Did you know that someone can claim ownership of a property (in part or whole) without having purchased it? This is known as “adverse possession,” and is a holdover from the frontier days when staking your claim on a piece of land made it yours. How does adverse possession work? Under adverse possession laws, a […]
What Successful Real Estate Agents Need to Know About Earnest Money in Missouri
“Earnest money” functions as the up-front “deposit” made by a buyer in conjunction with the signing of a real estate purchase agreement. It serves as buyer’s good faith gesture to give the seller more confidence that the buyer is serious about purchasing the property in question. The amount of earnest money is negotiable between the […]
The Residential Real Estate Guide to Contracts and Contingencies
Few things can make a realtor more nervous than the words, “I want out of my contract.” When you’ve worked to find the right property for your client, gotten everyone on the same page, and drawn up what you believed was the optimal deal, you and your buyer both stand to lose time, revenue, earnest […]
Make the Right Choice! 6 Reasons Your Title Insurance Company Matters
Having spent my career in real estate law, I’ve seen many different title insurance companies operate in the St. Louis area—some successfully, some less so. To an outsider, title insurance may feel like a straightforward commodity industry, making the differences between companies seem unimportant. But there are several areas in which your title insurance company […]
Your 10-point Real Estate Closing Checklist
…for a Smoother and More Efficient Closing Day Closing day is one of the biggest—and most stressful—days in any client’s life. Though we all want the best real estate closing possible, realtors have a lot on their plates! Sometimes little details slip through the cracks, and they find themselves scrambling at the last minute. […]
Don’t Fail Your Buyer! Ask These Questions Now
“But one of the reasons we bought the home was….” Imagine getting a call from a client that bought their dream home thanks to your efforts as buyer’s agent. You remember how excited they were to move in, how happy they were with your service, and how smoothly everything seemed to go through the closing […]
Should it Stay or Should it Go? Real Property and Personal Property
Differentiating clearly between real property and personal property can be a challenge to navigate in your contract. Check out our handy-dandy little guide, and share it with your clients when writing your next contract.
Real Estate and Divorce: What Realtors Need to Know
On average, more than three of every one-thousand Missourians get divorced each year. In many cases, divorcing couples will need to sell their home, and smart realtors understand both the pitfalls and the opportunities inherent in these properties. Often, the sale of the home represents the last stage in the divorce, making couples eager to […]
Don’t Get Caught Up in These Notary Risks
Getting documents notarized may seem like a pretty routine part of the job. After all, it’s a part of every buying or selling process, and it can be as simple as having your client take the documents to their local bank branch. But, like all aspects of buying or selling, there exist legal pitfalls that […]
Reduce Taxes and Invest in Real Estate? Tell me more!
When you work in real estate long enough, you will come across transactions in which the buyer or seller wants to use an IRA to complete the deal. This is especially true if you’re working with commercial properties, or ones that may be rented out or flipped. Read on to find out what you need […]
