real estate
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Navigating the Sunshine State’s Property Taxes: Deadlines, Discounts, and Avoiding Foreclosure
Florida, with its beautiful weather and sandy beaches, attracts not only tourists but also residents seeking a permanent paradise. However, paradise comes with a price tag, and a significant portion of that tag is property taxes. As a Florida real estate attorney, I get many questions from clients about property taxes, especially regarding deadlines, discounts,…
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Reissue Me This, Batt, Man
Calculating Title Insurance Savings Should Never Be a Riddle As a Florida real estate attorney, I understand the importance of a smooth and cost-effective closing process for my clients. One way we achieve this at Battaglia Law, PLLC is by proactively applying reissue credit on title insurance premiums, whenever possible. What is a Reissue Credit?…
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Estoppel Certificate & Other HOA 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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What’s in a Name? De-Thorning the Ambiguity of “Post-Office Address” in Florida Statutes § 695.26
As Shakespeare’s Juliet wisely declared, “What’s in a name?” Indeed, when it comes to love, a Montague by any other name would still possess the intoxicating allure of a summer rose. But in the realm of Florida real estate law, words in statutes matter. And usage of one word in lieu of another can have…
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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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The Silent Thief: Fraudulent Documents Can Steal Your Property
Don’t Let Your Home Be Next Real property fraud is a serious crime that can have devastating consequences for the victim. It can involve the theft of a property, the loss of a home, or financial ruin. A common type of real property fraud is the filing of false documents. In some cases, the fraudster…
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Good Deeds Come Cheap (and sometimes, free)
Don’t Get Tricked into Paying More Than You Should for a Copy of Your Deed If you’re a new homeowner in Florida, you may have received a letter in the mail offering to provide you with a copy of your property deed for a fee of $100.00 or more. If you have received such a…
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What is an Estoppel Certificate?
An estoppel certificate is a document that provides statutorily-mandated information about a property owner’s account with their homeowners association (HOA). Estoppel certificates are governed by Florida Statutes Section 720.30851. One definition of the word “estoppel” means to preclude a person from asserting something contrary to what is implied by a previous action or statement of…
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How Title Insurance May Have Saved My Client One Million Dollars
When title insurance is needed, it’s worth every penny. I recently assisted a client who had purchased a home in Lakewood Ranch and paid cash. My office did not handle the closing, nor was I involved in any way with the real estate closing at the time. Rather, my client hired me about 7 months…