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Washington is a community property state, which means that any assets or debts acquired during the time of one’s marriage or during a state-registered domestic partnership are owned or obligated 50/50. The 50/50 division is enforced no matter which of the partners acquired the asset or debt as long as it occurred during the marriage or partnership.

If you’ve ever entered into a contract with a construction company, you know how complex these agreements can be. You also know how much is riding on them being completed on time and within your budget. Because of this, when a construction dispute does occur, you need to act quickly to resolve the issue and continue with your project.

It is not uncommon for sellers to wonder before the sale is complete, “Can I back out of a sale if I already accepted an offer?” Generally speaking, the answer to that question is “yes.” However, you may not be able to back out without penalty.

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.