Pack the ICE!?! What I mean is that when you or your children travel, you should be sure to have your “In Case of Emergency” information organized and easily available. Many times, travel takes us to beautiful but remote locations. You may have changes in food and water, participate in more strenuous exercise, or simply [...]
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Strategic default, that is, stopping payments on a mortgage when you still have the ability to make the payments, has become a trend nationwide for homeowners who have properties with values that have significantly decreased. The consequences for walking away from your home vary depending on the state you’re located in and the type of [...]
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I like a bargain just like anyone else. I hate to think I’m paying more for something than I really need to. So I am sympathetic but also concerned when clients ask me to review their DIY (do-it-yourself) legal documents or materials from paralegal document preparation companies. Too often, the documents they have are not [...]
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If you are involved in a dispute about a real estate matter, oftentimes, your contract provides that you must attempt to mediate your dispute before you turn to the court for help. Mediation is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Mediation allows the parties to reach a settlement with the help of a neutral [...]
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Recently, I tackled the realities of estate planning after a divorce, especially where one or both parties have remarried. It can be tricky to make sure your assets go where you intend them to (see below for previous blog). Trickier still is what to do DURING THE PROCESS of divorce. A colleague of mine who [...]
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I own property with someone and want to sell – they don’t. What can I do? If you are on title with someone (not a spouse) and would like “out” of the deal, filing an action for partition, or to force sale, is the correct legal process. An action to partition real property is a [...]
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Even if you are divorced, those words may still be more true than you realize. Divorce may uncouple you, but in most states, it does not automatically revoke beneficiary designations such as life insurance, retirement designations or joint tenancy. Upon dissolution of your marriage, your will and trust are revoked. However, there are assets (named [...]
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I bought a property at a trustee sale. There is a tenant in the property who refuses to leave, but hasn’t paid me any rent. Under a law enacted in 2009, a tenant has the right to stay in a property, even when purchased at a foreclosure sale, through the remainder of their lease term. [...]
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