Your lady bird deed, ready to sign
Keep your home, and the right to sell it or change your mind, for life. At your death it passes to the people you name, without probate. Answer plain-English questions and download a deed laid out to your state's recording rules.
For Florida and Michigan. Free questions and review. $199 once for your deed.
What you get
A deed with your names, your property and your beneficiaries, ready to sign in front of a notary and record.
Your deed, laid out to record
Florida: two witness blocks, the notary acknowledgment and the clerk's blank space. Michigan: the 2.5 inch top margin, the transfer tax exemptions and the drafter block.
Your legal description, read for you
Upload your current deed and we copy the legal description, parcel number and recording details for you to check word for word.
A guide for every step after
Who signs, where to record, the fees, Michigan's Property Transfer Affidavit, and what your beneficiaries do after your death.
How it works
Answer plain-English questions
About the property, how you own it and who should receive it. About 10 minutes. Your answers save as you go.
Review it, free
See what your deed will say. If something in your situation needs an attorney, such as a Florida home with a child under 18, we tell you before you pay.
Sign and record
Download your deed, sign it in front of a notary, and record it with your county. Recording usually costs $10 to $40.
When you need an attorney instead
We say so plainly, and we don't sell a deed that wouldn't do what you want.
Texas and other states
We prepare Florida and Michigan deeds. Texas law lets only attorneys and brokers charge for preparing a deed.
Trusts, companies, shared ownership
Property in a trust or LLC, or owned with someone who isn't your husband or wife.
Medicaid and guardianship
An owner on or applying for long-term care Medicaid, or someone signing for an owner.
One price, one property
The questions and the review are free. Pay only when you want the deed.
Paid once. No subscription.
- Your deed, filled in from your answers and laid out to your state's recording rules
- Your legal description read from your current deed, for you to check
- Signing instructions: witnesses, notary and who signs
- Recording steps, fees and the forms that go with it
- What your beneficiaries do after your death
- Change beneficiaries and download again any time
Questions
What is a lady bird deed?
A deed where you keep a life estate in your property, with full power to sell, mortgage, lease or give it away without your beneficiaries' permission, and name who receives it when you die. Because you never give up control, the people you name have no rights in it during your life. At your death it passes to them without probate. It's also called an enhanced life estate deed.
Which states allow it?
Florida, Michigan, Texas and Vermont recognize lady bird deeds (Vermont by statute). We prepare Florida and Michigan deeds. Texas law lets only an attorney or real estate broker charge for preparing a deed, so we don't sell Texas deeds; Texas has a free official Transfer on Death Deed form.
Can I change my mind later?
Yes. You can sell the property, or sign and record a new deed naming different people, without the beneficiaries' signatures. (In Florida, a married owner's husband or wife still joins in selling or mortgaging a home.) A will can't change it: only a new recorded deed can.
What about my mortgage and my homestead exemption?
Your mortgage stays as it is and you keep paying it. For a home of 1 to 4 units that you live in, federal law stops a lender calling in the loan for a transfer to your spouse or children, or to a relative at your death. In Florida you keep the homestead exemption as the life tenant, and because you are named as both grantor and grantee there's no reassessment. In Michigan signing the deed doesn't uncap your taxable value.
Who has to sign?
Every owner on your current deed, in front of a notary. In Florida two witnesses sign too, and a married owner's husband or wife joins in the deed when it's their home. You can sign in person or online with a remote notary.
Where do I get the legal description?
From the deed that gave you the property. Upload a PDF or photo of it and we fill in the legal description, parcel number and recording details for you to check word for word. Your county clerk's or register of deeds' website has a copy if you don't.
Do you record it for me?
No. You sign it and take or mail it to your county: in Florida the Clerk of Court, in Michigan the county treasurer and then the Register of Deeds. Your guide gives the steps and fees. Recording usually costs $10 to $40.
Is this legal advice?
No. Simple Lady Bird Deed is self-help software, not a law firm, and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. You are the preparer of your deed: the software fills a fixed deed template with the choices you make. If you're not sure a lady bird deed is right for you, or your situation is complicated, talk to a real estate or elder law attorney.
Keep your home. Skip probate.
Start with the questions. You can stop and come back any time.
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