compliance: Sellers Shield™ - Our New Favorite Tech Tool For Realtors® - 11/17/19 01:00 PM
Have you heard about Sellers Shield™? If you have ever wished for an easy way Sellers could complete a Seller's Disclosure online, this is it. Sellers Shield™ offers both free and paid-level plans to individual agents and brokerages who want to offer their solution to Seller clients. 
Did you know that many attorneys advise that agents shouldn't even be adding the property address to the Seller's Disclosure for Seller clients?  Once a participating agent invites a Seller to complete their disclosures online, Sellers Shield™ allows sellers to entirely complete the paperwork on their own by answering questions in an easy interview format, and even … (4 comments)

compliance: No Advice Is Better Than Bad Advice - 11/12/18 08:36 AM
Social media can be a tempting resource for licensees who seek immediate gratification for questions or problem-solving. Reliance upon Facebook groups is growing. Not so long ago, posting anything online even remotely related to a transaction was taboo, and with good reason. Public discussion of any details (past or present) was considered a violation of fiduciary duties -- even when names and addresses were never mentioned, as an agent's identity alone could provide context clues sufficient to inappropriately link back to transaction information.
Social media has opened up a can of worms in that respect. Closed online groups allow for industry pillow talk behind … (41 comments)

compliance: Did the Loan Officer Just Suggest Mortgage Fraud? - 09/15/16 08:12 AM
Everyone knows that all interested party contributions need to be disclosed on the Closing Disclosure / Final Settlement Statement, right? 
CFPB and TRID / RESPA changes that took effect in October 2015 have both emphasized disclosure rules and placed  more responsibility on the shoulders of lenders to ensure compliance. This includes preparing the final settlement statement (Closing Disclosure / CD) and adhering to the 3-day waiting period that must completed before consummation (closing) can occur. 
Buyers depend on their Loan Officers to be professional, and to make sure that the lending piece doesn't become the weak link in the chain of events leading … (3 comments)

compliance: That's Not How We Do Things Around Here - 12/18/14 08:05 PM
 
If you practice real estate long enough, eventually you will find yourself working a transaction that falls outside of your immediate stomping grounds. While folks commonly recognize that there are differences in laws and practices in between states, it isn't as commonly understood that there can also be variations within a state -- particularly within those larger and more densely populated states, such as Texas.
It is difficult to say what drives regional differences... but at some point, the words, "That's not how we do things around here" will be uttered as an objection to what one party deems as standard, conventional … (27 comments)

compliance: The Double Bind in Texas Title Industry Accountability - 09/21/14 07:34 AM
Something is wrong. Terribly wrong.
Last Spring, we represented a Buyer client on a transaction that qualified as possibly the worst title experience EVER....
A few days prior to the contracted closing date, our agent received a blank digital closing package with instructions that consisted of "sign and return" only.  She called me with concerns, as our Buyer had never received title commitment from the escrow officer prior to receiving this closing package.
Upon investigation, we also found multiple errors on the preliminary HUD-1 and with the closing documents:
1. No title commitment received from escrow officer prior to receipt of … (6 comments)