Recent News

August 25th, 2022 attorney Babak Shamsi discusses earnest money disputes and related purchase and sale issues. Read More

Buyers have many considerations when purchasing a home, including how to structure an offer, how to address financing, whether to have an inspection contingency, and more. Perhaps the first consideration that springs to mind, however, in the process towards purchasing a home is how much earnest money a buyer wants to put down in order… Read More

It is common for real estate to be encumbered by more than one mortgage or deed of trust.  Contexts vary greatly, from construction loans to borrowers just wanting to pull out equity using a home equity line of credit or traditional second mortgage.  In most situations, there is little question about which lender or lienholder… Read More

In the first part of the blog post, I explained what goes into a title policy.  This part of the blog post discusses how a title policy does and does not protect you. Coverage Generally Title insurance policies protect their insured against actual losses resulting from “covered risks,” which generally include:  (1) Someone else owns… Read More

Corporations, limited liability companies, and certain types of partnerships, formed in the state of Washington, are required to file annual reports and pay an annual license renewal fee to the Washington Secretary of State (the “Secretary”).  Each year, the Secretary sends notice to the entity that its annual report and fees are due by a… Read More

June 2nd, 2022 attorney Bill Kessler discusses adverse possession and related doctrines. Read More

Elsewhere on our website, we have discussed the importance of reviewing title insurance policies and preliminary commitments.  While those topics are important for people involved in real estate transactions, this post is devoted to a more basic explanation of title insurance.  As explained in greater detail in this series of blog posts, title insurance generally… Read More

When going through the stress of purchasing a home, a title insurance policy can feel like an afterthought.  I have previously written about the importance of reviewing and fully understanding your policy of title insurance here and here, and far from a rote part of the purchase process, securing a policy of title insurance has significant implications.  Though… Read More

In Washington, one way a real estate owner can grant another real estate owner the right to use the first real owner’s real estate for a particular purpose is for the first owner to grant the second owner an easement.  Under Washington law, an easement is an interest in real estate.  It is a non-possessory… Read More