Property agreements are commonly thought of as “pre-nuptial
agreements” between people about to get married who want to protect separate
property, or protect an inherited family home, from being later divided by the
court as community property, if there should be a divorce.
However, property agreements can be made between spouses
after marriage to clarify the status of property in the event of death of one
or both spouses, as well as in case of divorce.
Also, these days, someone who has had a rough divorce will
say, “I’m never getting married, so I won’t go through that again,” but then,
after spending a decade with someone they did not marry, they learn that their
“marriage-like” property can be divided just like community property. Even the unmarried need property
agreements. Just refusing to get married
does not prevent a subsequent battle over the distribution of property
accumulated during a committed, intimate, relationship.
Most people should have a property agreement. One person who
is adept at drafting a binding property agreement is Spokane family attorney
Craig Mason. Arrange an appointment at
his office located at West 1707 Broadway in Spokane by calling (509) 443-3681.
