How to keeping a house in the family starts with getting your name on the deed

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Owning a home is one of the biggest investments you can make, but a recent study shows that thousands of Detroiters are not prepared to keep their family home in the family.

If you own a house, make sure your name is on the deed and then make sure you have a will indicating where you want your house to end up.

But according to Gallup, less than half of Americans have a will - while another study found 5,500 families in Detroit are living in a home that they don't actually own in the eyes of the law.  

But there is an effort to change all of this.

Delores Orr is a lifelong Detroiter and wanted to keep it that way.

"You are never too young, I don't think, to start thinking about putting your ducks in order," she said.

Years ago she was volunteering in her East Village neighborhood, delivering pamphlets door to door informing families in the dark about back taxes they owe on their homes.

"I said, 'Well, wait a minute, this is my address.'"

And this was one list, she did not want to be on.

"My house was on the foreclosure list and I didn't know it," Orr said. "Because I didn't know the taxes were behind, and my parents had passed away."

At the same time, the Gilbert Family Foundation was launching the Detroit Tax Relief Fund which pays off back taxes of low-income homeowners.

There is just one catch to take advantage of this program.

"We're seeing almost on a daily basis, people were calling, thinking they could qualify for this property tax exemption and their name was not on the deed," said Laura Grannemann, Gilbert Family Foundation.

That realization prompted a study of just how many Detroiters have no idea they don't really own their family house.

"We found that there are about 5,500 properties that are categorized as heirs' properties," said Anika Goss, CEO Detroit Future City. "And they are scattered throughout the city in 49 different neighborhoods or Census tracks."

And having an heir's property could lead to some lengthy and costly problems down the line.

"The person living in the property is not the same person whose name is on the deed," she said.

And that is where the program 'Keep it in the Family' hopes to come in.

"Because of the goal is to keep it in the family." said Mac Farr, Villages Community Development Corp.

Detroit neighborhood groups are partnering with non-profits like Michigan Legal Services in Detroit and Lakeshore Aid in Southfield to help find a solution.

"If you are in a house that was left to you by a relative, contact an estate attorney," Farr said.

Those non-profits can help you if you are struggling to afford a lawyer and the fees from probate court.

"These legal expenses are hard," Goss said. "Getting a will is expensive, and so people need the guidance, and the support, and the case management to understand how to resolve these issues.

"If we can develop this kind of coalition and really put resources behind it, that's how we will begin to see the improvement overall."

Orr got a payment plan and now helps spread the word through her own experience.

"Let's not say it's estate planning, let's say saving your life, let's say saving your family," she said. "That's what we are doing, saving your home for the generations to come."

Those involved in the Keep it in the Family program say the main take-aways from this are: make sure you have a will so you can pass the property without issue.

And if you have inherited the property, make sure your name is on the deed.  

The best way to do this is with a lawyer. If you can't afford one there are options that you can find:

• For Michigan Legal Services CLICK HERE.
• For Lakeshore Legal Aid CLICK HERE.