Deceased mother left me her home in a will. I have always lived with her. Deed still under her name. I continue to pay property taxes. Does this make me the home owner?
The answer is No, you are not officially a home owner yet. You need to remove your mother's name from the title and from the deed. Removing a deceased person from a property deed clears up the land and property tax records and allows the you to deal with the property.
Related - if the home was then sold and the deed transferred at the time of sale (to the sole heir), what is the capital gains/loss liability? For tax purposes, would the FMV still have to be at the DOD?
sorry for your loss, the cost basis as heir is the date of death FMV despite the fact her death was 6 years ago. however, the estate should have paid for or reimbursed you if you paid for any improvements after she died which would add to the DOD FMV.