Category Archives: The Word on Real Estate

News and Current Events

Rainy days come few and far between in LA, but on stormy days like this one it's always nice to curl up on the couch with a good book... Here's what we're reading: Los Angeles, Portrait of a City by...

Realtor, Real Estate Agent, Real Estate Broker… these titles are more or less interchangeable right? Wrong! The main difference between a real estate agent and a REALTOR® is that the REALTOR® is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® or NAR. Both are licensed to...

Tired of that alphabet soup of legal jargon that accompanies any real estate transaction? Here's a break down (in simple English) of some regularly used terms you should know. Acceleration Clause: In a mortgage, this clause gives the lender the right to demand payment...

[caption id="attachment_70" align="alignleft" width="490" caption="An example of solar panels on a residential home"][/caption] The CSI, or California Solar Initiative was created in 2006 as a part of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s “Million Solar Roofs” vision for the State of California. By installing solar panels, customers earn cash rebates for every watt...

The Los Angeles Housing Department has been cracking down on property code violations. In fact, in a recent list compiled by Field Asset Services (FAS), California came in second in most code violations issued, second only to Florida. These violations can be for a wide variety of things, but FAS, the leading provider of property...

Federal officials announced this week that they have reached a $25 billion settlement with the five largest mortgage servicers in the country for "loan servicing and foreclosure abuses." The breakdown is as follows: Ally Financial ($207M), Bank of America ($175.5M), Citigroup ($22M), JPMorgan Chase ($275M), and Wells Fargo ($87M). Robo-signing refers to the practice of bank...