Recent Blog Posts

Nontraditional Transfers And Due On Sale Clauses: Watch Out
When we think of selling property, we think of what is generally a voluntary process, or one that goes through the traditional closing process. There is a willing seller and a willing buyer, liens are checked, inspections are conducted, the buyer pays off any existing liens through the sale price, and the seller gets… Read More »

Understanding Insurance Requirements For Your Mortgage
If you buy a home with a mortgage, there is a good chance that the mortgage company will require that you get homeowners insurance. Because buying a home is the largest purchase most people will ever make in their lifetimes, it is probably a good idea to get insurance whether the mortgage company requires… Read More »

What Happens When Someone Dies Before They Can Inherit?
When we do our estate plan, we often anticipate that those in our estate plan—those who are getting things that we leave to them-will be alive to receive those inheritances. But often it happens that they are not; they pass before we do. Then there is the situation where two people pass at the… Read More »

Be Careful With These Common Real Estate Scams
If there’s anything of value in the world, there’s bound to be people trying to steal it. The same holds true with real estate. Yes, real estate scams are quite common in Florida. Here are some of the more common ones, so you can be on the alert and know what to look for…. Read More »

Supreme Court Will Weigh In On How Much Of Your Property Government Can Take
It isn’t often that the United States Supreme Court weighs in on issues that affect real estate, but that’s exactly what is expected to happen in the upcoming months. Although the case is from Minnesota, because there are constitutional issues, the case may have an effect on real estate issues everywhere. Constitutional Taking? The… Read More »

Considerations When Selling Your Home Furnished
If you are selling property, you may want to keep everything in it and bring it with you. But you don’t have to do that. You can also sell the furnishings with the home. There are pros and cons to this strategy, and some things to consider when you make that choice. Why Sell… Read More »

Burdens Of Proof And Presumptions In Challenges To Wills And Estates
Undue influence is one way that family members or beneficiaries can challenge the validity of a will. But there are a lot of difficulties in proving undue influence. Witnesses are Gone One primary problem is that the deceased is now gone; there is often no way to know what the relationship was between the… Read More »

Who Should Use Balloon Payments?
Because of the housing crash of the mid 2000s, most residential home loans are quite conservative and straightforward. But every now and then there are still nontraditional loans, and one type that is somewhat popular is the balloon payment loan. While a balloon payment loan can be tempting, you should know in advance what… Read More »

What Is Escrow And How Is It Used After A Real Estate Closing Is Over?
At your real estate closing, or before it, you may hear your attorney talk about the possibility of holding money in escrow, after the closing is over. But what does that mean, and why would any money need to be held in escrow? Money Held for Contingencies In simplest terms, money is held in… Read More »

Things To Know About Seller Financed Loans
Many people see getting financing from a traditional bank or lender, to be difficult, arduous, time consuming, and too dependent on credit. And many sellers may not like it either—sellers know that their closing is conditioned on the buyer getting the financing from the lender, as a contingency to the closing. Seller Financed Loans… Read More »