DEEDS – The Good, The Bad, The Ugly (aka The Good, The Void, the Voidable):
What is required for a Deed – Grant Deed or Quitclaim Deed – to be valid? Just arbitrarily signing a piece of paper and saying that you give the property to another person is just not sufficient under California Law. Here is a list of what needs to be addressed:
- Must contain the name of the person giving (Grantor) and the person receiving (Grantee).
- Must state in the document that you are conveying/granting/quitclaiming the property.
- Must have the correct property identification – usually the legal description or at least the property address.
- The Grantor must be capable and competent to properly execute the document.
- The Grantee must be capable to hold title (no pets or people who have passed away).
- The document must be delivered and the Grantee must accept the transfer of the ownership.
Contrary to normal expectations, the Deed DOES NOT have to be recorded to be effective or to show delivery, and because of that, the Deed DOES NOT have to be signed in front of a Notary Public. However, if you do plan to record it, then it does have to be notarized.
There are also Deeds that are flat out VOID and those that are VOIDABLE.
To read my whole article about the Good, the Bad and the Ugly deeds, please go to our FAQ Section on our website located under the “For Your Convenience” tab.
LIVING TO SPEND OR SPENDING TO LIVE: There is a dividing line in the sand, one which distinguishes those who love to spend, and those who spend in order to live. The distinct difference between these two characterizations is that the financial institutions love the former as they run up the credit card debt, and hate the latter because they don’t. Most of us fall sort of in the middle, some days going one way or the other. How we combine both, living better while spending less is the subject of this MSN article. Allow me to list the 10 ways they posted, with my comments:
- Start a garden – I have done this! I have planted and eaten my own tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant!
- Buy used – there is no shame in hitting the thrift stores, yard sales or wearing hand-me-downs; it may have mileage on it, but if it looks good, why not?
- Skip the hottest electronics – besides being expensive, don’t you want to wait until all the kinks are ironed out and the price has dropped?
- Volunteer – give, you shall receive. Really!
- YMCA – they have activities and facilities to benefit the whole family. My daughter used to train in their indoor heated pool all the time.
- Use a bike, take a bus, or carpool – easier said than done, but for many of us, the $4.00+/gallon gas may make it a necessity.
- Eat your veggies – healthier, wealthier and wiser!
- Cancel your cable – I don’t even have a T.V. that gets regular channels. I have my computer, Netflix, and I read a lot.
- Become a one-income family – …if you can. Save on child care, gas, eating out, professional clothing…
- Stick to a budget – translation: Get control of your life!
PREPARING FOR A CATASTROPHE: With the horrors of the triple catastrophes hitting Japan last month, our office had a preparedness meeting so that everyone was made aware of the steps we are taking to make ourselves more earthquake proof and what we should do when a catastrophe hits. Given that we spend a minimum of 8 hours a day here in our place of business, that means there is a 1/3rd chance that we will be here when the sky falls down or the earth shakes us up.
On a personal level, besides having water, dry goods, and all the good stuff that the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services recommends (click here),
and doing what the Red Cross recommends – (click here),
we should also be sure we have put our intangible personal information in order (click here).
Preparedness comes on several different levels. We need to be prepared (1) physically, in our home, in our place of business, in our cars, (2) mentally, knowing what to do and how to react and not panic, and (3) financially, having our personal information ready and accessible, including having funds available to tie us over. Remember, a catastrophe need not be an earthquake, it can be wildfires and other natural and man made calamities that are thrown at us. Be Prepared!
PREMIUM GAS VS REGULAR GAS? This is the One-Hundred-Dollar question now, isn’t it? The difference can be $.20 a gallon and if you are gassing every week, it could really cut into your grocery money. My father insists that his Mercedes needs premium. He says that it is stated in the manual. Being he is 92 years old, I try not to argue with him. But according to experts, gassing with premium when not stated in the manual does nothing for your car yet everything to your wallet. So here is another “Living to Spend or Spending to Live” tip: 87 octane is just fine! Here are two articles (I love the FAQ one) for you to think about next time you are hit with a $70.00 kaching! at the pump.
MOST TYPICAL FACE IN THE WORLD: And finally, I could not sign off without this final fun fact: click the following link to see the most typical face in the world.
Whoa! I have one of those at home!!!!
“We are all manufacturers: making goods, making trouble, making excuses”
~Author Unknown~
Is it too soon to put away my winter gear?
All the best!
Juliana Tu, CSEO, CEO, CBSS, CEI
