ARCHIVED BLOG POSTS
2010
55
Comments
Some of you who follow my posts asked that I would let you know what happened in the situation where the usable square feet of a listed condominium unit were materially overstated on the listing sheet. The purchase price in the sales agreement was $285,000; the appraisal came in at $275,000. Well...
03/16/2010
Lawyers, especially real estate lawyers, are confirmed "copycats". We listen to what our clients and other real estate associates have to say, and then we develop a great "pronunciamento" which makes us look like the synthetic mind in action. This latest thought came up in a discussion with one o...
03/16/2010
I know a lot of you work with short-sellers or people who are facing foreclosure. Prior to the enanctment of The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 (MFDRA), the results of a short-sale or foreclosure were a double whammy. The homeowner not only lost his or her home; there were also tax ...
03/15/2010
The arithmetic is becoming painfully simple. While government, and other, attempts to prevent foreclosures are being developed, there are many, many people considerably behind on their mortgages, and some situations will not be able to be saved. The dreaded foreclosures will take place, and the p...
03/13/2010
To all those REO people we work with in Massachusetts. This type of information may prove helpful to your Buyers. The problems in California are no different from those in our own state. Elliott Topkins Topkins & BevansLots of Carlsbad buyers are seeking REO (real estate owned; bank owned; forecl...
03/13/2010
While using our office operating system the other day, the message "Update Now" suddenly appeared. Certain aspects of our Topkins & Bevans software were "out of date", and we needed to include new improvements to get the most out of our system. This friendly warning may also apply to your lif...
03/13/2010
This is a real situation, and the final story has not been completely told. The Listing Realtor wants to give my client her deposit back and place the Unit back on the market, still indicating that there are 1,800 square feet. My sense is that no Appraiser will buy into this approach, and the Sel...
03/11/2010
You have all heard the stories. One parent of a friend of yours lived to be 102, and the last twelve years received some kind of state-funded assistance. The person kept her home in her own name until she died. At her death, the state placed a lien on the property, and there was no equity left to...
03/10/2010
It is almost laughable how little interest banks are paying these days. And the stock market has taken its toll on many previously comfortable portfolios. What if you could make an investment with an interest rate far in excess of what you could get in a bank and help your kids, or your mom, or y...
03/09/2010
These are words from a Massachusetts real estate attorney who only recently described the marketing advantages of converting rental property into condominiums. One of the beauties of my profession is that I can get passionate about either side of a discussion. The following set of facts were pres...
03/08/2010
Rainmaker
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Elliott S. Topkins
Massachusetts Real Estate and Title Atty
Real Estate Resources
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Realtor's Resource Blog is dedicated to furnishing current strategy and information to the Massachusetts real estate community of professionals and to out of state realtors and REO and relocation companies who need excellent representation in Massachusetts. My law firm, Topkins & Bevans, can cover the entire state of Massachusetts. I hope to use my 40 years of hands-on real estate experience to assist you and your Massachusetts Buyers and Sellers.