California Real Estate Law: Text and Cases

Rating:
Summary: Excellent real estate resource text
Review: Mr. Gordon's book, California Real Estate Law, is an excellent reference for the homeowners, for investors and for brokers. It covers more than just plain law, as the author includes his tips and tricks learned from his experiences as an attorney and as a broker. Sometimes it is just as important to know what the law is as to know when to use the law. The book was surprisingly readable. Some books on law are so confusing or technical as to be useless and others are so simple that they don't provide enough law to know what you're doing. Gordon's book is a good example of something done right.

It seems to cover the whole field of real estate law, from neighbors trees on your property to when to take title as community property instead of joint tenancy. It encompasses from zoning to homesteads, and from condemnation to property taxes. In short, the 23 chapters cover the whole field of law.

What I most appreciated was the expanded materials on contracts, leases, deposit receipts, listing agreements and deeds of trust. The author went over most of these documents clause by clause, explaining when to use a certain clauses and when to avoid them. I'm using it as a great reference when buying and selling properties. My son found it handy in fighting a lease eviction. I think it's an exceptional book that should be on every investor's shelf, every broker's desk, and in every homeowner's bookcase.

Rating:
Summary: This is an excellent, useful book.
Review: This is a really great book, which seems to cover all the areas of California law. I've referred to the book on several occasions and have found my answer each time. The analysis was very understandable and the book gave me a strong background so I understood the law. In some cases the book told me the best approach to take to achieve whichever result I wanted. The author's approach is very practical and useful. It's a great book and a valuable reference that has really made a difference for me in several situations.