Florida Real Estate Law

ATTENTION all Real Estate Owners! BEWARE OF SCAMMERS There have been talks of some individuals attempting to take advantage of real estate owners post-hurricane recovery situations. Insurance, debris removal, and tree removal scammers are actively working in storm affected areas. Do not sign anything regarding an “assignment of benefits” from a potential contractor. If you […]

Marriott plans to remove plastic straws Worldwide by July 2019! Marriott International today announced that it has adopted a plan to remove disposable plastic straws and plastic stirrers from its managed and franchised properties by July 2019. The move will impact 6,500 properties across 30 brands around the world, and could eliminate the use of […]

The majority of our clients and referral sources are aware that doing a Section 1031 tax deferred exchange allows Taxpayers the privilege of deferring the payment of their federal capital gains taxes, depreciation recapture taxes and state income taxes (if any) on the property they held for investment or on the property that they used in […]

If you have property that you are planning on developing, or obtaining development approvals, before March of 2019, in Lake, Polk, Marion, Highlands, Putnam, and portions of Orange and Osceola counties that meet the 3 criteria established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), i.e. location, soils, and above 80′ msl elevation, then you […]

  A deed is a legal instrument used to convey real property. There are three main deeds in Florida, or three methods of transferring property. They vary depending on the guarantee that is offered by the seller, the type of property, or reason for transfer. 1) General Warranty Deed Most complete form of ownership, or highest […]

A Florida land trust is a method for holding legal title to real property. The beneficiary owns the Florida land trust, has power of direction over the trust, and has control over the property that is in the trust (the person creating the land establishes the land trust and is often one of the beneficiaries). […]

Prior to the PATH Act of 2015 (“Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes 2015”, effective 12/18/2015), if the seller of real property is a foreign person, Federal law required buyers to withhold 10% of the gross sale price and provide it to the IRS. With the implementation of the PATH Act, this 10% tax requirement has […]

“Drive by” ADA lawsuits are once again on the rise. These professional plaintiffs and their unscrupulous lawyers know that most warranties on pool lifts installed in 2012-2013 have expired and that some pool lifts are in need of repair. Now it is more important than ever to be proactive with your ADA compliance. These plaintiffs […]

Recently, the Gainesville Sun reported that a couple could not get a permit from the city when they wanted to put a screen enclosure on their back porch. That’s because there was an expired permit on the property that was 10 years old. The couple has owned their home since 2010 and had no idea  that was […]

Over the past several months, we have sent out a couple of alerts to remind our friends, family, clients, Realtors, investors and colleagues of the Fake Check Scam. How the Scam Works: The perpetrator of the scam sends you a large cashier’s check supposedly for the purchase of real property, escrow money, etc. You deposit the […]