Oliver FrasconaCo-Author: Doug Barber Don’t Paint Yourself into a Corner – The “Toxic Substances Control Act” You may have heard that EPA has some new rules for lead based paint (LBP). The rules passed in 2008 and became effective April 22, 2010. Here is our overview of the law from the perspective of Attorney (Oliver), Realtor®, and … Continue Reading
Is it time to buy or lease a new copier or other electronic productivity tool? Read the fine print. When you have a dispute, you have agreed in many cases to “arbitrate” (private court without appeal) rather than litigate. So when it does not work, you will not be suing the vendor for the … Continue Reading
Supervision, Office Policy and Attention to Detail You have just opened a new brokerage company and things are really happening. Agents want to “come over” and people are taking listings, showing buyers and making sales. Man, that is the way it should be. What should you be doing to make sure that it all … Continue Reading
Traps of the Information Age: Blogs, Voice Mail and E-mail Well it is here. The information age. So nice to just “check it out on the web.” Viruses, all sorts of malware and threats to data, identity theft and that is just for starters. The real issue is the digital paper trail that is … Continue Reading
What Happened to Loan Approval or Loan Commitment? What does the Loan Conditions Deadline really mean? By that deadline date the buyer needs to be satisfied that the loan is ok with the buyer. Specifically “Contract is conditional upon Buyer determining, in Buyer’s subjective discretion, that the availability, terms, conditions, and cost of such New … Continue Reading
The REALTOR® listed the sellers’ house and started working hard to sell it. Along comes the flipper and asks if he can buy it at a reduced price in a short sale. The REALTOR® writes the contract and submits it to the seller who signs it and then it is submitted to the lender … Continue Reading
Reprinted from REALTOR® Magazine May, 2003 by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Copyright 2003. All rights reserved. Q: What are the main forms of contract breach in real estate? Frascona: In real estate, contract breaches can occur in the property listing agreement between the broker and the seller or in the sales … Continue Reading
It’s often done with the best of intentions, but manipulating contracts, appraisals, sources of downpayment, and sale prices to help buyers qualify for a higher loan amount – even if it’s suggested by the lender – may make you guilty of loan fraud. Loan fraud occurs when a lender makes an inappropriate loan, because … Continue Reading
No matter how careful you are, don’t underestimate the importance of professional liability insurance. People sue even when they don’t have much of a case, and the financial drain can be crippling. Here are two actual cases and tips on how to prevent these nightmares from happening to you. Case 1: Three months after … Continue Reading
Reprinted from REALTOR® Magazine( www.realtor.org/realtormag) by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Copyright 2002. All rights reserved. Oxymoron: Words used together that have opposite meanings – jumbo shrimp, for example. A seeming oxymoron is nonrefundable earnest money, a euphemism that some sellers use for a deposit that they intend to keep whether or … Continue Reading
