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Title insurance traditionally looks backward. An owner’s policy protects against covered title defects that existed when the insured acquired the property, including a forged deed or mortgage recorded before the policy date. The harder question has been what happens when the forgery or other fraudulent transaction occurs later, after the homeowner has purchased the property…

When a disaster hits, housing becomes urgent very quickly. People are out of their homes, hotels fill up, short-term rentals disappear, storage units get booked, and everyone is trying to figure out where they are sleeping that night. That is exactly why California has price-gouging rules. Once an emergency is declared, many housing-related prices generally…

A married couple created a revocable family trust holding their community property and gave each spouse the right to revoke the trust by delivering written notice to the other trustee. Years later, the wife filed for divorce. While the dissolution case was pending, she signed and notarized a notice revoking her interest in the community…

Housing is getting meaningful attention from federal lawmakers, and that is good news. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is a new federal law focused on helping more people find a realistic path to a safe, affordable place to live. The law takes a practical, wide-ranging approach. It supports new housing, preserves existing housing,…

California’s housing shortage continues to drive legislative change, and Senate Bill 79 is one of the latest examples. Effective July 1, 2026, the law is designed to encourage additional housing near major transit corridors by allowing qualifying multifamily residential development in locations that were previously limited by local zoning. While much of the public discussion…

For the past few years, insurance has been one of the most stressful parts of a California real estate transaction. Buyers found homes they loved, sellers accepted offers, escrow opened, and then everyone discovered that the property was difficult or expensive to insure. In some cases, insurance became the issue that threatened the closing. The…

Estate planning is intended to provide certainty, but sometimes a single provision in a trust raises more questions than answers. That was the situation in a recent California Court of Appeal decision involving a family trust, a predeceased child, and three grandchildren who found themselves fighting over whether they were entitled to inherit. The trust…

Every real estate professional understands the value of representation agreements. Whether it is a listing agreement with a seller or a buyer representation agreement, these contracts establish expectations, define responsibilities, and allow professionals to invest their time and expertise with confidence. Just as importantly, they help consumers understand who is representing them and what services…

Anyone who has worked with rental property owners has seen it happen. A tenant moves out, the landlord makes deductions from the security deposit, and suddenly everyone disagrees about what the property looked like when the tenancy ended. The dispute often isn’t about whether repairs were necessary. It is about whether anyone can prove what…

A growing number of California homeowners have found themselves in a difficult position. They want fire insurance coverage, but traditional insurance companies are either limiting new policies or leaving certain markets altogether. When that happens, many consumers turn to the California FAIR Plan. The FAIR Plan was created as an insurer of last resort, providing…