[janetgilk@gmail.com]

Does any one know of a great attorney pertaining to a purchase of a home with many problems not disclosed in contract in TV? Have lots of problems with house inside & out / had inspection but they say 'too bad / real estate agent says: too bad.

Need advice.

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by janetgilk@gmail.com

Does any one know of a great attorney pertaining to a purchase of a home with many problems not disclosed in contract in TV? Have lots of problems with house inside & out / had inspection but they say 'too bad / real estate agent says: too bad.

Need advice.

If it's something regarding what the real estate agent did not disclose, call that agent's office and speak to the broker of record in that office. If your agent was a Villages agent, that is probably too bad because Villages agents are not Realtors and do not have to abide by the Code of Ethics of a local board of Realtors or the National Assn. of Realtors.

Also, if you believe something was not legal with the agent -- any agent or Realtor, you can notify the real estate division of Florida's Department of Business & Professional Regulation and file a compiant. If the agent is a Realtor, you can also file a complaint with (both) the local board of Realtors and the Natl. Assn. of Relators.

The law states that a homerowner MUST disclose any issues/defects with the property (not cosmetic, however) in what is called a Sellers Disclosure. You should have received a copy of that before you signed a contract and you should have signed one, indicating that you read it and understood it. If the home is new, a Sellers Disclosure would not apply.

As far as an attorney is concerned, I'm not able to help you there. My opinion is that the developer has a corner on the market here in The Villages and other attorneys may not be so quick to fight for you. If you do need an attorney, a seasoned real estate attorney is the only one you should speak with.

Good luck!

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Bonanza

If it's something regarding what the real estate agent did not disclose, call that agent's office and speak to the broker of record in that office. If your agent was a Villages agent, that is probably too bad because Villages agents are not Realtors and do not have to abide by the Code of Ethics of a local board of Realtors or the National Assn. of Realtors.

Also, if you believe something was not legal with the agent -- any agent or Realtor, you can notify the real estate division of Florida's Department of Business & Professional Regulation and file a compiant. If the agent is a Realtor, you can also file a complaint with (both) the local board of Realtors and the Natl. Assn. of Relators.

The law states that a homerowner MUST disclose any issues/defects with the property (not cosmetic, however) in what is called a Sellers Disclosure. You should have received a copy of that before you signed a contract and you should have signed one, indicating that you read it and understood it. If the home is new, a Sellers Disclosure would not apply.

As far as an attorney is concerned, I'm not able to help you there. My opinion is that the developer has a corner on the market here in The Villages and other attorneys may not be so quick to fight for you. If you do need an attorney, a seasoned real estate attorney is the only one you should speak with.

Good luck!

Your post seems to say that agents for The Villages do not abide by ethical standards which most people here who have dealt with them would not agree with. Disclosure is based on law.


I wish the OP would clarify if the listing was with The Villages or an undisclosed MLS realtor.

[buggyone]

Originally Posted by janetgilk@gmail.com

Does any one know of a great attorney pertaining to a purchase of a home with many problems not disclosed in contract in TV? Have lots of problems with house inside & out / had inspection but they say 'too bad / real estate agent says: too bad.

Need advice.

Can you be more specific about what the problems are and how long ago you bought the house?

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by buggyone

Can you be more specific about what the problems are and how long ago you bought the house?

Yes, more info. please. Was it a new house or pre-owned. If pre-owned, don't the sellers have to fill out a full disclosure statement listing any problems with the house (wet basement, sink hole, roof leaking, etc.) regardless of what a home inspection uncovers?

It doesn't sound like you are going to get much help here on TOTV. Perhaps few have experience with this issue. Why not call a law firm and ask for a real estate attorney recommendation? If you have an attorney of your own, ask him or her for a rec.

[casita37]

It's all well and good for your home inspector to say "too bad", but that doesn't make it so. Inspectors have to uncover defects for you and are bound to that. I would explore more into the inspectors liability.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Your post seems to say that agents for The Villages do not abide by ethical standards which most people here who have dealt with them would not agree with. Disclosure is based on law.


I wish the OP would clarify if the listing was with The Villages or an undisclosed MLS realtor.

And I would add to that, if the agent is not a licensed realtor, then he or she is working for a licensed realtor or broker under whose name the sale is made.

