Real Estate Attorneys in Yuba City & Marysville
Real estate transactions and disputes require expert legal guidance. Our experienced real estate attorneys provide comprehensive representation in all aspects of property law, from straightforward transactions to complex litigation.
Real Estate Law Services
Purchase & Sale Agreements
We assist buyers and sellers with drafting and negotiating purchase agreements, ensuring all terms protect your interests and comply with California law.
Foreclosure Representation
Whether you’re facing foreclosure or seeking to foreclose on a property, our attorneys provide knowledgeable representation through every step of the process.
Condemnation & Eminent Domain Cases
When the government seeks to take your property, we advocate for fair compensation and protect your rights throughout the condemnation process.
Property Disputes & Litigation
From boundary disputes to landlord-tenant conflicts and title issues, we provide skilled litigation representation to resolve complex property matters.
Title & Ownership Issues
We help resolve title defects, clarify ownership rights, and ensure clear title before you purchase or refinance a property.
Commercial & Residential Real Estate
Our team has extensive experience with both residential and commercial real estate matters, understanding the unique challenges in each area.
Common Real Estate Issues in Yuba-Sutter
The Yuba-Sutter region has a real estate landscape unlike most of California. Agricultural land, rural easements, water rights, levee districts, flood plain designations, and pre-statehood Spanish land grants all surface in property matters here. The disputes we see most often include:
- Boundary disputes between neighbors, often involving fences placed decades ago that don’t match the recorded survey
- Easement conflicts over private roads, irrigation ditches, and shared driveways — especially common on agricultural and rural residential property
- Title defects discovered during refinance or sale, including unreleased deeds of trust, missing probate transfers, and gaps in the chain of title
- Eminent domain proceedings from Caltrans, levee districts, utility companies, and municipal agencies seeking to take property for public projects
- Foreclosure defense and lender enforcement, both judicial and non-judicial, on commercial and residential property
- Disclosure disputes when sellers fail to disclose material defects, code violations, or known property issues
- Quiet title actions to clear competing claims, adverse possession issues, or clouds on title
Why Property Owners Need Local Counsel
Real estate is a uniquely local practice. Knowing the recorder’s office staff, the local title companies, the surveyor practices, the levee district administrators, and the historic patterns of land use in this region gives our clients a real advantage — particularly in agricultural property disputes, easement matters, and condemnation cases where the value of small details accumulates quickly.
Our shareholder Jared Hastey, who leads our real estate practice, is also a licensed California Real Estate Broker. That dual background — attorney and broker — means we understand both the legal and the transactional sides of every property matter.
Frequently Asked Questions About California Real Estate Law
Do I need an attorney for a real estate transaction in California?
California doesn’t require attorney involvement in standard residential transactions — most are handled by real estate agents and escrow companies. But for commercial property, large dollar transactions, transactions with seller financing, agricultural land, properties with title issues, or transactions involving family or business partners, attorney review of the contract before signing can save you significant money and dispute risk later.
How do I resolve a boundary dispute with a neighbor?
Start with a current professional survey to establish the legal boundary. If the survey contradicts a long-standing fence or improvement, doctrines like adverse possession, agreed boundary, or boundary by acquiescence may apply. Most boundary disputes resolve through negotiation or mediation; when they don’t, a quiet title action in superior court establishes the boundary by judgment.
What happens if there’s a defect in my property’s title?
Title defects are usually discovered during a sale or refinance when the title company finds an unresolved encumbrance. Common defects include unreleased mortgages, unknown heirs from a prior owner’s estate, recording errors, or improperly executed deeds. Most can be cured through a corrective deed, release, probate, or quiet title action — but the cure must happen before the sale or refinance can close.
What is eminent domain and what compensation am I entitled to?
Eminent domain is the government’s power to take private property for public use, subject to payment of just compensation. “Just compensation” means fair market value as of the date of valuation, plus damages to remaining property if only part is taken, and in some cases relocation assistance and business goodwill. The condemning agency’s first offer is rarely the maximum you can recover — negotiation, appraisal challenges, and trial often produce significantly higher awards.
How long does a quiet title action take?
An uncontested quiet title action where all claimants can be identified and served typically takes six to twelve months. Contested actions, or cases where defendants must be served by publication, can take eighteen months or longer. The case ends with a judgment that establishes title and is recorded with the county recorder.
Can I sue my real estate agent for failing to disclose a defect?
Possibly. California requires sellers and their agents to disclose material facts about the property that could affect its value or desirability. Failure to disclose known defects — prior flooding, structural issues, neighborhood nuisances, code violations — can result in claims for fraud, negligent misrepresentation, or breach of statutory duties. The viability of any claim depends heavily on what the agent actually knew and the documentation around the disclosure process.
What is an easement and can I get rid of one on my property?
An easement is a legal right for someone else to use part of your property for a specific purpose — typically access, utility lines, or irrigation. Easements can be terminated through release by the easement holder, abandonment, merger of properties, or by court order if the easement’s purpose has ended or it’s been misused. Without one of those grounds, an easement runs with the land and binds future owners.
Real property is often your most valuable asset. Trust our experienced attorneys to guide you through transactions and disputes with confidence and expertise.
Call (530) 742-7371 to discuss your real estate matter with our attorneys.