Real Estate Law

Deeds are an essential part of buying, selling, or otherwise transferring real estate. They are legal documents that facilitate the transfer of property ownership. In Washington, there are three primary types of deeds: the statutory warranty deed, bargain and sale deed, and quitclaim deed. Each type of deed carries different levels of protection for the… Read More

An easement is a legal right for a person to use the real property of another person.  Often an easement could be for a driveway and utilities, but it can also be for a well, septic drain fields, water lines, etc.  Most easements are voluntarily created, but there are some situations in which an easement… Read More

Coming out of the Great Recession, Congress and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) created safeguards to protect borrowers from predatory loans or loans that they could not afford to repay.  With a few exceptions, these new laws governed all loans to purchase a primary residence.  The laws required lenders to make certain disclosures and… Read More

To reduce the risk of issues arising with the substance of documents involved in a transaction, whether it be a single document or multiple documents, it is important to try to achieve substantive consistency in the documents. This means consistency in the treatment of various subjects to be addressed in the document(s) as well as… Read More

Transfers of LLC interests are common in many areas of practice.  Whether you practice family law, estate planning, real estate, or business law, you deal with transfers of LLC interests.  I find it helpful to consider the who, what, when and how questions when considering LLC interest transfers. Who is Transferring? There can be many… Read More

If you are thinking of starting a business, buying investment property, or purchasing a second home, you should consider forming a limited liability company (“LLC”). An LLC is a flexible business structure that offers many benefits, including: Legal protection: An LLC separates your personal assets from your business liabilities, so you are not personally responsible… Read More

David Tingstad, the Chair of Beresford Booth’s Business and Real Estate Group, has long served on Washington State’s Partnership Law Committee.  David, and Douglas Batey co-authored an article regarding a recent court of appeals case that wrongfully stated Washington’s LLC Act was based on the Revised Uniform LLC Act.  The article is important work and… Read More

Security interests in personal property are governed by the Uniform Commercial Code (“UCC”). A security interest is an interest granted in personal property to secure payment or performance of an obligation. For example, a business owner borrows money for its business and grants a security interest to the lender in the owner’s inventory and equipment.… Read More

During the life of a Washington entity, whether it is a corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership, or partnership, it may be converted into another form of entity or it may be merged with another entity, whether the same form of entity or a different form of entity. It might also be involved in such… Read More