Articles Posted in real estate law

Do All Owners Need to Sign a Real Estate Listing Agreement? (Corp. Code § 1624(a)(4))
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

A realtor should take the necessary legal steps to ensure that all real estate owners do so. When most people buy or sell property, they hire a real estate agent to assist with the process. While the concept of these agreements seems simple enough, these agreements can get complicated when the property in question is…

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How do you partition a condominium? (CCP § 872.820)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

When co-owners of property decide they want to go their separate ways but cannot come to an agreement on a buyout or reimbursements, they can institute a partition action and have the court system solve the problem. While partition actions usually involve homes or commercial properties, they can also involve condominiums. Condos bring with them…

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Can an ousted cotenant recover possession of the property? (Civ. Code § 843)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

Yes. Co-owners of property are entitled to certain rights, namely, the right to possess and use the property as they see fit. But sometimes, things do not work out with the other owners. Heirs to an estate can bicker, business relationships can fall through, and family dynamics can fall apart. This may result in the…

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What is the difference between a grant deed and a quitclaim deed? (Civil Code § 1113)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

The 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 grant of the property itself. But not all deeds are created equal. While grant deeds and quitclaim deeds are the most common tools for transferring title, they carry different…

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A Guide to Tenants-in-Common in California (Civ. Code § 682)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

Co-owning property as tenants in common is the favored form of joint ownership in California. (Wilson v. S.L. Rey, Inc. (1993) 17 Cal.App.4th 234, 242 (S.L. Rey).) Yet, property held in tenancy in common brings with it a unique set of potential issues that are not present in the other forms of joint ownership recognized…

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Does RUPA apply to joint ventures? (Corp. Code § 16101)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

Yes. While joint ventures are a distinct type of business entity, they share many similarities with general partnerships in California. In fact, “the resemblance between a partnership and joint venture is so close that the rights as between adventurers are governed by practically the same rules that govern partners.” (Milton Kauffman, Inc. v. Superior Court…

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Is a litigation guarantee required in a Partition Action?
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

While litigation guarantees are recommended in a lot of contested real estate issues in court, it is not required in a partition action. Read on to find out more about the nuances of litigation guarantees and their relationship with partition actions. What is a partition action? A partition action or a partition lawsuit is when…

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Do you have a right to recover attorney’s fees in partition actions? (CCP § 874.020)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

Yes. In California, you have a right to recover attorney’s fees by statute. But that doesn’t mean that you can recover 100% of your fees, even in uncontested partitions. Courts will employ numerous equitable considerations in awarding costs, and the complexities of prolonged litigation may render some expenditures on your attorney unrecoverable. The focus of…

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What is the difference Between Tenants in Common and Joint Tenants? (Code of Civil Procedure section 683)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

In California, most real estate is held either as marital property, as a tenancy in partnership, as joint tenants, or as tenants-in-common. While holding titles as spouses or in a partnership is relatively straightforward, questions frequently arise as to the differences between “co-tenants” and “tenants-in-common.” This article will explore the difference between the second type…

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Can You Partition Partnership Property? (Corp. Code § 16202)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

Yes. Partnership property is subject to partition on the dissolution, accounting, and wind-up of partnership matters, just like other types of property. As real estate presents unique issues, however, there are many important things to know about the process to ensure that it is done correctly. The purpose of this blog post is to address…

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