WHY YOU NEED A REAL ESTATE ATTORNEY
Florida ARECS works to help connect Real Estate Professionals in Florida with trusted Attorneys. If you’re looking for a Real Estate Attorney to work with in your area, search our Member Directory.
Real Estate Attorneys will:
- Examine the title to the property
- Review the survey
- Explain and resolve any issues that are found
- Provide legal advice (like how to take title)
- Ensure your clients understand what they are buying or selling, and their obligations
- Prepare documents and conduct the closing
- Reduce liability by issuing title insurance
- Provide a professional closing experience to your clients
EDUCATION AND RESOURCES
Seminars
Request a Seminar for Your Board of Realtors or Brokerage
Programs currently available include: Ongoing Short Sale & REO Solutions, Understanding & Using Residential Real Estate Contract for Sale & Purchase, and more! View all available seminars.
Tools
Closing Cost Calculator: Buyer and Seller Estimates
Estimate the amounts needed at closing The closing cost calculator will help you estimate buyer and seller closing costs based on Florida average costs and the most commonly encoutered fees.
Resources
Red Flags Education Program
Identify potential obstacles to a timely closing by gathering information early. Don’t wait for closing day to get the facts! Download our free Seller and Buyer Interviews to help you.
Information Security
Window to the Law: Cyberscams and the Real Estate Professional
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NAR Associate Counsel Jessica Edgerton alerts real estate professionals to common online fraud schemes, and provides tips and information to help industry professionals and their clients stay protected.
Arm Your Clients Against Wire Fraud
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In this video, NAR General Counsel Katherine Johnson explains a how scammers are using a common scheme to steal money from your clients and offers tips for your customers to protect themselves.
Florida ARECS is dedicated to providing the most up-to-date and relevant resources to our fellow Real Estate professionals.
TITLE INSURANCE
It’s your job to protect yourself and your clients with title insurance.
The need for title insurance at closing can often be overlooked, yet is extremely valuable to homebuyers. Real Estate Professionals are in an important position to help homebuyers understand the value of title, title insurance and the dangers of not having it.
What is Title Insurance?
Title insurance protects homebuyers legally and financially, as long as they own their home. For a low, one-time fee, homebuyers can purchase an Owner’s Policy and rest easy, knowing they are protected against existing debts or claims to their property.
Why have an Owner’s Policy?
An Owner’s Policy is purchased at the time of closing and typically insures the buyer up to the amount of the purchase price. Not all problems are found in the title search – no matter how thorough the title examination. The Owner’s Policy protects the owner against these hidden defects, such as unknown heirs, fraud and forgery.
DISTRESSED PROPERTIES
Find out how to deal with distressed properties
Distressed properties have always been an issue for real estate professionals. While the real estate market has improved from past years, distressed properties still constitute for 10% of the Florida market.
We created The Alliance for Homeowners effort during the housing recession in the late 2000’s to help support Realtors® and homeowners cope with the complex and risky transactions.
Download the distressed property Realtor® toolkit
Are you spending time negotiating short sales or submitting approval packages? If so, how are you handling back-up offers?
Get the answers to questions like these so that you don’t inadvertently create conflicts of interest that expose you and your agency to legal penalties and litigation.
