Blog
The 5 Most Common Seller Errors That Can Lead to Real Estate Lawsuits
Sellers can find themselves in hot water for any number of reasons, but there are 5 most common seller errors that can lead to lawsuits. Here’s how to…
Due Diligence Checklist for Your Team for Real Estate Transactions
Due diligence is an important part of any real estate transaction, whether you’re representing the buyer or the seller. When advising clients about due diligence, it’s important your…
Airbnb and the Impact on Real Estate Sales
Airbnb has transformed the accommodation market and shaken up the property market in the process. The platform currently has 7 million listings worldwide across more than 100,000 cities,…
Lessons Learned from Real Estate Contract Errors
Copy-and-paste can be a huge time saver in your real estate contract, but if you aren’t careful, it can cause more than a headache. Recently a CRES-insured broker…
Managing the Real Estate Buying and Selling Process in Unpredictable Housing Markets
Real estate is a dynamic industry with ever-changing market conditions. This unpredictability brings with it significant risks and many potential issues for real estate professionals. Let’s take a…
How to Avoid a Real Estate Breach of Duty Claim
As a real estate professional, you face many risks every day in the course of business. Claims for “breach of duty” are just one of those risks. Here’s…
How to Avoid Client Injuries at Your Office
Client visits are an everyday occurrence for a real estate broker’s office. But what if a client trips or falls at your premises? What happens if something accidentally…
Should Brokers Complete Note and Deed of Trust?
Have you ever been asked to complete a note and deed of trust? Recently a CRES-insured broker called our CRES ClaimPrevent® Hotline, because he was asked to complete…
Selling a Home Where Drug Activity Has Occurred
Selling a home where there’s been drug activity can be problematic for any real estate agent. There are potential safety issues for you, your team, and prospective buyers…
Unescorted Access for Prospective Tenants and Buyers — Is It Just Too Risky?
Real estate is a busy profession and you can’t be everywhere at once. Sometimes it might be tempting to consider unescorted access to prospective tenants and buyers. But,…
“Business Email Compromise” Attacks – What they are and how you can avoid them
Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks are on the rise around the world, and every industry is affected. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Centre (IC3) estimates that more than…
Source of Income Discrimination in California
Under California and federal law, it is illegal for a landlord or residential rental housing provider to discriminate against a person because of the person’s disability, religion, ethnicity,…
Selling a Smart Home: What Real Estate Agents Need to Watch Out For
The United States is the undisputed leader in smart homes globally. In 2018, $5.474 billion was spent on smart homes across the country, and this is expected to…
How a CRES Seller’s Protection Plan Can Boost Your Real Estate Business
Did you know that your sellers are the main target of real estate lawsuits (based on our 20+ years of claims history)? That’s why CRES offers the Seller’s…
Selling Estates Where Multiple Parties Are Involved: A Guide for Real Estate Agents
Selling estates where multiple parties are involved is very common. The multiple parties involved in real estate transactions vary from couples and families, to trusts or deceased estates…
Managing a Culturally Diverse Team
If you’re a real estate broker, there’s a high chance you’re managing a culturally diverse team of real estate agents. As of the 2018 Census, 60% of the…
How Good Real Estate Professionals Can Get Mixed Up in Negligence Claims
As a real estate professional, there are risks in your business which make you vulnerable to lawsuits. When you’re balancing multiple listings, contracts, clients, prospects, open houses, marketing…
How Do You Manage the Lawsuit Risk in Your Real Estate Business? Could You Do it Better?
