Dear Shannon: I was in a professional standards education session recently and the discussion was about Standard of Practice (SOP) 10-5. Someone in the group (I think it was an attorney) suggested there was a higher standard of evidence needed in a hate speech hearing. The attorney indicated that while the hate speech might […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — Buyers and sellers should be careful when adding clauses to their contracts. If that clause lacks precision, one or both sides could suffer. Florida Realtors® purchase and sale agreements include blank lines for additional terms, which can be used to modify existing parts of the form. This can be a helpful […]
CHICAGO — The use of generative artificial intelligence platforms can increase productivity and foster creativity. At the click of a button, AI can quickly produce content – blog posts, video scripts, articles, social media posts, images and much more – in response to user prompts, after scanning its database of millions of pieces of […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — What rights do tenants and landlords have if a hurricane damages their rental unit? There’s no simple answer. While Florida law requires landlords to comply with certain minimum requirements, as well as all applicable building, housing and health codes, some requirements may depend on the lease terms themselves. Section 83.51(1)(a) of […]
News & Media TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – As the deadline approaches, Florida lawyers must prepare for an important regulatory shift: the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is now accepting beneficial ownership information reports. Under the bipartisan Corporate Transparency Act, companies operating in the U.S. are required to disclose key ownership […]
News & Media By Maddie Biertempfel WASHINGTON – Some lawmakers are trying to crack down on what they call predatory “credit repair” schemes, when companies promise to improve your credit score but don’t deliver. If you’ve ever gotten a call or seen ads online from a company promising to improve your credit score if […]
CHICAGO — When we think about inclusion, it’s often easy to think about groups whose identities are, well, identifiable, but inclusion is more nuanced than only making space for what we can see. As Heather Hasse recently in a blog post for her site, Agent Inner Circle, “true inclusion requires considering (identity) aspects that […]
SEATTLE — Just over two-thirds (68.7%) of millennial/Gen Z homeowners say they’re better off financially than they were four years ago – that compares with just over half (52.2%) of millennial/Gen Z renters, according to a new survey from the real estate brokerage Redfin. There is a much larger discrepancy between how young homeowners […]
News & Media WASHINGTON — U.S. house prices rose 0.3% in August, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) seasonally adjusted monthly House Price Index (HPI). House prices rose 4.2% from August 2023 to August 2024. The previously reported 0.1% price increase in July was revised upward to 0.2% . For the nine […]
News & Media By Matt Ott WASHINGTON — American consumers are feeling quite a bit more confident this month as Election Day approaches, a business research group says. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index jumped to 108.7 in October from 99.2 in September. It was the biggest monthly gain since […]
News & Media By Amy Connolly ORLANDO, Fla. — Total estimated insurance losses for Hurricanes Milton and Helene exceed $4.3 billion with more than 380,000 claims filed for both storms, according to information from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. At the same time, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved $660.1 […]
News & Media NEW YORK – Elevator pitches are an essential part of reaching potential clients and partners as a real estate professional. Clear, memorable messages can make the agent stand out in the crowd and push a career forward. These messages should cover who the agent is and what they do. These are […]