Property Law and Real Estate Books

A MUST READ for those contemplating to set up wills and estates and for those who have already completed theirs.
It is written so that the average person is not bogged down by legalese.
The authors backgrounds are outstanding so you know you are reading something with merit.
Joanie G

It really gives you a clear picture about end of life and Will issues. What I liked most about the book is the manner it which it is written: on one hand it is very easy to read, unencumbered by excessive technical language, on the other hand, tons of relevant information is squeezed in.

You couldn't ask for better reference guide on this subject. It is short, clear, and right to the point. It approaches what for many people is a very uncomfortable subject with practical, constructive information and light, wise humour

The Living Will/Medical Power of Attorney section was particularly interesting subject to me to understand in light of Terry Schiavo story. After trying to research this issue on-line I became very tired of drinking from the Internet "fire hose", but Zaffts made it absolutely clear within few pages, and without guilt and depression. What a gift!

Stephen's book is a must read for even the most experienced real estate litigator. Having someone from `outside' our profession remind us of our litigation frailties is a valuable experience -one best had before your next trial. Having served as an expert witness in more cases that most of us will ever try, Stephen knows of what he writes. It's about time someone with great discipline and extraordinary intelligence has taken the time to chronicle the field's cumulative blunders. Those who think they don't have enough time for professional improvement should be mindful that their next opponent likely will have read this seminal book!
-Timothy A. Tosta, Esq., Steefel, Levitt & Weiss

This is a must for every trial attorney to read - no matter how experienced. No one but Steve Roulac could come up with such a definitive checklist that catalogs the essence of trial strategy in such simple and logical terms.
- William M. Lukens, Esq., Law Offices of William Lukens

222 Litigation Mistakes delivers an insightful view into all areas of litigation. It offers an enormous range of practical experience by one of today's formost thinkers on the subject.

DEEDS FOR CALIFORNIA REAL ESTATE by Mary Randolph, J.D. is another excellent updated guide: this to choosing the right kind of deed, creating it, then filing it with a county recorder. Step-by-step instructions for so doing have been updated in this latest 7th edition to include the latest forms and reflect the most recent legal changes.

If you need to change a deed on your house or other real property -- changed your name, separated, married, adding a survivor to inherit -- don't pay a lawyer or title company hundreds of dollars to do it. Buy this book. Read the instructions carefully, fill out the forms and then go to the county recorder's office and file it yourself. Even if you have to pay for parking.

If I can do it, anyone can do it. After finding this book such a great help, I have turned to Nolo Press time and again for self-help legal books. Written my will, created powers of attorney for my domestic partner, even helped my folks set up living trusts. If you read the book and decide you do need legal help, you'll be better prepared to ask questions and direct the professional to do what you want, and to do what you can yourself to save dollars. Just shaving a half hour off a lawyer's time spent more than pays for the book.

I am experiencing some Deed problems in California and to try and get detailed information from the clerks office is impossible. This book has all the info you need. I highly recommend it!

As a First Year Law Student I am required to take a class on property law. Until my professor started to talk about estates I was doing well. Sensing the utter confusion my classmates and I had on the subject he recommended this book for us. He was absolutely right. This book is an invaluable tool for those learning about property law for the first time. I'd be lost without it.

I'm at a #7 ranked law school and have a terrible property textbook and throughout the year I used this book to bolster my understanding. Many times I felt like I understand much better than my classmates becaues this book gives you such a solid foundation. It also has exercises for each little section so you get it all down pat! Now I am studying for my 1L property final and am so grateful to have this book that I took the time to come here and write a review. This book is especially strong for understanding present and future interests in possessory estates. But it also has concurrent ownership (joint tenancy, tenancy in common, etc.). Finally, this book is slim and small so I am even grateful for that because toting around all the heavy law textbooks makes you not take this for granted. ;)
Thank you Cornelius Moynihan!

My girlfriend is in law school. When she had time to talk to me the other day, she told me about how this book has been a huge help and helped her understand her property class better than her other textbooks. Not for the novice, but perfect for the future lawyer that really needs to understand the concepts.

By describing TNC actions involving large tracts of land, the author illustrates the industry -- NGO cooperation that is required if we wish to take land protection beyond the token tracts that are are the norm for actions using only conservation funding.

William J. Ginn's Investing In Nature: Case Studies Of Land Conservation In Collaboration With Business is a valuable discussion linking business interests to environmental concerns to show how conservation investment banking can work. Ginn's background in both business and land conservation issues at The Nature Conservancy allows him to reveal collaborative efforts which work for both in this inspirational guide of real-life achievements.

