Probate avoidance is a primary consideration for estate planners and their clients. A revocable trust is usually the vehicle of choice for making non-probate transfers. But real estate must be re-titled in the name of the trust to make a transfer to the trust effective. An alternative, whether a trust is used or not, is a Beneficiary Deed. It will transfer the real property automatically at death to the beneficiary outside any trust or the decedent’s estate.
