 TITLE: How to Buy a House Together—Even If You’re Not Married CONTENT: Think Carefully About the Title\n-------------------------------\nOne of the most important decisions you'll make when purchasing a home with another person is how you'll \"hold title,\" or how you'll split ownership of the house. Just like the mortgage shows who is responsible for paying off the loan, the title shows who owns the property.\nWhereas laws dictate what happens to shared property when a married person gets a divorce or loses their spouse, unmarried people will need to forge their own path, with the title playing a crucial role.\nThough different states have different rules, you will generally have three options when it comes to titling your new house:\n1.  Sole ownership: This means that one person is the legal owner. If that's the other person, you should be aware that you won't have legal rights to the home—and if the relationship goes sour, you could lose both your place to live and any money you put toward mortgage payments.\n2.  Joint tenancy with right of survivorship: With joint tenancy, you each have an equal share. You can't sell the property without getting the other owner's permission. If one of you dies, the surviving partner will automatically inherit the other's share—no probate court required.\n3.  Tenancy in common: This allows for unequal ownership, meaning you could own 75% of the home while your partner owns the other 25%. This might come in handy if one of you forked over the majority of the money for the down payment. If you go this route, note that one owner can sell their share of the property without informing the other. And, in the case of one owner's death, the surviving owner will share ownership with the other owner's heirs, unless otherwise specified in a will. END