This is a book for people who are ready to get very creative! Prepare to learn how to braid industry, energy, and conservation into a plan for America's future. Bill GInn begins the converstation with a great and very practical story about his own inability to grow food on his own farm in Maine because his soil was too acidic. Lookiing for solutions led him to his discovery that the " cheap miracle" he needed was in the waste product the paper mill in his own backyard was spending millions of dollars trucking out of the state. From this beginning, he saw a new life for waste materials, and an industry growing from it. Realizing he could do as much as an " eco-business man" than he could as the head of Maine's prestiges Audubon Society, he launched on an odessy which will inspire and ignite the interest of others looking for a new way to move ahead in our quest for a future for America's Conservation Movement.
Hooray for Mr. Ginn's documentation and careful focus. I look forward to his future and his next book!

I HAVE A MUCH BETTER INSIGHT AS TO HOW IT ALL WORKS WITH REGARDS TO WILLS, TRUSTS AND ESTATES. IT'S A RELIEF TO KNOW THAT YOUR SPOUSE AND KIDS WILL BE PROVIDED FOR. EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH ASSETS TO BE SUBJECT TO THE ESTATE TAX, FOR ME, IT'S A RELIEF TO HAVE A PLAN. EVEN WITH OUR MINIMAL ASSETS-CAR; HOUSE; A PET-IT'S GREAT TO HAVE SOME PEACE OF MIND, KNOWING WHAT HAPPENS. AND, IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN THE BASIC ASSETS, THIS BOOK HELPS YOU WITH THE MORE COMPLICATED THINGS, SUCH AS INVESTMENTS AND LIFE INSURANCE. WRITTEN BY ATTORNEY JOHN VENTURA IN UNDERSTANDABLE LANGUAGE. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I am a wills and probate attorney in Texas. Certainly, I am the first to admit that the law of estate planning can be difficult to navigate. John Ventura, with this Estate Planning book, makes the navigation simple. He guides you, step by step, through wills, trusts, and the like, without ever missing a beat. I even purchased a copy for my own mother! If you want an easy read, with excellent advice, you're in great hands with John Ventura's "Kiplinger's Estate Planning."

What happens to all of one's belongings if one is randomly and tragically killed in a bus accident? Kiplinger's Estate Planning: The Complete Guide to Wills, Trusts, and Maximizing Your Legacy is a complete and comprehensive guide to estate management, whether one carries an estate worth millions or worth less than thousand. It's a guide for anyone about how to make sure one's will is carried out when one makes a purchase of metaphorical agricultural land. Kiplinger's Estate Planning is a must for anyone worried about their friends and family and wants to leave them something when the time comes, and is also highly recommended for community library finance collections.

Good update over previous edition. Author added some new material, but took away some from the previous edition. This book will get me through the state exam.

i came across this book AFTER i have finished reading Jacobus' Texas Real Estate. i hoped i have seen this book much earlier and tossed Jacobus into trash bin... much much better...

I liked this book because it is well organized and informative. At the beginning of every chapter the author includes a list of key terms; and key words are bolded and defined through out the chapters. In the back of the book, there's a glossary. This book covers the main topics of the Texas Real Estate Sales Exam in a very thorough, organized way.

I've read lots of real estate books over the years, but "Stop Foreclosure Now" is one of the best. Plus, you don't have to be in foreclosure to appreciate its contents. For example, I'm a real estate investor, but still found it valuable. The book is divided into five sections. The first section covers promissory notes, mortgages, and deeds of trust. The second section differentiates between judicial and non-judicial foreclosure and describes the procedures for each. The third section describes various strategies homeowners can utilize to stop the foreclosure and save their homes. The fourth section, which was particularly helpful to me. Describes the specific foreclosure procedures in each of the 50 states. It includes a nifty map of each states and that state's website (which you can access for updates on foreclosure laws). The final section contains a glossary of commonly used real estate terms. This book is a valuable new addition to my real estate library, and I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to learn more about foreclosure.

Jim Mills
Manhattan Beach, CA

"With STOP FORECLOSURE NOW, author Lloyd Segal has done a HUGE favor for many of us homeowners who have to face the very real intimidating and frightening process of coping with such financial difficulties. By simplifying and demystifying many of the steps involved, Mr. Segal has given us access to the knowledge and the ways and means necessary to better protect our families and our properties.
It's a very important intermediate step before having to seek and pay for professional help!