Managing the risk of E&O claims and lawsuits is especially important in real estate. One serious lawsuit could destroy your business -- or your reputation. So you want…
Selling a Home in an Undesirable Area
Selling a home in an undesirable area can create many challenges for real estate agents. Apart from the difficulty of selling even the best home in a bad…
Military Lease Termination: What Property Managers Need to Know
Property managers may be faced with tenants who want to terminate a lease before it expires for a number of reasons. Leases exist for a reason and have…
Managing Alcohol-Related Liabilities in Your Real Estate Business
Do you provide hospitality to sellers, buyers, or even your own team of real estate agents? Where do you stand with alcohol? What happens, for example, if you…
What to Do if You Suspect Money Laundering Through a Real Estate Sale
Money laundering is a growing concern in America. Criminals are getting smarter at finding ways to launder their proceeds of crime, and the real estate industry has become…
Remote Access for Your Real Estate Team — Security Issues and Tips
Your team members need to be mobile, so they can do their jobs effectively. This means remote access to your company’s server, client files and emails. But what…
Broker Beware: Colorado Short-Term Rental Regulations
“There is [Absolutely No Other] Place Like Home.” Denver, like many cities across the U.S., prohibits individuals from operating “any short-term rental in the City and County of…
Managing Your Risk When Selling a Car-Crash- Prone Property
As a real estate professional, your likelihood of being sued can increase when selling high-risk properties. Homes on busy roads or intersections, on tight corners, or in other…
Key Considerations When Dealing with “Seniors Only” Property
Properties for seniors is a growing market in the real estate industry. According to Inman, one in 5 residents will be of retirement age by 2030. In 2013…
Electronic Document Signing — Managing the Risk
Every good real estate agent wants to expedite the sales process and make it easier for buyers and sellers. Electronic document signing technology can help, especially when dealing…
Accommodating Mental Health Disabilities Within Your Team
Millions of people are affected by mental health issues and mental illness in the United States. When we talk about mental illness, this is a general term which…
Does a Low Appraisal Need to Be Shared with the Seller?
It’s no surprise that appraisals are part of the process when it comes to real estate sales, but sometimes low appraisals can be a surprise. When this happens,…
How to Manage Your Risk When Dealing with Real Estate Sellers, Buyers, or Tenants Involved in a Cannabis Business
It’s important for real estate professionals to understand the implications of a cannabis business whether you’re representing the seller, buyer, or a tenant. (See our related post on…
Dealing with Real Estate Clients with Physical Disabilities
As a real estate agent, you deal with different types of people every day. In fact, being able to communicate with a myriad of people is one of…
What Real Estate Brokers Need to Know About Cyber Liability Coverage
Cyber security is a growing issue globally, and the real estate industry is particularly vulnerable because the transactions you’re dealing with are of such high value. This, unfortunately,…
Selling and Buying Property in a Noisy Area
The real estate market is all about trade-offs and compromise -- particularly in a tight housing market, which California and a number of other states are experiencing today.…
What real estate brokers should remind their agents about this month: Disaster Preparedness
As a busy real estate broker, managing risk is a critical part of your business. This means you need to provide guidance to your real estate agents about…
The Best Way for Property Managers to Reject Applicants
Part of your job as a property manager is screening potential new tenants. The screening process you use and the way you reject applicants can get you in…
The Top 3 Reasons for E&O Claims Against Real Estate Agents
As a real estate professional, you face risks every day in the course of your business. These risks can lead to costly mistakes -- with financial implications as…
Lost Mineral Rights Claims On The Rise in Colorado
Real estate brokers in Colorado increasingly face lawsuits filed by sellers who have unintentionally contracted away their mineral rights when they intended to only sell the surface property…
The Most Useful Apps & Resources for Real Estate Agents in 2019
With around 2.1 million apps in the App Store, it’s not easy to navigate which apps and resources you should download as a real estate professional. To save…
What Real Estate Brokers Need to Know About Fidelity and Crime Bonds
