Agoura Hills sits at the western edge of the 101 corridor — partly in Los Angeles County, partly adjacent to Ventura County, and home to families who have owned property here since before the Conejo Valley’s population grew significantly. The estate planning picture for Agoura Hills families is in most respects identical to the rest of the West Valley, with one important addition: Medi-Cal is administered at the county level, and families near the LA–Ventura County line sometimes have a parent or care facility on one side of that line. That detail matters when planning Medi-Cal eligibility.
Agoura Hills homeowners who contact Richard Seff's office typically have a profile similar to the rest of his West Valley practice: longtime owners in their 60s or 70s, homes purchased in the 1980s or early 1990s, significant appreciation above the Prop 13 base, and an estate plan that was put together before Proposition 19 changed the rules. What makes Agoura Hills distinct is geography — it sits at the edge of Richard's draw radius, and for families near the Ventura County line, the long-term care planning question sometimes crosses county lines as well.
The office is in Woodland Hills — about twenty to twenty-five minutes from most of Agoura Hills via the 101. Most Agoura Hills clients come to us. The first conversation can happen by phone or video before any in-person meeting.
Typical purchase decade for a longtime Agoura Hills homeowner
From Agoura Hills to Richard's Woodland Hills office via the 101
LA and Ventura County Medi-Cal rules both relevant for some Agoura Hills families
For an Agoura Hills homeowner who purchased in the late 1980s or early 1990s, the appreciation gap between the Prop 13 base and today's market value is often $500,000 or more. Under Proposition 19, the parent-child exclusion for a primary residence now requires the inheriting child to move in within one year and establish primary residence — and appreciation above $1,000,000 over the prior Prop 13 base is subject to reassessment even when that condition is met.
For Agoura Hills owners with rental property, there is no parent-child exclusion at all. Rental properties are reassessed at full current market value upon transfer to a child. The planning structures that address this — coordinated LLCs and trusts using a different set of California change-in-ownership provisions — need to be implemented before any transfer occurs.
Skilled nursing care costs in Los Angeles County run between $10,000 and $14,000 per month. Ventura County rates are comparable. California's Medi-Cal program is administered at the county level, and while the eligibility rules are set by the state, the county of residence at the time of application governs which county's Medi-Cal office handles the case.
For most Agoura Hills families, this is a straightforward LA County planning question. For families where a parent lives in Agoura Hills but may enter a care facility in Thousand Oaks or Camarillo — or where a parent has already relocated to Ventura County — the planning should account for both counties. The lookback period and basic eligibility rules are the same. The administrative process and the specific long-term care facilities available differ.
Agoura Hills families with existing trusts face the same question every West Valley family faces: was the trust funded? A trust that was signed but never used to retitle the deed on the home, the financial accounts, or other assets provides no probate protection. California's probate threshold is $184,500 in gross assets. Most Agoura Hills homeowners exceed it substantially.
During my second year of law school, my grandfather passed away. He had a properly drafted trust. His estate still went through probate — because the assets had never been transferred into the trust. The documents existed. The plan had failed. That is the reason every plan I create is fully implemented before I consider the engagement complete.
— Richard M. Seff
Longtime homeowners who purchased before 2000 with significant appreciation above the Prop 13 base.
Pre-retirees and retirees whose existing plan hasn't been reviewed since before Proposition 19 took effect.
Families with rental property who have never had a plan designed around the Prop 19 implications for investment real estate.
Families near the LA–Ventura County line where a parent's long-term care situation may cross county lines.
Adult children helping aging parents navigate the Medi-Cal eligibility question before a care crisis arrives.
It can affect the administrative process but not the core planning. California’s Medi-Cal eligibility rules are set statewide — the same lookback period, the same asset limits, the same exemptions apply whether the application is filed in LA County or Ventura County. The county of residence at the time of application determines which county office administers the case and which long-term care facilities fall under that county’s network. The planning that protects assets works the same way in both counties. What matters most is that planning happens before the application is filed — not which county ultimately handles it.
Your 2013 trust was written before Proposition 19 took effect in October 2021. The rules for how real property passes to children changed fundamentally — and your plan almost certainly doesn’t address them. If you own a primary residence with significant appreciation above the Prop 13 base, or any rental property, a review is worth doing. The specific changes your plan needs depend on what you own and how it’s currently structured.
About twenty to twenty-five minutes from most of Agoura Hills via the 101. Most Agoura Hills clients come to us at 21300 Victory Boulevard in Woodland Hills. The first conversation can happen by phone or video before any in-person meeting.
A first conversation is straightforward. We review what you own, how it’s titled, and whether your existing plan still does what you think it does — for the property you have, in the city you live in, under the law as it is today. No obligation. Just clarity.
