legal advice | firsttuesday Journal

POLL: Do you believe agents are permitted to give clients advice pertaining to contract provisions and tax aspects?

by ft Editorial Staff | Oct 10, 2016 | Reader Polls, Real Estate, Tax, Your Practice | 0

Do you believe real estate agents are permitted to give their clients advice pertaining to the...

Arbitration in real estate contracts: Will you sign away your right to your day in court?

by Carrie B. Reyes | May 2, 2016 | Buyers and Sellers, Feature Articles | 1

Many homebuyers and sellers — and even some agents — wrongly assume they need to initial the arbitration provision in order to submit a purchase agreement.

The MID truth test

by Jeffery Marino | Apr 13, 2012 | Feature Articles, Real Estate, Tax | 12

This article examines the arguments for protecting the mortgage interest tax deduction (MID), reveals who truly benefits from the subsidy and questions both its viability and actual use as a marketing tool by real estate brokers and agents.

Inheriting debt: taking title subject to a mortgage

by ft Editorial Staff | Dec 6, 2011 | Feature Articles, Real Estate | 1

This article discusses the complicated process of taking title to a home with a mortgage, and suggests homeowners create a revocable living trust to ensure the beneficiary of their estate is not subject to a mortgage’s due-on clause.

Damage control: restoring public trust in real estate professionals

by ft Editorial Staff | Nov 7, 2011 | Feature Articles, Fundamentals, Real Estate, Your Practice | 3

This article explains why the public negatively ranked the honesty and ethical standards of real estate licensees and what licensees must do to improve their image.

Homebuyer optimism uninformed about future pricing

by ft Editorial Staff | Nov 1, 2011 | Finance, Home Sales, Investment, Real Estate | 4

42% of prospective homebuyers believe home values will increase 7% annually in the coming years, according to a poll by Zillow. These answers reflect the inadequate knowledge most prospective homebuyers have about the most...

Real estate licensees and the unauthorized practice of law

by Jeffery Marino | Sep 9, 2011 | Feature Articles, Fundamentals, Real Estate | 2

Part I in this article series on legal and tax advice addresses the misconception held by real estate professionals that they are engaging in the unauthorized practice of law when providing transaction-specific legal and tax advice to a client while acting as a licensed real estate broker or sales agent.

Raising the bar of real estate advice

by Jeffery Marino | Sep 9, 2011 | Feature Articles, Real Estate, Tax | 3

Part II in this article series on legal and tax advice clarifies the scope of a real estate licensee’s ability to provide advice of a legal and tax aspect nature to their clients while acting as an agent in a real estate transaction.

California lawyers won’t help with loan modifications

by ft Editorial Staff | Dec 29, 2010 | Real Estate | 1

Greater numbers of California lawyers are turning down homeowners fighting for a loan modification since state advance fee law prevents them from being paid until and unless their client receives a loan modification. Strict...