A homeowner in Long Beach receives a title commitment just before refinancing and sees an exception for an unrecorded deed from 1987. The sale or loan is now uncertain, and the first question is immediate: How much will a quiet title action cost in California? That question has two parts. One is the attorney's fee…
A Long Beach homeowner is halfway through a refinance when the title company reports a recorded lis pendens. The loan officer pauses the file, escrow asks for clarification, and the homeowner learns that a lawsuit involving the property may affect anyone who later buys or lends against it. The notice may not be a lien,…
You're preparing to refinance your Tustin home when escrow calls with bad news. A decades-old child support lien still appears in the record, and the lender won't fund until someone proves whether the lien remains valid. Or you're a Costa Mesa buyer who discovers, after closing, that a relative of a former owner claims an…
You buy a Costa Mesa bungalow, close escrow, and start planning the repairs. A few weeks later, a title review reveals that a prior owner died without a completed probate proceeding. Several heirs may have inherited an interest, but none signed the deed that brought the property to you. The recorder's office has documents, yet…
A clouded title is any claim, lien, or defect in the public record that makes ownership doubtful enough to block a sale, refinance, or transfer. California law provides specific remedies, including quiet title actions, to resolve these problems. You may have discovered the issue in the most stressful way possible. Your family is preparing to…
A notice of pendency can feel like a surprise that lands in the middle of an already stressful family matter. One day you're trying to handle a probate issue, clear title for a sale, or finish escrow on a California home, and the next day someone says the property has been recorded with a legal…
A lot of families first learn there's a title problem at the worst possible moment. A parent has died. The house is supposed to be sold or transferred. Everyone thinks the next step is paperwork, then a closing. Instead, the title report shows an old deed issue, a missing heir, or a claim that no…