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After a fire, the repair estimate is usually the first number a seller sees, and it’s almost never the full scope. The framing and HVAC are the parts that don’t show up until someone opens up the ceiling. That gap is what the repair-or-sell decision usually turns on, and a lot of sellers don’t have…
A short sale is when your lender agrees to accept less than the full balance owed as settlement, so you can sell even though the property is worth less than the loan. The catch is that the lender, not you, approves or kills the deal, and getting that approval is the whole process. The part…
Most California sellers land somewhere between 8 and 12 percent of the sale price in total selling costs by the time the closing statement comes back. That range tends to come in higher than sellers expected when they started putting together their net. Commission is where the conversation usually starts, and it’s also the number…
The path to stopping a foreclosure in California depends almost entirely on timing. The options available before a trustee sale date is set look very different from what exists once that date is locked in, and some of those options close permanently as the process advances. There are four main ways to stop a California…
California property liens fall into 11 recognized types, all organized along two axes: voluntary versus involuntary, and general versus specific. Knowing the type early changes how you plan the timeline and determines whether resolution is a simple escrow function or weeks of direct coordination. If you’re still working out what a lien on a house…
Sellers call me thinking they’ve resolved a lien, and then they find out in escrow it’s still on title. The debt got paid but the release never got recorded with the county, and those are two steps that don’t always happen together. What I see most often are sellers who paid a creditor months before…
A lien is a legal claim a creditor records against your property for an unpaid debt. It attaches to the title, becomes public record at the county, and generally has to be paid or released before you can sell or refinance. Common types include mortgage, tax, judgment, mechanics, and HOA liens. If you’ve ever sold…
The short answer is no. Once someone passes, the personal property inside the house is part of the estate, and nothing should be removed or distributed until the court appoints a personal representative, who then has a duty to protect those assets under California Probate Code § 9650. Families who reach out after scheduling a…
If you’re trying to figure out what your house is worth, the number comes from what similar homes in your area have actually closed for, adjusted for how your property compares. I spent seven years as a certified residential appraiser doing that calculation, and it’s still what drives our offers now. Most sellers I’ve sat…
If you’ve inherited a house with a mortgage, the lender can’t demand full repayment just because the original borrower died. A federal law called the Garn-St. Germain Act prevents lenders from invoking the due-on-sale clause when property transfers to an heir, and the heir can continue making monthly payments while they decide what to do…
