Life Estate

[Pigwort]

My grandmother passed away and left her only child (my mother) her house. Before she died she had an attorney put my mother on the house as a 'life estate'. My grandmother went to an attorney so that my mother would gain the quickest, easiest possession of the house when she died. Also having the option of moving in and continuing with the grandfathered-in tax exemption (1984). After my grandmother passed my mother went to the county with the death certificate to take my grandmothers name off and they told her that life estate does not mean that my mothers name is on the deed. So they have reassessed the property. My mother feels that she was done wrong and that my grandmother and her went to the attorney for that very reason. There wasn't any other reason being she was an only child and the house has a clear title. Where was the misunderstanding. Thank you.