REAL ESTATE INVESTORS

Estate Planning for Real Estate Investors in Georgia

Your portfolio took years to build. Without the right structure, your family may lose it in months.

Most estate plans are built for W-2 employees. If you own rental properties, your plan needs to address LLCs, deeds, beneficiary designations, and what happens to your income stream when you cannot manage it.

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The Gap Between Your Portfolio and Your Plan

You built a rental portfolio. You probably have an LLC or two. You may even have a will. But if those three things are not connected through a properly funded trust, your family still faces probate court when you die — once for every property that is not inside a trust or LLC that names a successor.

Georgia probate averages 18 to 30 months. During that time, your family cannot sell the properties, refinance them, or in some cases even collect rent. The court controls what you built while lawyers get paid from the estate.

Incapacity is the part most investors never plan for. If you become unable to manage your properties, someone needs legal authority to collect rent, pay mortgages, and make repairs. Without a durable financial power of attorney and a funded trust, no one has that authority. Your properties sit idle. Your lenders may call the loans.

The Hive Law builds estate plans specifically for investors. We connect your trust, your LLCs, and your deeds so your portfolio transfers cleanly — and so someone can step in and run it if you cannot.

$30,000+ Average cost of Georgia probate for a single rental property
18–30 Months How long Georgia probate takes while your family cannot sell or refinance
Frozen What happens to your rental income when you are incapacitated without the right documents

Build the Foundation

These documents form the core of every investor estate plan.

ESTATE PLANNING Revocable Living Trust for Investors A trust transfers your rental properties directly to your family — no probate, no court, no 18-month freeze on income. See How It Works ESTATE PLANNING Pour-Over Will Catches any asset you forgot to transfer into your trust so nothing falls through the cracks. See How It Works

Protect What You Built

Your LLCs need to name a successor. Without it, no one has authority to run your properties.

LLC PLANNING LLC Operating Agreement Review Your LLC needs to name a successor manager. Without it, no one has legal authority to run your properties when you are gone. See How It Works LLC PLANNING Funding Your Trust With LLC Interests Transferring your LLC membership to your trust is one step — but it has to be done correctly to avoid triggering lender due-on-sale clauses. See How It Works

Handle the Complex Parts

Multi-property portfolios and out-of-state properties require specific structures.

SPECIALTY PLANNING Out-of-State Property Planning Every state you own property in could mean a separate probate proceeding. A land trust or LLC structure eliminates that risk. See How It Works SPECIALTY PLANNING Multi-Property Portfolio Planning If you own more than three properties, a tiered LLC structure may protect your assets better than a single trust alone. See How It Works

Plan for More Than Death

Incapacity planning keeps your income stream running if you cannot.

INCAPACITY PLANNING Durable Financial Power of Attorney Authorizes someone to manage your LLCs, collect rent, and pay mortgages if you are incapacitated. Without it, your properties sit idle. See How It Works INCAPACITY PLANNING Healthcare Directive and Living Will Tells your family and doctors what to do medically so your property manager can focus on keeping your portfolio running. See How It Works

Move It Right

Documents and deeds must be properly transferred or probate still applies.

TRANSFER PLANNING Deed Transfer Into Your Trust Your properties must be re-deeded into your trust or they still go through probate. Most clients have deeds that were never transferred. See How It Works TRANSFER PLANNING Beneficiary Deed An alternative to a full trust for single properties. Transfers directly to a named beneficiary on death, skipping probate entirely. See How It Works

For Growing Portfolios

Larger portfolios face larger lawsuit exposure. These structures address that.

COMPLEX PLANNING Irrevocable Trust for Asset Protection Shields rental properties from future lawsuits and creditors. Appropriate once your portfolio is large enough that lawsuit risk is real. See How It Works
Melissa Breyer

Melissa Breyer

Georgia Estate Planning Attorney

Melissa Breyer is a Georgia estate planning attorney who works exclusively on trust-based estate planning and LLC formation. She personally designs every plan at The Hive Law and handles every client consultation herself. Every plan is built from scratch for your specific family, your specific assets, and your specific wishes.

