Recent News

If you own real estate in the greater Seattle area, you may have view of Puget Sound, Lake Washington, another lake, or even a valley view. Either way, if you have a view, you likely want to protect it for your own enjoyment, and to preserve your property’s market value. Whether or not your view… Read More

The lawyers of Beresford Booth harness our expertise to maximize the benefit for our clients in any given situation. This can mean transforming a seemingly dire situation to a positive outcome. We enjoy creating efficient and successful outcomes. Recently, we had a client whose financial position was bleak. His wife had died, leaving property in… Read More

The state of Washington imposes a real estate excise tax on transfers of real estate, but exemptions from the tax are available for certain types of transfers.  One exemption has been for distributions from the estate of a deceased person to a will beneficiary when the estate involves probate of a last will and testament… Read More

Real estate prices are continuing to climb in Seattle and many other parts of Washington. As a result, we are seeing buyers increasingly partner with friends and extended family to buy property together. Some are buying investment property, and some are even sharing a residence with their friends / co-buyers. Such arrangements can be very… Read More

Snohomish County Washington, located north of Seattle and south of Skagit county, features more than 2,000 square miles of dense forest, mountain wilderness, bountiful farmland, beautiful beaches and, of course, impressive urban development. In the last few years, the abundance of Snohomish County real estate growth has filled a variety of areas in the county with… Read More

Even in today’s hot real estate market, many people are still in limbo with a mortgage in arrears and an upside down house. Coming off the disastrous burst of the housing bubble, many people have not paid their mortgages in many months or even several years. They all have one question: What do I do… Read More

Your crew has done construction or remodel work at a property, but you are not being paid. You want to file a lien against the real estate, but you are not sure you can legally. You are not even sure exactly how a lien might benefit you. Overview of Liens A “mechanic's lien” is the… Read More

In the 2010 case Eastwood, the Washington Supreme Court set forth the Independent Duty Doctrine (the “IDD”).  Under the IDD, when two parties had a contract together, one could only sue the other for a “tort” (such as negligence or fraud) if the tort claim “traces back to the breach of a tort duty arising independently… Read More

Short-term investment gains (that is gains for investments you held for less than a year) are taxed at your ordinary income tax rates. Long-term gains (that is gains on investments you have owned for longer than a year) are taxed depending on your overall income tax bracket. If your overall income falls within the 10%… Read More