California's statewide median home price reached $930,260 in May 2026, according to C.A.R.'s report, a new all-time high for the second consecutive month, and an increase of 3.1 percent from a year earlier. For most homeowners, that number is good news. For co-owners who can't agree on what to do with a shared property,...
Continue reading ›Why Co-Ownership Disputes Are Rising in Southern California Three of the ten fastest-growing zip codes in the United States are in Southern California, according to a RentCafe analysis covering 2014 to 2023. That kind of growth doesn't just mean more homes and more neighbors. It means more people buying property together, often quickly, and...
Continue reading ›The monthly cost of owning a median-priced U.S. home, mortgage, insurance, and property taxes combined, now runs about $3,200 in today's dollars, according to Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. That's 46 percent higher than 2019 in real terms, and it exceeds what homeowners paid in 1990, when 30-year mortgage rates were above 10...
Continue reading ›California Has 105 Cities Where Even the Cheapest Homes Cost $1 Million. If You Co-Own One of Them, That Equity Isn't Yours Until You Can Actually Sell. Editor's note: This post draws on a June 2026 Zillow analysis reported by Axios showing that 242 U.S. cities now have million-dollar starter homes — California accounts...
Continue reading ›By Eli Underwood Record-high home prices have forced a shift in how buyers enter the real estate market. To afford a standard down payment, unmarried partners and platonic friends routinely pool their cash. The financial strategy works perfectly on paper. But signing a joint mortgage without the built-in asset protection of a legal marriage...
Continue reading ›Published in the California Real Property Journal, this article by California partition attorney Elijah Underwood explores California partition law reform, co-ownership disputes, appraisal rights, inherited property conflicts, partition sales, mortgage contribution issues, and proposed legislative updates affecting real estate owners and attorneys. Read the California Real Property Journal Article
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We were in need of a real estate attorney. Eli Underwood provided excellent legal advice and services. He explained everything well and followed through with all important issues that needed attention. We found him to be reliable, courteous, patient and extremely professional. We highly recommend...I.S.
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- We were in need of an attorney with considerable knowledge of real estate law and the legal issues related to property ownership. Eli Underwood went above and beyond our expectations. In keeping us abreast of our suit, his communication skills were outstanding. This talent was especially...
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