Realtors
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You Wouldn’t Sit On a One-Legged Stool
Preventing Wire Fraud in Real Estate Closings, Three Legs at a Time. In today’s digital age, the convenience and speed of electronic transactions have revolutionized many industries, and the real estate closing and title industry is no exception. However, this convenience has also opened the door to a growing number of scams, particularly wire fraud.…
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FAR/BAR Residential Contract and FAR/BAR “As Is” Residential Contract Revised as of August 1, 2024
The Florida Realtors / Florida Bar (“FARBAR”) Residential Contract for Sale and Purchase and the “AS IS” Residential Contract for Sale and Purchase have been updated as of August 1, 2024. The new revised versions are identifiable by “6xx” and “Rev. 8/24” notations towards the lower left-hand corner of each contract. What Changed? The changes…
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Brave New World? Written Buyer Agreements in Florida Real Estate Transactions
The Industry Has Changed. We are now seeing the precise effects on the industry following the major National Association of Realtors lawsuit and settlement which I have previously written about. The first major change in the Florida real estate landscape is the creation and implementation of Buyer Agreements, which will soon be required when a…
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HOA Estoppel Certificate Fees: Junk or Justified?
As a board certified real estate lawyer in Florida, I frequently deal with estoppel certificates, including reviewing them and ordering them from associations and their management companies. If you are unfamiliar with what an estoppel certificate is, here is a previous blog post that provides some general information. But, briefly, estoppel certificates are official statements…
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Don’t Forget to File for the Florida Homestead Tax Exemption
The statutory deadline to file for 2024 was March 1, 2024. Failure to timely file constitutes a waiver of your entitlement to the tax savings for the year. Homeowners in Florida may be entitled to a substantial tax benefit known as the Florida Homestead Tax Exemption, which is a two-pronged benefit in the form of:…
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Burnett v. National Association of Realtors – The 1.8 Billion Dollar Verdict That Could Reshape an Entire Industry
Yes… with a “B” On October 31, 2023, a federal jury in Missouri returned a verdict finding the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and several large brokerages liable for antitrust violations in a class-action lawsuit filed by home sellers. The case is Burnett et al v. The National Association of Realtors et al, U.S. District…
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Protect Your Money from Wire Fraud Schemes When Buying a Home
The American Land Title Association (“ALTA“) has created a video with four helpful tips on how you can protect your hard-earned money when sending wire transfers when purchasing a home. The video also provides guidance on what to do if you have been targeted by a wire fraud attempt. Below are some helpful tips from…
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Homes Selling in Record Time – “Blink of An Eye” – National Association of Realtors
A recent article on REALTOR Magazine’s website reports that, according to realtor.com®’s latest Monthly Housing Trends Report, homes are selling in record time at an average of 43 days – 20 days fewer than a year ago. The article further reported that in some parts of the country listings are going from “just listed” to…
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AS-IS? As if. Florida Residential Real Estate Seller’s Property Disclosure.
On this Throwback Thursday we will look at an oldie-but-goodie opinion issued by the Florida Supreme Court. Specifically, we will look at the landmark case of Johnson v. Davis, 480 So. 2d 625 (Fla. 1986), a case which forever changed the expectations and duties placed upon sellers of residential property in Florida. Most of you…