I am filing a claim with CSLB and approaching a small claims court.

We had to petition the court to get our money back since we had already paid it to the court the next day.  

Long story short, cosmetically ugly and out of style is fine, not functioning isn't and WOOD ROT is a major no/no with FHA and VA appraisers.

Interesting article for any new construction owners with a 10 year tax abatement who received significant land value increase: https://whyy.org/articles/recent-court-ruling-opens-door-homeowners-appeal-tax-bill/

Mortgage 15/1 arm at $3.375% with max 4% interest increase due 15 years from July 2015 (Aug 1, 2030).Current condo monthly maintenance fee : $1036 includes water, amenities (pool, tennis court, concierge, gym, sauna, community room with pool and ping pong, maintenance)Current monthly mortgage payment: $499 interest, $504 principal Monthly taxes and insurance: $459 monthly contents insurance: $38Past Assessments: $11k for building HVAC upgrades $8k for building updates and building reservescurrent market value $400k - $425kcurrent  monthly rental median: $3100-$3200monthly landlord insurance: $45I'm also trying to decide if I should rent or sell and invest elsewhere.Appreciate all insights.

I had a court date and the tenant removed within 3 weeks.

A buyer's agent will not be allowed to open a door without a signed agreement or they risk a contempt of court charge.

As far as my lender I started with small multi family and had met the woman in charge of residential lending at my bank over the years at various local functions.

If that's the case, while I agree you should submit the claim to your title insurer and not the agent who issued the policy, I suspect the claim may denied as a matter occurring after the date of policy and therefore excluded from coverage.I handled a similar title claim and found courts had found that a tax lien as a result of a reassessment of the property became effective when assessed and was not retroactive. 

In such cases, the property should ideally function as a flip, benefiting from either market appreciation or improvements ("forced appreciation") to maximize its value.