How do I avoid gift tax when I change the name on the deed of my property? My mother owns a condo (zillow estimated value: $226,500). My parents reside at the property until 2009. At which time, my parents moved in with me and converted the proper to a rental unit. At this time, my mother would like to transfer the condo to me. Her name is the only name on the grant deed. We planned to use a simple quit claim deed to do the transfer. Our documentation specialist (Legalzoom in this case) indicated that this transfer may trigger a gift tax for my mother. I would like to better understand the gift impact in this case. Furthermore, is there any way to avoid the gift tax? My mother is retired. Her annual income is just social security (~$12K per year). She has been taking money out of her IRA on a annual basis. She takes out about $45K per year. We reside in San Mateo County of California.