California Bureau of Real Estate v. The Department of Real EstateWe have received numerous inquiries as to whether the Bureau of Real Estate is becoming The Department of Real Estate. There is a Senate bill currently pending before the California legislature, which would remove the Bureau of Real

Shannon B. Jones Law Group, Inc. Obtains Dismissal From Action Based on Injuries During an Open HouseIn January 2017, the Law Group obtained a dismissal of our clients from an action involving claims by a visitor to an open house who had fallen down the stairs in front of the home. The plaintiffs, a

Reminder to Retain Emails and Texts of Substance in Transaction FilesThe California Bureau of Real Estate document retention policies include retaining emails and texts of substance in transaction files. Recently, it has come to our attention that several brokers were not aware of this policy.

Question and Answer Regarding Discriminatory Marketing PracticesQuestion: I am a listing agent and my seller wants to market the property as being “gay.” Is that advisable?Answer: No. Setting aside whether this is a good marketing strategy, such marketing is not recommended. Sexual

Landlords May Not Collect Rent on Unpermitted Residential UnitsRecently, an Appellate Division of the Los Angeles Superior Court refused to force a tenant to pay rent on a residential unit, which was unpermitted and did not have a certificate of occupancy. The landlord had served a three (3) day

Water Conserving Plumbing Fixtures LawEffective January 1, 2017, California law will require property owners for properties built before 1994 to install water-conserving plumbing fixtures by 2017 for single family properties and by 2019 for all other properties. In addition, if a property is altered

Court Denies Real Estate Agent Claim to Entitlement of a Commission in the Amount of $925,000.00In Westside Estate Agency, Inc. v. Randall, a California appellate court denied a real estate agent a commission in the amount of $925,000. In Westside, plaintiff agreed to help friends locate a home in

eClosings?A new concept is being tried, which involves the electronic close of escrows. Some companies are contemplating whether to move forward with handling escrows electronically through escrow companies, which have virtual offices.Under this concept, all of the documents would be sent to the

Question: I represent buyers in a transaction. They wrote an offer to purchase a property. The sellers issued a counter-offer. The buyers signed the counter-offer and returned it to the sellers within the time frame permitted. The sellers now want to renegotiate the deal and the listing agent claims

The Shannon B. Jones Law Group is currently collecting food and toys for the Bay Area Crisis Nursery. Barrels are located at their office located at 208 W. El Pintado, Danville, California. All contributions are welcome.