Juliana Tu There are many ways that a person can purchase and hold ownership of real estate and businesses. Which type of entity to use is a decision that has a lot to do with financial needs, the structure of …
Continue Reading →Corporations, LLCs and other Non-Individual Legal Entities, Oh, My!
When Technology is Moving Faster Than the Escrow Industry When technology is moving faster than the speed of light and the process of Escrow is moving at the speed of molasses, you know that the two worlds are …
One of the most prevalent types of check scams is the passing of fraudulent checks to unsuspecting and naive sellers who post personal stuff for sale on public sites. Here is the setup: The sale piece is usually …
Continue Reading →Check Fraud! It Could Happen to You! Tips to Avoid Being a Victim
Through the almost 40 years that I have been in this escrow industry, I have been through several economic roller coaster rides that have left me dizzy and hanging on, wondering what the industry would look like when …
Secured and Unsecured Taxes What is the difference? Taxes! The bane of our lives! Federal income tax, State income tax, property tax, sales tax, use tax, transfer tax, if the government can find a name for it, they …
Updated January, 2020 to reflect new Franchise Tax Board form (State of California Real Estate Withholding under the Revenue and Taxation Code Section 18662) Are you an individual who is looking to sell a property in California? There …
Continue Reading →California Real Estate Withholding
For All Sellers
The Basic Facts About Deeds of Trust Deed of Trust or “Trust Deed”, is the document that secures a loan on a piece of property. The Deed of Trust and the secured Note go hand-in-hand and the Deed …
Escrow Closing Dates Are Not Set In Stone Every transaction starts out with a “Closing Date” – the date all parties aim to finalize, close, and hand over property and proceeds. Whether we are able to hit that …
Nationally, the word “Escrow” may be described as the type of account you set up with a Lender to impound your property taxes, insurance, and mortgage insurance payments. In California and some of the other western states, …
Continue Reading →California Escrow – An Impartial and Neutral Third Party Depository
Documentary Transfer Tax Exemptions as noted in my previous article regarding documentary transfer taxes, the taxes collected are a nice, hefty revenue source for counties and cities throughout California so they are loath to give away the right …