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VOLUME 26, ISSUE 6 | OCTOBER 2021
written by RIKI MARKOWITZ
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Let ’s Get Social
Spooky, Haunted or Local Legend? Texas prides itself on being businessfriendly. Companies large and small are attracted to the Friendship state thanks to legislators’ aversion to bogging businesses down with onerous regulations. So it’s no surprise that some real estate professionals in Texas are unfamiliar with the term “stigmatized property.” The phrase, according to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR), is defined as “a property that has been psychologically impacted by an event which occurred, or was suspected to have occurred, on the property.” The subtext NAR is getting at here is that if you have a client who
suspects their home is haunted, Texas law does not require that information to be disclosed to potential buyers. Most states actually do not require sellers to reveal if they believe their house is haunted. But there are some spooky details that homeowners must disclose, such as if a murder took place in the home — even if the crime occured under previous ownership. And if someone suffered a mortal injury in relation to the condition of the house, that too must be disclosed. But as far as suicides and other untimely deaths, according to section 5.008 of Texas’ property code, neither
ORGANIZATION
Advertiser Video
If a new house hits the market in Austin, and you have a hunch that spirits from some bygone era refuse to pack-up and go, would you still show it to clients? Surveys indicate that most people are OK with buying a haunted house. In a 2020 Halloween survey by REALTOR.com, 62 percent of respondents said they probably wouldn’t consider living in a house that was — or rumored to be — haunted. That said, the same survey
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Wednesday, Oct. 27 October Networking Happy Hour
ASSOCIATION
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Wednesday, Nov. 3 TREC Contracts - The Transaction Lifeline + Best Practices
Wednesday, Nov. 10 Big Texas Sporting Clay Shootout
Trifecta / 360 Tower / 360 Nueces Street #30
Heritage Title / 2500 Bee Caves, Bldg 3, STE 110
Austin Gun Club / 2901 CR 206, Lampasas
We will have door prizes from our sponsors and a drink ticket for each guest. Bring a friend, coworker, and your favorite networking buddy! FREE for REALTORS, $10 for everyone else Be sure to RSVP! Please support our 2021 Charity Partner, CLICK HERE Central Texas Food Bank, by joining our events and learn more about how to get involved.
The purpose of this course is to continue to reinforce the importance of understanding and knowing how to complete TREC’s promulgated contracts and selected addenda. The course takes the licensee CLICK briefly through the fundamentals of HERE contracts and concludes with in-depth discussion of all the contract paragraphs.
HBA’s annual Sporting Clay Shootout brings many of our builder members out for a fun-filled day of shooting, food and prizes. This event sells out teams well in advance every year, with an average of 200 attendees. The casual atmosphere CLICK HE presents ample opportunity for REGISTRE relationship-building, offering added ER value to these sponsorships.
Austin Young Real Estate Professionals (AYREP)
SOUTHSTAR BANK INTRODUCING JESICA GARZA CLICK HERE TO WATCH
a seller or seller’s agent has a duty to release information involving a death by suicide or mishap, as long as it had nothing to do with the property or the condition of the property.
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Home Builders Association of Greater Austin (HBA)
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9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.