Deed Preparation & Ownership Transfer Attorneys in Northern Virginia
Get the Deed Right
Moving property between owners, into a trust or business, or on to family looks simple, but the wrong deed or a missed step can create a title problem years later. We prepare deeds and handle transfers correctly across Northern Virginia.
✓ Owners, Families & Entities
✓ Leesburg & Fairfax
✓ Prepared & Recorded
What a Deed Has to Do
Three Things Worth Knowing
Three Deed Types
General warranty, special warranty, and quitclaim, each giving the new owner a different level of protection
Record to Protect
A deed is not effective against later buyers or creditors until it is recorded where the land lies
Skip Probate
A transfer on death deed can pass property to a named beneficiary outside probate, revocable during your life
Sources: Code of Virginia § 55.1-300 (deeds signed and acknowledged), §§ 55.1-354 to 55.1-356 (general warranty, special warranty, and English covenants of title), and § 55.1-407 (a deed’s priority once recorded); §§ 58.1-801 and 58.1-802 (recordation and grantor’s taxes), with exemptions under § 58.1-811; and the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act, § 64.2-621 et seq.
A deed is a short document, but it decides who owns the property, what protections the new owner has, and how the property will pass down the line. The wrong choice on any of those is easy to make and expensive to unwind, which is why a transfer worth doing is worth doing correctly the first time.
A Simple Document With Lasting Consequences
Preparing a deed is the routine step behind almost every change in ownership. You might be adding a spouse to the title, moving a rental into an LLC, putting your home in a trust, gifting property to a child, or transferring after a divorce. It looks simple, and a blank form is easy to download, but the wrong type of deed, an incorrect legal description, the wrong way of holding title, or a deed that never gets recorded can create a defect that surfaces years later when you try to sell or refinance.
We prepare deeds and handle transfers so they are correct, recorded, and set up the way you intend. Because a clean transfer depends on clean title, we can also examine the title first, and if an old deed or title defect is in the way, we clear it before the new deed goes on record.
Schedule a ConsultationWhere We Come In
- ✓ You are adding or removing a spouse or co-owner from the title
- ✓ You are moving property into a trust for estate planning
- ✓ You are transferring a rental or investment property into an LLC
- ✓ You want to gift property to a child or other family member
- ✓ You are transferring property as part of a divorce
- ✓ You want a transfer on death deed so the property avoids probate
What We Handle
Deed & Transfer Services
The right deed for the situation, prepared, recorded, and set up to do what you want.
Warranty & Quitclaim Deeds
Preparing the right deed for the transfer, whether a general warranty, special warranty, or quitclaim deed, with the protection the situation calls for.
Transfers to Trusts & LLCs
Moving property into a revocable trust for estate planning or into an LLC for a rental or investment, with the transfer tax exemption applied.
Adding or Removing an Owner
Putting a spouse or co-owner on the title, or taking one off after a divorce or buyout, with the right vesting so ownership passes as intended.
Life Estate & Transfer on Death Deeds
Setting up a life estate or a transfer on death deed so property passes to your chosen people outside probate, while you keep control during your life.
Gift & Family Transfers
Transferring property to children or other family members, done correctly so the gift is clean and any mortgage or tax issue is handled up front.
Recording & Tax Handling
Recording the deed in the right circuit court and calculating or claiming the exemption from Virginia’s recordation and grantor’s taxes.
What makes a deed hold up in Virginia
Virginia recognizes general warranty, special warranty, and quitclaim deeds, each giving the new owner a different level of protection, from full covenants of title down to a transfer of only whatever interest the owner happens to have. A deed has to be in writing, signed by the owner, and acknowledged before a notary to be recorded, and it is not effective against later buyers or creditors until it is recorded in the circuit court where the land lies. How title is held matters just as much: tenancy in common, joint tenancy with right of survivorship, which Virginia requires to be stated expressly, or tenancy by the entirety for a married couple, which adds a layer of creditor protection. Recording usually triggers Virginia’s recordation and grantor’s taxes based on value, though many family and estate transfers, such as between spouses or into your own trust or entity, are exempt. A transfer on death deed lets an owner name who receives the property at death and keep it out of probate, and it stays fully revocable during life, though it must be signed, notarized, and recorded before death to work, and every joint owner has to sign it. One caution runs through all of this: transferring mortgaged property can implicate a due-on-sale clause, with federal protections for transfers to a spouse, into a living trust, or on death to a relative, which we check before the deed is recorded.
Attorney Insight
“People think of a deed as a formality, and most of the time it goes on record and nothing ever comes of it. The trouble shows up later, when a family tries to sell and finds the wrong name on title, or a quitclaim deed that gave no protection, or a transfer that was never recorded at all. A deed done right takes a little care up front, matching the document and the way title is held to what the owner actually wants. That small effort is what keeps a routine transfer from becoming a title problem down the road.”
Anthony I. Shin, Esq.
Founder, Shin Law Office
Common Questions
Answers Before You Call
What is the difference between a warranty deed and a quitclaim deed?
A general warranty deed gives the new owner the fullest promises about clear title, a special warranty deed limits those promises to the current owner’s own period of ownership, and a quitclaim deed transfers only whatever interest the owner has, with no promises at all. The right one depends on the situation, and using the wrong one can leave the new owner unprotected.
Can I just download a deed form and file it myself?
You can, but small mistakes cause big problems. A wrong legal description, the wrong way of holding title, a missing acknowledgment, or a deed that never gets recorded can create a defect that only shows up when you try to sell or refinance, and fixing it later usually costs far more than doing it right the first time.
How do I put my property into a trust or an LLC?
With a properly prepared and recorded deed transferring the property from you to the trust or the entity. Many of these transfers are exempt from Virginia’s transfer taxes, and if there is a mortgage, we check for a due-on-sale issue and the protections that apply, such as the one for transfers into a living trust.
What is a transfer on death deed?
It is a deed that names who will receive your property when you die, while you keep full ownership and control during your life. It passes the property outside probate and can be revoked at any time, but it must be signed, notarized, and recorded before death to be valid, and if the property is jointly owned, all owners have to sign. It fits well with an estate plan.
Will I owe tax to record a deed?
Recording usually triggers Virginia’s recordation and grantor’s taxes, based on the property’s value. But many transfers, including between spouses, into your own trust or entity, and certain gifts, are exempt. We identify the exemption that applies and note it on the deed before recording, so you are not taxed on a transfer that qualifies.
Related Real Estate Services
Have Your Deed Prepared Correctly
Tell us what you are trying to do with the property, and we will prepare the right deed, hold title the right way, and record it correctly. Serving Leesburg, Fairfax, and all of Northern Virginia.
Prefer to talk now? Reach Anthony I. Shin, Esq. at 571-445-6565.
Based in Loudoun County and serving clients across Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland, we know that when everything’s on the line, the right attorney doesn’t just make a difference, they determine the outcome.
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Copyright © 2026 Shin Law Office, PLC. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2026 Shin Law Office, PLC. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of any content on this site is prohibited except for individual, non-commercial, informational use. This limited permission does not allow modification, distribution, or incorporation of any content into other works or publications in any medium. You may not reproduce or distribute content from this site to any third party.