Thank-you,

Howard Gordon"

As a principle, I stay far away from self help and you-can-do-it-yourself books, because more often than not, their authors seem to have the secret ambition of turning clueless reader/user into experts on their subject matters. Mr. Segal's book does not supply the reader with needless information on foreclosure, short sales and related matters: it simply provides very straightforward answers to all the fundamental questions the distressed homeowner actually has and to which he/she is seeking concrete answers to get out of a difficult situation. Plain and simple.
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What more, the book is remarkably clearly written, and structured in such a way that the user/reader does not spend a minute agonizing over where to start, what chapters to read, or what information could be relevant given his or her particular circumstances. This book is in fact very results-oriented, and explores right from the start different viable solutions; from there, the reader/user is then guided through his or her solution, or best alternative option very steadfastly by the author. In that regard, I have to admire Mr. Segal's great ability to navigate the reader/user through a complex situation with surprisingly simple solutions, and his ability to put himself in the shoes of a distressed homeowner. Truly amazing!

Now. I came across, and bought this book when was entangled in a seemingly dead end situation: I had tried - rather very unsuccessfully-- to sell my house on which I owed more than the current market value, from 2 different lenders; my real estate agent, and real estate lawyer had both given up on my case; I felt trapped, and I was angered by the situation. When they let me down, I freezed, and was basically waiting for doom to loom on me. " Stop Foreclosure Now. Save your house if you can; save your credit if you can't" did not merely give me hope to find a way out. It actually empowered me overnight to take charge of my situation, by equipping me with the knowledge, tools, and information needed to engage with lenders and people in the real estate community in an intelligible and articulated manner about my case. Indeed, as a read the book, I could see myself evolving from a state of desperation and disempowerment to a state of mind where I could see new opportunities emerging from my obviously desparate situation. In that respect, one of the key lessons of the book, from a homeowner's perspective is Mr' Segal's take that foreclosure is not the end of it all; as a matter of fact, it could actually be the best thing happening to a homeowner seeking a fresh beginning in homeownership.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone, -- distressed homeowner or not -- who wants to engage intelligibly with lenders, or real estate folks on a foreclosure case, and work out a viable solution for herself or himself. Given the current real estate market, this book is simply a gem of wisdom, knowledge and power.

This book is amazing. The authors have a great way of making light of issues that most don't want to think about, let alone read about. While it is light-hearted, the book is also quite informative - It is a must read for old and young.

As a woman who graduated with a Psychology degree - and then shifted gears to become an Estates & Trusts lawyer - I find that Ms. Whitman and Dr. Glisson smoothly combine information from often-disparate schools of thought in their book. Planning for the end of your life is not just a medical, business, or legal affair; it is also a matter of the heart. These authors get that. The tone of the book instantly puts the reader at ease, with the use of humor and quotes from everyday people who completed surveys on the topic, and provides critical information no matter in what stage of life you find yourself. Share it with those you love.

My mother-in-law lost her battle against ovarian cancer in December. If only my husband and I had this book when she was diagnosed! It contains so much helpful advice that could have made the past two years less of a nightmare. The book has great information on clinical trials and hospice. It also would have helped us make sure all the right legal documents were in place. If we'd had access to this information earlier on, I think we could have saved a lot of money on attorney fees. Since I'm in my late thirties, I've never given much thought to wills, etc. But after reading this book, and watching the whole Anna Nicole saga on TV, I understand how crucial it is to have the proper paperwork, and am in the process of having a will and other documents drawn up myself.

This is an excellent resource in federal Indian law. It is updated annually via cumulative pocket-parts and is a thorough review of the subject. It is a great place to begin research in Indian law because it lays out the blackletter and has copious citations to the major (and sometimes less major) cases on the subject. For me, if I could have only one book on the subject, this would be it.

Federal Indian law is a quagmire that demands useful navigational tools. In the past, Felix Cohen's "Handbook of Federal Indian Law" (particularly the 1942 ed.) was used by everyone - including Supreme Court Justices - to better understand this jurisprudence. This field of law, however, has evolved in many ways in the intervening twenty years and the "American Indian Law Deskbook" permits readers to learn about these changes in the responsibilities and exposures of the states, tribes, and federal government. Indeed, this is the second edition, and the foreword indicates that even the five-year period between editions had been eventful. The overall intent of this publication is to present relevant legal history to sustain an understanding of Indian law today.

The editors have included Tables of Cases (32 pp.), and of Statutes and Codes (9 pp.), as well as a bibliography (10 pp.). One important note must be added. Yearly supplements are a crucial part of the business of legal research, and the editors of the "American Indian Law Deskbook" realized this when they published the first edition in 1993. This practice has continued, and stand-alone yearly supplements are available for both 1999 and 2000 that update the current edition.

"American Indian Law Deskbook" augments Cohen's "Handbook." It should be considered as a core holding for those with a desire and/or a need to learn more about current federal Indian law.