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There is a saying that you get what you paid for. When buying residential real estate, you need to know what you are getting first, which is why Washington law requires sellers to disclose certain information to prospective buyers in transactions.

When a piece of property (commercial or residential) goes up for sale, the process can come to a halt if a title search unearths conflicting owners, liens on the title, or other encumbrances.

You own a couple of acres of unfenced property and mostly confine yourself to the private residence fronting the access road. A neighbor behind you builds a shed that sits on your property, but since you rarely go to the rear of your property, you don’t notice the encroachment by the trespasser or you just shrug it off.

There are many times in life when you’ll find yourself a co-owner of a piece of property with someone else, such as a family member, spouse, or business partner. Even in the best circumstances, there may be a time when one of the co-owners wants to sell their interest.

It is not uncommon for some individuals who go through divorce to hide their income and assets from their spouses. Some people are willing to go to great lengths to leave their spouse with as little as possible.

According to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau, divorce rates were highest (about 43%) for adults of both sexes from ages 55 to 64. Just like younger couples, older couples also divorce later in life.

In November of 2012, Washington became one of the first three states, along with Maryland and Maine, to legalize same-sex marriage through voter approval. One month later, hundreds of couples began obtaining marriage licenses, ready to enjoy the same right to marry as heterosexual couples.

No one really wants to think about divorce when they are preparing to get married. Still, more than 20,000 couples divorce every year in the state of Washington. Divorce rates being what they are, some couples may be wise to plan ahead should they choose to dissolve their marriage down the road.

Purchasing a home is a big decision, so it is important to avoid the pitfalls purchasers can encounter. You must make sure that you won’t have any regrets, and that you set yourself up for success in the event of a legal complication down the line.

When a couple with children divorce, the common thought is that a court will dictate both who gets custody and who gets parenting time. However, a recent study from the Washington State Center for Court Research shows that in 86.7 percent of the cases, the parents decide the issues on their own and present a plan to the court for approval.