Real Estate News

Answer:  It all depends! And there is no limit as to what an HOA or Property Management company can charge for a "statement of account". Georgia limits the closing letter to $10, but doesn't limit the amount an HOA  can charge for producing a statement of account for the current owner(s). Texas passed a new law limiting the closing documents to $375 and also requires all documents, state...

Inspectify and Hippo Insurance have a proposition for you. This may be a more comfortable route to approach errors by home inspectors, but Errors & Omissions Insurance usually would cover these occasions...unless your home inspector doesn't carry E&O insurance...but most usually do.

Use of cameras in homes that are for sale - Questions:  How many sellers actually use cameras to watch visitors when their homes are for sale?  Is it legal in your state to record video and audio? Will agents warn buyers to not say anything or choose not to reveal truths about the property while inside your home? Rising property taxes are disproportionate on areas of gentrification - Yes...

Related to my 2015 BLOG post - Several different (14) types of insurance for real estate Stewart Title Information First American Title Information Atlanta's Seth Weissman's thoughts on Title Insurance American Land Title Association - Trade Association of Tittle Companies upholding standards for their members. Examples of what problems may happen during your ownership: Documents recorded during t...

Dekalb and Fulton Counties in Georgia continue to be mismanaged...especially the water systems. So what happens when you open your mail email or snail mail, and find a water bill for $20,000 for last months water bill? The Facebook page entitled:    unbelievable Dekalb water bills –  DeKalb County lifting unpaid water-bill moratorium starting July 1 

Selling your home? Here's how accurate online estimates are You can now immediately update your Zestimate Don't believe them... Can you change what they publish?  Maybe... Use them for firepit chats, make you feel good, or just impress your guests with what you don't know about them.

Not legally required...not required in a GAR Purchase and Sale Agreement unless all parties agree to include it. There are 14 categories of disclosures on the GAR Sellers Property Disclosure Statement. Trust (the information on disclosures), but verify all disclosures (with evaluation, observation, and inspections).

Hey...not critical of lenders making money, but just FYI and "aren't we all in this together?" Source:   Investopedia summary of lender income sources

Violent Crimes Against Real Estate Agents This podcast and blog post above is dedicated to those in the real estate industry who, while performing their real estate duties, were either killed or severely injured by worthless human beings. May they rest in peace and their families be comforted with their memories. Real estate is sometimes a dangerous occupation…especially if you are alone in a mode...

Does real estate crime pay?  Maybe...it all depends on whether they all get caught and prosecuted. Yes...many unscrupulous people try to squeeze a buck out of breaking the law...and many get caught...eventually. Here are a few sources of criminals and what happened. Be careful and don't trust anyone until you veariy! Access Brokerage Blog Post:   Real Estate Crimes including Mortgage Fra...

Price Terms & Conditions Offer Optics Creative Options Prayer

Cash investor v. the first time homebuyer...when will it become equal? It all depends. Invitation Homes owns over 80,000 homes in the US By 2017, two major players, Invitation Homes and American Homes 4 Rent, controlled nearly 60% of the rsingle family ental housing market. As of 2018, Invitation Homes (majority controlled by the Blackstone Group - investment group) appears to be the largest...

What is a 1031 tax exchange?: According to the Internal Revenue Service, whenever you sell business or investment real estate property and you have a gain, you generally have to pay tax on the gain at the time of sale. IRC Section 1031 provides an exception and allows you to postpone paying tax on the gain if you reinvest the proceeds in similar property as part of a qualifying like-kind exchange....

Love Letters or Liability Letters ? Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 is commonly referred to as the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Since 1968 its protections have been expanded significantly by amendment. Under current, updated law, the  Fair Housing Act prohibits this discrimination because of race , color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. Writing a lette...

Check out my Access Brokerage, Inc. blog post for more details and analysis:  http://abiblog.abuyeragent.com/is-residential-real-estate-heading-for-another-bubble/ YES....for the next 2 years....don't see a repeat of 2007 crash...maybe some form of adjustment...different conditions altogether. A price bubble is a speculative mania situation in which asset prices appear to be based on implausi...

I didn't sleep at a Holiday Inn, I'm not a licensed appraiser, nor am I a bankruptcy attorney, but...they might have something in common in the near future. Hot housing market puts pressure on appraisers in Northwest Florida

Feel free to contact me about any of your residential real estate needs in or questions about the Metro Atlanta area. http://abiblog.abuyeragent.com/2021-news-from-access-brokerage-inc-real-estate-services/

Can a real estate agent use your listed home to stage photos for their own self advertising during a scheduled showing, or do you grant permission if you let them show it? (This is the article that prompted me to ask: https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2021/03/alabama-fire-chief-arrested-in-armed-dispute-with-georgia-real-estate-agent-attorney-says-charges-baseless.html) Do you watch who roams you...

Link to my blog post about the subject:  http://abiblog.abuyeragent.com/problems-with-pex-plumbing/ Sources of Inspiration for Podcast...the Polybutelene Plumbing class action lawsuits; someone I know who survived the Texas freeze; and... https://www.erplumbing.com/blog/problems-with-pex-pipes-with-brass-fittings/ https://www.plasticexpert.com/pex-failures/

A link to my blogpost on this subject: http://abiblog.abuyeragent.com/several-different-types-of-insurance-for-real-estate/

The local economy is currently strong, with fairly high employment. Thirty-year mortgage rates are expected to remain low going into 2020. Forecasters predict that home prices in the area will continue to climb. Population growth expected to continue and they need a place to live.

The main real estate scams I'm familiar with are as follows: (...and be sure to catch my blog post at Real estate scams ): Ponzi scams email closing funds scam real estate agent review scam filing fraudulent deeds scam rental home scam

One of the 14 different types of insurance available for a home...Home Warranty Companies "issue" home warranty policies. These specialized "insurers" charge an annual fee for the "coverage", and offer service call "deductibles" where authorized, screened contractors are dispatched to resolve household maintenance issues upon your request. Each company offers at least one type of coverage that nor...

Topics and links to articles I've posted throughout 2019 that are of interest to several parties (buyers, sellers, realtors, lenders, closing attorneys, and other organizations)  in the real estate market.

My most recent blog post on this topic:   Real estate transfer taxes – taxes on residential home sales transactions by state and local governments is a renewed topic based on my previous 2013 blog post on Transfer Taxes and the a more recent article: Opinion The emergence of local real estate transfer taxes .    Bottom Line :  States, as well as federal and local government aut...