How to Transfer a Deed in Pennsylvania (Including Quitclaim Deeds)
How to transfer a deed in PA step by step: deed types, quitclaim deeds, notary and recording, realty transfer tax and family exemptions.
Transfer on Death Deeds in Pennsylvania: Not Allowed Yet, and What to Use Instead
Short answer: No. Pennsylvania does not currently allow transfer on death deeds for real estate. A “TOD” or “beneficiary” deed recorded for a Pennsylvania home has no legal effect under current law. A bill to adopt them, House Bill 2124, was introduced in January 2026, but unless it becomes law, Pennsylvania homeowners need to use […]
How to Make a Will in PA: Legal Requirements and Practical Steps
To make a valid will in Pennsylvania, you must be at least 18 and of sound mind, put your wishes in writing, and sign the document at the end. Pennsylvania does not require witnesses or a notary for a will to be valid. In practice, though, two witnesses and a notarized self-proving affidavit make the […]
How to Avoid Probate in Pennsylvania: What Works and What Doesn’t
The main ways to avoid probate in Pennsylvania are joint ownership with survivorship rights, beneficiary designations, payable-on-death and transfer-on-death registrations, and a funded revocable living trust. A will does not avoid probate. In fact, a will is the document that probate is designed to carry out. Related guides: Does Pennsylvania allow transfer on death deeds? […]
Digital Assets in Your Pennsylvania Estate Plan: What to Include
A Cecil resident thought her estate plan was in good shape. She had a will drafted five years earlier, a durable power of attorney, and a healthcare directive. Then a close friend lost her father, and the family spent months trying to access his email, his cloud storage, and a small cryptocurrency account nobody knew […]
Beneficiary Designation vs. Will in Pennsylvania: Which One Controls?
When a family in Cecil, PA sat around their kitchen table one Sunday afternoon, they thought they had their estate plan figured out. Then their oldest daughter asked a question that opened up a serious issue about beneficiary designation vs will Pennsylvania rules. She had recently helped a friend deal with a similar problem, and […]
Estate Planning for Mineral Rights Owners in Cecil, PA: Protect Royalties, Leases, & Family Assets
If you own mineral rights in Cecil, PA, or anywhere in Washington County, here’s something worth sitting with for a minute. Those rights, those royalty checks, and that lease in your filing cabinet are real assets. They’re going to outlive you. And how they get handled after you’re gone depends almost entirely on what you […]