Fees for Brokerage License Increased on April 20, 2017

Fees for licensing have increased by $5 as of April 20, 2017. For real estate brokers the fee is now $155 and for real estate salesman (a/k/a, real estate salespersons) the fee is now $55.

Real Property Law 441-b(1) now reads (words in brackets are the former statute and capitalized words represent the now current statute):

The  fee  for a license issued or reissued under the provisions of
this article  entitling  a  person,  co-partnership,  limited  liability
company  or  corporation  to  act  as a real estate broker shall be [one
hundred fifty] ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE dollars. The  fee  for  a  license
issued  or  reissued  under  the  provisions of this article entitling a
person to act as a real estate  salesman  shall  be  [fifty]  FIFTY-FIVE
dollars.  Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision seven of section
four hundred forty-one-a of this article, after January first,  nineteen
hundred  eighty-six, the secretary of state shall assign staggered expi-
ration dates for outstanding licenses that have been previously  renewed
on  October  thirty-first  of  each  year  from the assigned date unless
renewed. If the assigned date results in a term that exceeds twenty-four
months, the  applicant  shall  pay  an  additional  prorated  adjustment
together  with  the  regular  renewal  fee. The secretary of state shall
assign dates to existing licenses in a manner which shall  result  in  a
term of not less than two years.

Top 10 Questions for Landlords to Ask Themselves Before Leasing to a Friend

Many homeowners on the East End rent out their property for various parts of the summer season in order to recoup their carrying costs on the property and to have an additional source of income. Some even rationalize their initial purchase of their vacation home by calling it an investment property, where they plan to designate a set period of time that the property will be used for investment purposes and another limited time where it’s designated for pleasure. So when a friend asks to rent this vacation property, knowing of its availability, it may sound like a godsend: you can have an easy experience, avoid using a real estate broker, and save on brokerage fees while also helping out a friend who will love your property as you do. However, before letting your friend lease your property, you need to ask yourself: do I want to lose my friendship with this prospective tenant if the rental doesn’t work out?

If your answer to this question is that it’s completely inapplicable to you because your plan is to simply allow your friend to live at your expense and you have no problem with the financial burden resulting from the lost income stream, you should nonetheless consider possible liabilities that your friend can cause you. Beyond the liabilities of town/village code violations for noise violations, parking violations, rental permit violations, and so on, there is property damage and don’t forget feeling unappreciated when you are doing a good deed.

Regardless, all landlords should ask themselves the following questions before just jumping to the conclusion that renting to a friend is a good idea:

Read the full article by Andrew Lieb, Esq. published in Dan's Papers here. 

CLE Materials - Real Estate Business Ethics in 2017

Available here are all opinions, statutes, cases and other supporting materials for the CLE, Real Estate Business Ethics in 2017, sponsored by eRealty Title Agency Corp. and Fidelity National Title Group, presented on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at The Viscardi Center.

Agency 1 Hour ONLINE | Video Clip of CE Course Preview

Here is the video introduction to Lieb School's 1 Hour Agency Disclosure course. Finally the most complicated topic broken down into plain english!

Top 5 Estate Planning Considerations for the Effective Transfer of Real Estate Ownership

Your real estate investment is your legacy. Here are the top five estate planning considerations for keeping your property in the family, in order to produce income for generations to come.

Read the full article by Andrew Lieb, Esq. published in Dan's Papers here. 

Real Estate Brokerage Regulatory Updates - 4/12/17 NYS Board of Real Estate meeting summary

On 4/12/17 the NYS Board of Real Estate continued its mission of optimizing the regulation of real estate brokers in our state by holding its meeting in NYC and Albany. To remind real estate brokers and salespersons, the public is welcome at these meetings where the public can bring comments from the floor. It is encouraged that Lieb School students attend these meetings to have your voices heard. 

"[T]he Board has general authority to promulgate rules and regulations affecting real estate brokers and salespersons in order to administer and effectuate the purposes of Article 12-A of the Real Property Law."

A complete video of the meeting is available on youtube.

While there was no quorum, the following was discussed:

1. An education audit program was conducted from December through March on licensees seeking license renewal where approximately 360 such audits were conducted resulting in a finding of approximately 80% compliance and approximately $27,000 in fines;
2. Many schools are offering classes at 1 and 2 hours in response to the change in regulations;
3. The possibility of changing the Preliminary Statement of Complaint so real estate brokerage firms can make complaints about their salespersons and associate brokers with the Department of State;
4. That the Department of State received a question about clarifying whether property managers must comply with the Corporate Title Opinion Letter from April 26, 2013 and will address such question accordingly; and
5. A public comment that NYS Department of State should coordinate with the Attorney General's Office to enforce unlicensed activities, particularly against auctioneers. 

The next meeting is scheduled for September 13, 2017.