Updating the deed after a name change is legally optional in most states. We treat it as smart housekeeping. The risk the update addresses shows up down the road. If something happened to both owners, your heirs would have to prove that the person named on the old deed and the person named on the death certificate are the same individual. That means digging up the marriage certificate and possibly involving an attorney to clear the chain of title. Handling the update now, while the paperwork is easy to find and everyone remembers the details, spares your family that headache later. The usual fix is a simple deed re-recording, often a quitclaim or corrective deed, that restates your names as they read today. Deed and recording rules vary by state and county, so confirm the exact form and fee with your title or escrow company, or a real estate attorney where your state requires one. This is a low-cost errand without any urgency. Skip it during a busy move and add it to the list for a quieter week.