Fundamentals | firsttuesday Journal

DRE Bulletin Digest: Summer 2026

by Lily Hart | Oct 28, 2026 | Features, Fundamentals, Laws and Regulations, Licensing and Education, Your Practice | 1

The DRE’s Summer 2026 Real Estate Bulletin directs the attention of licensees towards suspicious sellers, audits, and when brokers need an MLO license endorsement.

California’s for-sale inventory growth: buyer caution rising faster than owner need to sell

by ft Editorial Staff | Oct 26, 2026 | Charts, Fundamentals, Home Sales | 24

In early 2026, low-tier priced housing has the lowest level of inventory available for sale or rent.

Landlords, Tenants and Property Management — now streaming on any device

by ft Editorial Staff | Oct 26, 2026 | Feature Articles, Features, Fundamentals, Licensing and Education, Property Management, Real Estate, Your Practice | 0

Our multi-media continuing education course catalog has evolved rapidly — and so have your learning options. Landlords, Tenants and Property Management is now enhanced for the first time with a stunning library of conceptual videos — fully optimized for viewing on any screen.

Natural hazard disclosures by the seller agent

by Amy Platero | Oct 15, 2026 | Buyers and Sellers, Fundamentals, Laws and Regulations, Licensing and Education, Real Estate, Your Practice | 1

Learn the various types of natural hazards which sellers disclose to buyers, how to comply with seller disclosures of natural hazards and mitigate agent liability by using a natural hazard expert to investigate the public record for known hazards unknown to the agent.

Marketing condominium units

by Amy Platero | Oct 5, 2026 | Buyers and Sellers, Fundamentals, Licensing and Education, Real Estate, Your Practice | 0

Learn the use restrictions and operating conditions placed on conduct in HOA communities, the obligations and assessments imposed on an owner of a unit in a CID and how a seller agent requests CID documents concerning use restrictions and HOA finances from the HOA for delivery to prospective buyers when marketing a CID unit for sale.

Renewing your license with eLicensing, by firsttuesday

by ft Editorial Staff | Sep 30, 2026 | Feature Articles, Fundamentals, Licensing and Education, Real Estate, Your Practice | 0

Your license renewal doesn’t have to be complicated. Our step-by-step video and text tutorial takes you behind the scenes of the Department of Real Estate (DRE) eLicensing portal so you know exactly what to expect — and can clear your next 45-hour renewal quickly, correctly and without the hassle.

Structural pest control reports and repairs

by Amy Platero | Sep 16, 2026 | Buyers and Sellers, Fundamentals, Laws and Regulations, Licensing and Education, Real Estate, Your Practice | 0

Learn how to manage a Structural Pest Control (SPC) report provider in real estate transactions and advise sellers and buyers on the disclosure of structural pests in the SPC report.

A parcel’s value is in its use

by Carrie B. Reyes | Sep 15, 2026 | Appraisal, Feature Articles, Real Estate, Your Practice | 2

Learn how an agent tasked with valuing a vacant parcel produces the most informed valuation according to its size, use, location, zoning and more.

Form-of-the-Week: Purchase agreement addenda for buyer agent — Forms 260, 261 and 266

by Amy Platero | Sep 10, 2026 | Buyers and Sellers, Forms, Fundamentals, Laws and Regulations, Licensing and Education, Real Estate, Your Practice | 1

A buyer agent uses RPI Form 260, 261 and 266 to determine the status of property conditions about whether the roof is adequate, hazard insurance is available and the purchase price is reasonably related to the property’s fair market value.

Lead-based paint disclosures

by Amy Platero | Sep 8, 2026 | Buyers and Sellers, Fundamentals, Laws and Regulations, Licensing and Education, Real Estate, Your Practice | 0

Learn about the federal lead-based paint disclosure and how to timely disclose to buyers the existence of a lead-based paint hazard on residential properties built prior to 1978.

New defensible space rules to harden improvements

by Carrie B. Reyes | Sep 1, 2026 | Feature Articles, Laws and Regulations, Real Estate, Your Practice | 1

New defensible space rules aim to protect suburban and rural homes from high wildfire risk.

Property disclosures: buyer retains a home inspector

by Amy Platero | Aug 20, 2026 | Buyer Representation, Buyers and Sellers, Fundamentals, Laws and Regulations, Licensing and Education, Real Estate, Your Practice | 0

Learn how a buyer agent uses a home inspection report (HIR) to confirm the condition of a property as disclosed by a seller or seller agent and advises their buyer on remedies for material defects in the property noted in an HIR but not disclosed prior to the seller entering into a purchase agreement.

Form-of-the-Week: Rental income rent roll, and comparative analysis projection (CAP) — Forms 352-1 and 353

by Amy Platero | Aug 14, 2026 | Forms, Fundamentals, Investment, Property Management, Real Estate | 0

An agent uses Form 352-1 to disclose rental information when marketing or evaluating an income-producing property, and Form 353 when projecting income and returns on an income-producing property.

BPO series: Property conditions influence value

by Carrie B. Reyes | Aug 13, 2026 | Appraisal, Feature Articles, Real Estate, Your Practice | 0

Learn to adjust a property’s valuation to reflect deviations based on its geography, the presence of natural hazards, level of improvements, energy efficiency and best use.

The home inspection report: to disclose and shield

by Amy Platero | Aug 6, 2026 | Buyers and Sellers, Features, Fundamentals, Laws and Regulations, Licensing and Education, Real Estate, Your Practice | 0

Learn how to use a home inspection report (HIR) to mitigate liability risks for misrepresentation in the preparation of a seller’s Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS), exercise care in the section of a qualified home inspector and use an energy efficiency audit report by a certified home energy rater to market property.

Safety standards for improvements

by Amy Platero | Jul 28, 2026 | Buyers and Sellers, Features, Fundamentals, Laws and Regulations, Licensing and Education, Real Estate, Your Practice | 2

Learn common safety standard conditions and violations found on residential properties and how to provide terms to remedy safety issues in a real estate transaction.

The AI apocalypse for real estate agents

by Carrie B. Reyes | Jul 24, 2026 | Feature Articles, Home Sales, Real Estate, Your Practice | 1

AI is smoothing the way for more sellers to take on FSBOs — should agents be worried?

DRE Bulletin Digest: Spring 2026

by Amy Platero | Jul 22, 2026 | Features, Fundamentals, Laws and Regulations, Licensing and Education, Real Estate, Your Practice | 2

The California Department of Real Estate (DRE) in their Spring 2026 Real Estate Bulletin reminds licensees of fiduciary duties, advance fee requirements and how to become a real estate broker.

Opinions with erroneous conclusions

by Amy Platero | Jul 16, 2026 | Buyers and Sellers, Fundamentals, Laws and Regulations, Licensing and Education, Real Estate, Your Practice | 0

Learn the difference between opinions, assurances and guarantees as well as estimates, projections and forecasts.

Form-of-the-Week: Escrow instructions, and beneficiary statement — Forms 401 and 415

by Amy Platero | Jul 8, 2026 | Buyers and Sellers, Finance, Forms, Fundamentals, Mortgages, Real Estate | 0

An agent or escrow officer uses RPI Form 401 when preparing instructions to open a purchase escrow with an escrow officer, and RPI Form 415 when escrow requests mortgage information from a mortgage holder regarding their lien on a property to confirm the terms of the debt or obtain a payoff demand.

Category: Fundamentals