106+ Five-Star Google Reviews

What Our Clients Say

After my father passed away, my mother had to rely on my father's employer to navigate the estate. It was a disaster. After this experience, I knew I needed a plan. I turned to The Hive Law to set up a trust. I no longer have to worry about my wife and children going through a difficult process if something happens to me. I highly recommend The Hive Law!

Nicholas Google Review

My biggest fear was that if I died first, my wife would have no idea how to navigate the estate and legal system. I reached out to The Hive Law and they put my mind at ease immediately. Their process is easy to follow and they took care of everything. The Hive Law is the best decision I've made for my family's future.

Tristen Pursley Google Review

Working with Melissa Breyer to set up our Living Trust was a wonderful experience. She and her entire team were knowledgeable, professional, and made the whole process easy to understand. I highly recommend The Hive Law for all your estate planning needs!

Sharon Palmer Google Review

We highly recommend Hive Law. They were extremely helpful and professional in guiding us through the process of creating a Revocable Living Trust. Melissa and Shawn were thorough, answered all our questions, and made a potentially confusing process easy to understand.

Daryl Clever Google Review

The Hive Law made the entire estate planning and trust process easy to understand and stress-free. Melissa and Shawn walked us through every step and answered all of our questions. We feel confident that our family is protected. Highly recommend!

The Schmitty Family Google Review

My mom chose The Hive firm to help with estate planning after my father passed away. They were very thorough in explaining every step of the process. They made a difficult time much easier to navigate. I highly recommend The Hive Law for anyone needing estate planning services.

Ed Udvadia Google Review

I used The Hive Law to help me create a trust for my family. The process was straightforward and Melissa and Shawn made sure I understood each step. They were responsive to all of my questions. I feel much more confident about my family's future now. Highly recommend!

Nate Tabler Google Review

Working with Shawn and Melissa at The Hive Law has been a great experience. They are very knowledgeable and took the time to explain all of our options. They made the process of setting up a trust simple and stress-free. I would highly recommend them to anyone needing estate planning.

Kyle Haynie Google Review

The Hive Law Firm, and specifically Melissa, has been wonderful to work with during our estate planning process. She is knowledgeable, patient, and thorough. She answered all of our questions and made the process easy to understand. I highly recommend The Hive Law!

Teresa Overstreet Google Review

Shawn and Melissa were amazing to work with! My partner and I recently bought a house and wanted to get important things like wills, healthcare directives, etc. set up. They were incredible at answering all our questions and working with us to make sure we felt confident in all of the legal aspects. Having tried to do this online before with one of the DIY tools, it was just an amazing experience to get to talk through what we wanted with a knowledgeable human and have them take care of the details.

Denali Pray Google Review

Hive Law was awesome to work with! Melissa and Shawn explained everything, kept things stress-free, and were always quick to respond to my questions. They made the whole process simple and smooth from start to finish. Highly recommend if you want a team that's knowledgeable but also easy to work with.

Ryan Rollins Google Review

I lost my father in February of this year without any estate planning in place. The process of dealing with the probate court has been overwhelming and expensive. After this experience, I contacted The Hive Law to set up a trust so my children never have to go through what I've been through. Melissa and Shawn were compassionate, knowledgeable, and made the entire process simple. I highly recommend The Hive Law!

Rachel Shannon Google Review

I used to know the bare minimum about probate and trust. I first encountered Shawn Breyer on Facebook. He was offering a webinar that I watched. That gave me a better understanding of probate versus trust. I was impressed enough to have him and his wife represent me. I had my initial one on one interview with Melissa Breyer, it went smoothly and she made everything clear. We are now proceeding with getting a revocable trust in place.

Jer Udvadia Google Review

The Hive Law has been amazing throughout the process of setting up our trust. Every detail is considered and no stone is left unturned. They have been easy and enjoyable to work with. I would absolutely recommend them! Don't let your estate be turned over to Probate!!

Christy Evans Google Review

Ready to Protect Your Family?

Schedule your 60-minute Family Protection Audit with Melissa. $500, credited toward your estate plan.

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We help families across Georgia protect their assets and avoid probate. Select your county to learn more about estate planning where you live.

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