Are you a real estate broker managing multiple real estate agents, either as employees or contractors? As the number of people within your team increases, so does your…
What You Need to Do About Post-Closing Problems
You’ve closed a transaction in which you were the selling agent for the buyer. Everything went well … until the buyer discovered leaks and drainage issues that weren’t…
Building Permit History Reports Reduce Liability for You & Your Clients
In real estate, it’s important to reduce your liability wherever possible, so you don’t find yourself facing a lawsuit sometime in the future. Building Permit History Reports from…
When Your Seller is Reluctant to Do Repairs…
As a real estate professional, you will often come across sellers who are reluctant to do repairs on their home -- either before listing the property, or after…
Why You Shouldn’t Exceed Your Scope of Work — A Guide for Real Estate Professionals
When you’re running your own real estate business, you provide great customer service as part of your business-building strategy. But doing so makes it easy for “scope creep”…
Employees vs Independent Contractors — What Real Estate Brokers Need to Know
As a real estate broker, knowing the difference between an employee and an independent contractor (and more importantly, communicating this to others) is crucial. Real estate agents are…
How to Reduce Open House Risks When Someone Else Hosts
Have you ever received a request from another brokerage -- or another agent within your firm -- to host an open house at a property you have listed?…
Data Security in Real Estate: How to Minimize the Risk of Losing Important Data
Data security is increasingly important in your role as a real estate agent, because you collect data from your clients every day Further, it’s important data, which in…
Real Estate Broker Beware — Most Common Complaints That Lead to Litigation
James M. Meseck, a litigation specialist from White and Steele in Colorado, gives us tips on reducing the most common risks for real estate licensees. (Note that all…
Mortgage Fraud in Real Estate & Mortgage Brokering
As a real estate professional, you may come across mortgage fraud at some point during your career. Mortgage fraud can be defined as fraud related to property mortgages…
Roofing Scam Alert
Real estate brokers, beware of a fraudulent scheme involving listed vacant properties. Here is the scenario. Acting as the property owner or an agent of the listing office,…
Multiple Offers Gone Wrong: How the CRES Legal Hotline Prevented Multiple Claims Against One Agent
A listing received multiple offers. The seller narrowed it down to two, and the agent sent out two counteroffers – but failed to specify which counter was back…
What Real Estate Brokers Should Remind Their Agents About This Month: VEHICLES
As a real estate broker managing a team, you need to be aware of the risks and liabilities of your business. Vehicles are used frequently in the real…
How to Avoid a Lawsuit When You’re Selling a House With Pets
Selling a property that is home to pets can be a challenge for a real estate agent. But, with around 60% of households owning a pet, it’s a…
Top Risks Agents Face When Acting as Property Managers
If you’re a real estate professional acting as a Property Manager, you face many risks every day in the course of business. Attorney Rinat Klier Erlich recently covered key risks…
Closing Issues & Managing the Risk
As a real estate agent, there’s nothing more exciting than closing on a real estate deal. But, sometimes things can go wrong — things which can delay closing…
Effective Strategies to Avoid Real Estate Claims in Texas
If you’re a real estate professional, you know it’s important to manage risk and the threat of potential litigation in your business. No one knows this better than…
Are Oral Contracts Legal in Real Estate?
Sometimes it pays to review the basics: You need a written contract when selling property. CRES ClaimPrevent Hotline was recently contacted by a client who wanted to…
Your Real Estate Signage — Could it Cause a Lawsuit?
Signage is an important part of a real estate agent’s marketing toolkit. Professional signage, whether it’s posted outside of the property or elsewhere in the neighborhood to promote…
How to Avoid a Lawsuit When a Real Estate Agent is Injured and Unable To Work
As a real estate agent, being fit and healthy is very much a requirement to keep up with the competition. What happens when an unexpected injury or illness…
Risks When Representing Clients With Wildfire Damaged Real Estate
How to manage 4 key areas of risk when a client’s home is destroyed by CA wildfires If you’re a California real estate professional, chances are you may…
Providing Information And Data To Your Clients: 6 Top Tips To Avoid A Lawsuit
In our litigious society today, real estate agents like you need to protect yourself against potential risks and lawsuits. One scenario where you face a high degree of…
