What is “Probate”?  Probate is the legal process through which a Court determines who should manage a deceased person’s estate and who is entitled to receive the estate assets. If, before dying, the person made a Will, then that document would instruct the Court on who should manage and who should get the assets.  If [...]

More than one million California homes were lost to foreclosure between 2008 and 2011—with an additional 700,000 currently in the foreclosure pipeline. Seven of the nation’s 10 hardest-hit cities by foreclosure rate in 2011 were in California. The California Homeowner Bill of Rights marks the third step in Attorney General Harris’ response to the state’s [...]

The closing process, which in different parts of the country is also known as “settlement” or “escrow,” is increasingly computerized and automated. In many cases, buyers and sellers don’t need to attend a specific event; signed paperwork can be sent to the closing agent via overnight or electronic delivery.   What to expect Settlement is [...]

The U.S. Senate recently  approved a two-year blueprint for transportation that gives states greater spending flexibility, allows the federal government to set minimum safety standards for subway systems and buys time to find a solution for a funding system teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. The bipartisan bill was approved 17 days before current transportation [...]

There is a new bill currently making its way through the California State Assembly – AB 1511. AB 1511 would make it mandatory to disclose if any residential property is located within 2,000 feet of a gas transmission or hazardous liquid pipeline as depicted in maps by the National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS) and Geographic [...]