A: There are three main options for California property owners that have low property tax bases who want to leave the properties to their children. 1: Do nothing. This allows your children to inherit the property and receive a stepped-up basis as of the date of death...
Title and Deeds
Q: I just recorded a deed and now my property taxes are being reassessed. Is there a way I can “undo” this transfer?
A: The law giveth, and the law taketh. Fortunately, if the original deed triggered a reassessment, we can use a “Rescission Deed” to return ownership to the previous owners (as if the previous deed had NEVER existed!). However, there are two CRITICAL...
Q: What types of transfers can trigger a reassessment of my property taxes?
A: One common example of a transfer that causes reassessment is when one sibling buys out another after inheriting a piece of property from their parents. Although the initial transfer from the parents to the children does not result in reassessment...
Q: I always hear about Prop 13. How exactly does it work?
A: Under Prop 13, property taxes can only be increased a MAXIMUM of 2% annually (until the property is transferred). In practice, this law is so critical because property values in California have historically increased by far more than 2% per year,...