 20 agents and has over 6,500 agents in her organization across North America. Kerry's helped hundreds of agents grow successful real estate businesses, establish their brands, generate more leads, build multi-state teams, and diversify their income streams. Her #1 goal.... Building Better Agents!