Fund News and Alerts

Fund General Counsel Melissa Murphy addressed members of the Broward Attorneys’ Real Estate Council on March 15^th to discuss notable bills moving through the Florida Legislature and the impacts of those likely to pass.  She also provided a brief update on happenings at The Fund.

We know you are essential to the closing process, and to help real estate professionals and consumers gain the same understanding, we have launched a statewide “Value of a Real Estate Attorney” awareness campaign. The campaign will be promoted on the below channels. 

• Florida Realtor Legal News
• Title Report Ads
• Paid Search ads - internet online searches
• Social Media
• Outdoor Billboards - Orlando, Miami, Tampa
• Realtor Association Magazines - Orlando, Miami, Tampa

Fund commitments contain a standard exception for any lien provided by county ordinance or by Ch. 159, F. S. More specifically, the exception excepts from coverage, “Any lien provided by County Ordinance or by Chapter 159, F.S., in favor of any city, town, village or port authority, for unpaid service charges for services by any water systems, sewer systems or gas systems serving the land described herein; and any lien for waste fees in favor of any county or municipality” (the Exception). Of particular note, this Exception not only relates to Ch. 159 municipal liens, but also liens created by county ordinance. The goal of this article is to explore why the Exception is included on Fund commitments, and how to delete it. Read the article

Dec 2nd - TRID is Here. Now What? presented by Margaret Atkins Thumberg, Esq., Fund Senior Underwriting Counsel & Legal and Branch Education Manager. What can real estate licensees do to assist their clients in making their next home sale or purchase run smoothly in this new regulatory environment?

By Maggie Thumberg, Senior Manager, Continuing Legal Education, The Fund

ARECS members have been hearing a lot about electronic closings and digital mortgages...

Recent federal tax legislation increases the FIRPTA general withholding rate from 10% to 15% effective for closings on or after February 16, 2016. Closing agents should adjust their procedures and forms to reflect this change. (If you want a reference, it is H. R. 2029, now known as Public Law 114-113. See Section 324 for text of changes).

If you have been a Fund member for more than 10 years you likely remember the Consumer Education Campaign sponsored by The Fund to promote the use of real estate attorneys on radio and television.

If you have spent any time on Florida ARECS consolidated REC website www.flarecs.com you have undoubtedly discovered it is full of useful tools and resources for the real estate practitioner.

REC Members from across the state gathered to network with nearly 4,000 real estate agents at the 2019 Florida Realtors® Convention and Trade Show on August 21^st and 22^nd at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando. 

For the third year in a row, Florida ARECS has secured a booth at the Florida Realtors® Convention and Trade Show scheduled for August 21^st and 22^nd at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando.