OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Abandoned homes can be a common sight in parts of Omaha. One organization is working to change that by making sure homeowners have a clear owner designated to take over after they pass away.
Even if the owner of a home has designated an inheritor in their will, the beneficiary has to go through probate court to secure the house after the owner dies.
It’s something not everyone can afford. In Nebraska, there is a way to make sure someone can inherit your home without going through probate.
On Friday, Brenda Cartwright was completing an important task by filling out a transfer-on-death deed.
“When you retire, you think about what’s going to happen to your things,” Brenda said. “You’ve got to plan ahead,”
This is her house. It’s filled with mementos.
She has a will, but she recently found out she would need more than just that to make sure her house could be passed on after her death without her inheritor having to go to probate court.
“What’s gonna happen when I pass? How difficult is it going to be for my family to handle that?” Brenda said.
She’s not the only one who was unaware.
Caroline Nosbisch, community outreach associate with Habitat for Humanity, says homes that are abandoned often get into that situation because inheritors can’t afford to go to court.
Habitat for Humanity is the organization that puts on the event to help people fill out transfer on death (TOD) Deeds.
“Even if you do have a will in place, you still have to go through probate court to get it enacted and that’s where a lot of people end up losing the home,” Nosbisch said. “So even if you have a will we recommend getting this transfer on death deed in place so that your beneficiaries can have that automatic transfer.”
Volunteer attorneys and students at Creighton Law are helping people get a TOD deed put in place.
The service is free and open to anyone who lives in Nebraska.
Helping secure her family’s future is what brought Brenda here today.
“Seniors are not fully aware of things that are available to them for free to help them out,” Brenda said. “You know, these type things are very confusing and they just don’t know here to go.”
She says she found out about the service from word of mouth.
Now she wants to make sure everyone knows about the need to take some extra steps.
If you’d like help filling out a TOD Deed, more information can be found here.
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