Articles Posted in Real Estate Law

Underwood-Blog-Images-1-300x300A lis pendens – also called a notice of pendency of action – is a special type of legal document filed with a county recorder. Though its use is limited to lawsuits involving real property claims, its effect is powerful. Once recorded, it acts as “constructive notice” to all persons who would subsequently acquire an interest in the property at issue that a lawsuit is occurring.

In this way, a lis pendens protects title holders as they proceed through litigation and, more importantly, the appeals process. The attorneys at Underwood Law Firm have filed countless lis pendens notices and are more than familiar enough with their requirements to assist you in your real estate litigation.

When can you file a lis pendens?

Underwood-Blog-Images-3-1-300x300The deed to a property is the most important document a property owner has. It describes the title and its associated rights while operating as the conveyance of property itself. But not all deeds are the same, especially when marriage enters the equation.

Marital deeds carry with them their own rules, rights, and duties requiring in-depth knowledge of family law and community property. And while spouses can choose to acquire property through a regular grant deed, more often than not, that isn’t the case. Understanding the differences between the two is of crucial importance for estate planning, and in these situations, having an experienced real estate attorney at your side can make all the difference. The Underwood Law Firm encounters both types of deeds with frequency and has the familiarity and skill to help title holders understand their rights.

What is a deed?

Underwood-Blog-Images-2-1-300x300Service of process is a crucially important part of every lawsuit in California. If a defendant is not served and thus does not receive notice of a lawsuit, then any judgment entered against them is void for lack of jurisdiction.

While service of process can usually be accomplished with a registered process server or Sheriff, the situation becomes murky when “unknown” defendants are involved. Quiet title actions involve such unknown defendants, who are designated as any and all persons claiming an interest in the property at issue.

But in order is get a valid judgment against these unknown persons, any plaintiff must first follow the exact statutory requirements required to effectuate them with proper service by publication. Failure to follow these requirements can result in future legal action, even after a quiet title lawsuit that is designed to put title issues to rest. The attorneys at Underwood Law Firm are familiar with this process and are here to help guide you through service in quiet title actions.

Underwood-Blog-Images-1-2-300x300A pre-condemnation offer is a formal offer based on an appraisal that the government needs to offer a property owner prior to filing a condemnation claim in court. Condemnation is the special word given to eminent domain actions and should not be confused with the condemnation that is associated with those actions taken by the government against properties that pose health risks and other hazards to the public.

The pre-condemnation offer is incredibly important, and the government’s failure to comply with the strict statutory guidelines in place can result in massive expenses during a condemnation hearing. The Underwood Law Firm is familiar with Eminent Domain disputes over property values and is more than capable of assisting you from the appraisal phase to a condemnation trial.

What is Eminent Domain?

Underwood-Blog-Images-3-300x300Sometimes, two or more persons claim to have an interest in the same piece of property. If these interests conflict, then the courts have to step in to adjudicate the dispute and decide whose title is true. But things can get messy when both parties appear to have valid deeds, free or forgery, or other impropriety.

It is for this reason that California (and most other states) enacted laws called “race-notice” statutes. As will be discussed below, these statutes are designed to give “priority” to competing property interests, making it much easier to settle disputes over the same piece of land.

Of course, there are many exceptions to the general rule that the first to record their interest gets the highest priority. Bona fide purchasers, for instance, are entitled to special benefits if they lack knowledge of competing claims. Underwood Law firm is more than familiar with real estate recording laws and has the experience and knowledge to assist you in these types of title disputes.

Underwood-Blog-Images-2-300x300American law has its roots in the laws of England. As such, many of the laws still on the books in the 21st Century depend on what English judges thought prior to our War for Independence began in 1776. Because our modern laws go back centuries since before the United States was a country, we should care about how our legal terms were originally understood as they may implicate a judge’s decision today. The most important of all the English Judges who influenced our modern laws was most likely Sir William Blackstone. 

Blackstone’s 1765 work, Commentaries on the Laws of England, is his most famous legal treatise, forming the backbone of common law analysis as modern lawyers understand it today. Without his efforts centuries ago, our conceptions of property, individual rights, and governmental authority would not be the same. His works remain cited even now in judicial decisions at all levels, including the Supreme Court of the United States. 

Blackstone’s comments on property law are particularly striking, for they bear the foundational ideas now found in our statutes governing real estate transactions, estate types, property rights, and ownership disputes. His analysis of tenancies in common and joint tenancy is so similar to our own California statutes that they warrant their own discussion. 

Underwood-Blog-Images-300x300A “waste” claim is a means of recovering damages when a tenant on real property does substantial damage to the property itself. Most often, a waste claim arises when a person renting property causes damage while living there. But a waste claim isn’t restricted to landlords and tenants. It applies to nearly all situations where two or more people have some sort of interest in the common property.

On top of being their own cause of action that can be asserted in a lawsuit, waste claims can also potentially be raised in partition actions during the accounting stage. This allows property owners to approach the issue in the manner they see fit. Yet, understanding the contours of a waste claim is not as simple as it may seem. There are situations where damage to property is justified, meaning parties cannot always recover damages for the seemingly unjust actions of their co-owner(s).

In these situations, having an experienced real estate attorney at your side can make all the difference. The Underwood Law Firm encounters waste claims with regularity and is well-equipped with legal expertise to help guide those with property interests through this unique legal issue.

Underwood-Blog-Images-1-300x300The deed to a property is the most important document a property owner has. It describes the title and its associated rights while operating as the conveyance of property itself. But not all deeds are the same.

While grant deeds and gift deeds are incredibly similar, their differences can inevitably lead to legal disputes. The added family dynamics that typically accompany gift deeds can make things even murkier. In these situations, having an experienced real estate attorney at your side can make all the difference. The Underwood Law Firm encounters both types of deeds with frequency and has the familiarity and skill to help title holders understand their rights.

What is a deed?

Underwood-Blog-Images-2-2-300x300“Title” is the single most important word when it comes to purchasing a property. If there is a problem with it, then an entire real estate transaction can be disrupted or canceled outright. Many people consider the purchasing of a home to be the single most important transaction of their lives. Therefore, it only makes sense that there would be options to assuage the worried buyer. 

These options come in the form of insurance and guarantees. But while they may serve the same set of individuals, they could not be more different. The Underwood Law Firm, P.C. is familiar with how to navigate property transactions and understands the importance of knowing these differences for those looking to buy property, especially in California. 

What is Title Insurance? 

Underwood-Blog-Images-1-2-300x300Just because a party prevails in a lawsuit does not mean the matter is over. Rarely discussed but crucially important is the fact that a judgment must be enforced once it is entered. This isn’t always easy. Losing parties don’t always want to cooperate, especially when they’re operating without an attorney. 

Sometimes, a party might “disappear,” ignoring all communications from the other side and the court. Other times, they might simply refuse to sign documents as ordered, convinced the court got it wrong. These actions can cost victorious parties thousands of extra dollars of their time and money. Thankfully, in these situations, litigants have a unique remedy to combat this behavior: an elisor. 

An elisor is a person appointed by the court to perform functions like the execution of a deed or document. (Blueberry Properties, LLC v. Chow (2014) 230 Cal.App.4th 1017, 1020.) They are most commonly utilized in cases where a party never shows up or where a party refuses, even under court order, to sign documents as required by the court. 

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