Can a parent sell their vacation home to their children?
James Williams
Updated on March 06, 2026
Here are a few: Parents can sell the vacation home to their children to increase their capital liquidity in their later years or as they enter an assisted living facility, says Ringham, who inherited a cabin with three siblings. In choosing this option, parents are no longer responsible for expenses or property taxes.
What makes a vacation home a family asset?
For many families, a vacation property is more than just real estate – it’s a treasured family asset. There are several ways families can pass on their second home to the next generation. Remember when your oldest child saw her first jellyfish? She studied it from all angles and talked about it for days.
Is it possible to keep a vacation home in the family?
Once a family has determined what they’d like to do with their vacation home, the next issue to consider is taxes. Often the tax implications will influence whether it’s possible to keep the home in the family or best to sell it. Property left to someone in a will must go through probate – a lengthy legal process – and may face estate taxes.
Do you have to pay taxes on a vacation home?
Property left to someone in a will must go through probate – a lengthy legal process – and may face estate taxes. Many people gift vacation homes to minimize federal and state estate taxes, says Tom Six, a wealth strategist for RBC Wealth Management-U.S. in San Francisco.
What happens when you sell your vacation home?
So if you lost money on stocks and bonds, sell them when you sell your house to offset some of your house gain. If you leave a vacation home to children or others in your will, their basis becomes what the home is worth when they inherit it.
Can a co-owner force the sale of a vacation home?
But there is one key legal problem you must understand: Generally, any co-owner can force the sale of real estate. Let’s say you leave your cottage to your three children. Two of them are happy to use the cottage and work at keeping it in good shape. But one of them lives far away and can’t spend his vacations at the cottage.
Can a family member inherit a vacation home?
An LLC, on the other hand, specifically sets forth who can inherit a co-owner’s share of the vacation home. “You can say if you pass away or want to sell, the other owners get the right of first refusal,” says Drake.
Can a vacation home be owned by more than one person?
Sometimes a vacation home is going to be empty no matter how many people own it. But you’re a neat freak and don’t like people sleeping in your bed. Your brother, on the other hand, wants to make some money by renting out your shared property.
Can a parent transfer a vacation home to a trust?
Parents can transfer a vacation home to this trust and continue to use it for a specific number of years. This irrevocable trust is used to reduce the parents’ taxable estate and lower the gift tax value of the home, says Ringham.