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Transfer Of PropertyRecording_and_taxesHARD

A California buyer records a grant deed on Monday, March 10, at 10:00 AM. On the same day, a judgment creditor of the seller records an abstract of judgment at 2:00 PM. Under California recording law, which interest has priority?

Correct Answer

B) The buyer's grant deed, because California records documents in the order received, and the grant deed was recorded first on the same day

In California, documents are recorded in the order they are received by the county recorder. Under Government Code §27321, the recorder assigns sequential document numbers and records the date and time of receipt. Since the grant deed was recorded at 10:00 AM before the abstract of judgment at 2:00 PM, the buyer's ownership interest has priority over the judgment lien.

Answer Options
A
The judgment creditor, because judgment liens always take priority over ownership transfers
B
The buyer's grant deed, because California records documents in the order received, and the grant deed was recorded first on the same day
C
Neither has priority because they were recorded on the same day, so a court must decide
D
The judgment creditor, because abstracts of judgment relate back to the date the judgment was entered by the court

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Related Topics & Key Terms

Key Terms:

recording_prioritysame_day_recordingjudgment_lienGov_Code_27321

Related Concepts

A deed is a written legal document that conveys (transfers) ownership of real property from one party to another. It must be delivered to and accepted by the grantee to be effective.

For a deed to be valid, it must contain several essential elements including a competent grantor, identifiable grantee, consideration, legal description, granting clause, signature of the grantor, and delivery and acceptance.

Escrow is an arrangement in which a neutral third party holds documents, funds, or other items on behalf of the buyer and seller until all conditions of the transaction are met.

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