SERVING TORRANCE

Estate Planning Attorney in Torrance, CA

Living trusts, wills, and powers of attorney at a flat fee, with direct attorney access.

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Trust deed included
Prepared for your home

Prepared by Jay S. Yu, Esq., California Licensed Attorney · Yu & Yu Law, Fullerton · Last reviewed October 2026

SERVING TORRANCE

Helping Torrance families plan ahead

Torrance runs from Old Torrance to Walteria and the Hollywood Riviera above Torrance Beach, and many families have owned the same house since they bought it decades ago. A long-held Torrance home usually carries a low assessed value and a large built-in gain. Both matter when you die: your plan affects whether your children can keep the tax base, and a step-up in basis can erase much of the gain if the home is sold.

YOUR HOME IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY

What happens with your Torrance home

The deed that funds your trust

Torrance is in Los Angeles County, so the deed that moves your home into your trust goes on record with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. I prepare that deed with your other documents, with your names matching your current deed exactly. Read why names must match on your deed.

Your property tax base stays the same

A transfer into your own revocable trust is not a change in ownership, so the Los Angeles County Assessor does not reassess the home (Rev. & Tax. Code § 62(d)). Los Angeles County also recognizes an exemption from documentary transfer tax for a transfer into a living trust (Rev. & Tax. Code § 11930).

After a death in the family

For a Torrance home held in a trust, the trustee files a Change in Ownership Statement (BOE-502-D) in Los Angeles County within 150 days after the death (Rev. & Tax. Code § 480), and can manage or sell the home without a court order. Read what happens when a property owner dies.

Passing your home to your children

Under Proposition 19, a child keeps your assessed value only by making the home their principal residence, and the benefit is limited to your assessed value plus $1,044,586 for transfers from February 16, 2025 through February 15, 2027. Above that cap, part of the home is reassessed.

PROBATE IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY

What probate would cost on a Torrance home

If your Torrance home passes by will or without a plan, it generally goes through probate in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. California sets the attorney and personal representative fees by statute on the gross value of the estate, not your equity (Prob. Code §§ 10800, 10810). On a $1.1 million home, those fees total $48,000 before court costs. A funded living trust keeps your home out of that process. I do not handle probate cases; I refer probate matters to other counsel. Read how probate works in California and what probate costs.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Common questions

My spouse died years ago and the house is still in both names. What now?

The title needs to be cleared before the home can go into your trust or be sold. Depending on how it was held, that may take an affidavit with a death certificate or a court petition. I sort out which applies before preparing your trust deed.

Can I leave my home to one child and other assets to the rest?

Yes. Your trust can give the home to one child and balance it with other assets, or give that child the right to buy out the others at appraised value. Spelling it out now avoids a forced sale later.