If I'm not mistaken not anyone can run around selling houses, other than their own.

[justjim]

Originally Posted by casita37

It's all well and good for your home inspector to say "too bad", but that doesn't make it so. Inspectors have to uncover defects for you and are bound to that. I would explore more into the inspectors liability.

Read carefully the home inspector report to see what is and is not covered in his report. OP ask for attorney suggestions. You might call Morgan & Morgan they say that they "for the people". They will likely tell you if you have a case worth pursusing.

If the home was sold "as is" it will be difficult to win.

[ilovetv]

If the listing is with The Villages, new or resale, the law firm of McLin & Burnsed is "the closing department". Their attorneys and paralegals deal with all aspects of closing and they are going to make sure the contract is legally carried out.

Also, to me, it is way off base to say that TV listing depends on "non-realtors" who are supposedly unlicensed. THAT is not the case either, because many of the TV sales reps AND assistants are licensed and TV dba Properties of The Villages (necessarily) holds their licenses. I know sales reps and assistants who are constantly renewing their licenses and doing coursework to prepare for the tests.

[Bogie Shooter]

OP asked for info on an attorney.
Not a solution to a problem, that was not presented.

[bimmertl]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

OP asked for info on an attorney.
Not a solution to a problem, that was not presented.

[gerryann]

Originally Posted by ilovetv

Also, to me, it is way off base to say that TV listing depends on "non-realtors" who are supposedly unlicensed. THAT is not the case either, because many of the TV sales reps AND assistants are licensed and TV dba Properties of The Villages (necessarily) holds their licenses. I know sales reps and assistants who are constantly renewing their licenses and doing coursework to prepare for the tests.

It's been my understanding that TV sales people are NOT lisenced realtors. Am I wrong with this info?

[JB in TV]

Originally Posted by gerryann

It's been my understanding that TV sales people are NOT lisenced realtors. Am I wrong with this info?

There is a difference between "Licensed real estate agent" (licensed by the state) , and Realtor. Realtor refers to a licensed real estate agent that is part of the group of agents called Realtors... The group is called The Association of Realtors. It is a paid membership group amd may have additional fees and associated higher level of rules they may need to adhear to. A normal MLS (Multiple listing service) is generally only available to Realtors. The name Realtor is a trade mark, by the way. Any person selling property for The Villages needs to be licensed by the state to sell real estate, but does not need to be a Realtor. Many people (in error) refer to all real estate agents as Realtors.

Fom Wikipedia : The National Association of Realtors (NAR), whose members are known as Realtors, is the largest trade association and one of the most powerful lobbying groups in North America, having spent more than $99 million between 1999 and 2012. It has over 1.2 million members (as reported November 2008), including NAR's institutes, societies, and councils, involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries

[ilovetv]

Originally Posted by JB in TV

There is a difference between "Licensed real estate agent" (licensed by the state) , and Realtor. Realtor refers to a licensed real estate agent that is part of the group of agents called Realtors... The group is called The Association of Realtors. It is a paid membership group amd may have additional fees and associated higher level of rules they may need to adhear to. A normal MLS (Multiple listing service) is generally only available to Realtors. The name Realtor is a trade mark, by the way. Any person selling property for The Villages needs to be licensed by the state to sell real estate, but does not need to be a Realtor. Many people (in error) refer to all real estate agents as Realtors.

Fom Wikipedia : The National Association of Realtors (NAR), whose members are known as Realtors, [COLOR="rgb(244, 164, 96)"]is the largest trade association and one of the most powerful lobbying groups in North America[/COLOR], having spent more than $99 million between 1999 and 2012. It has over 1.2 million members (as reported November 2008), including NAR's institutes, societies, and councils, involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries

The point: Sales reps selling real estate for The Villages are licensed by the state to sell real estate. But they might not be "Realtors" who are members of the largest trade association and lobbying group in N. America.

[EnglishJW]

Originally Posted by gerryann

It's been my understanding that TV sales people are NOT lisenced realtors. Am I wrong with this info?

I believe that TV Sales people do not have to be licensed realtors but many of them are licensed. We will be closing on a resale home through TV in just under two weeks. Everything that was described above happened just as was described (e.g., disclosure statement, document to sign verifying that we had received and read the disclosure statement, home inspection with written report, etc.). Our primary sales person is a licensed realtor.