Busted! First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Fraud

by on July 31, 2009
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On Wednesday our friends at the IRS announced their first successful prosecution related to fraud involving the first-time homebuyer tax credit. On Thursday July 23, 2009, a Jacksonville, Fla.-tax preparer, James Otto Price III, pled guilty to falsely claiming the first-time homebuyer credit on a client’s federal tax return. Price faces the possibility of up to three years in jail, a fine of … [Read more...]

Horizon Realty: The Aftermath. How Social Media can Crush a Reputation

by on July 29, 2009

If you were paying any attention to “social media” yesterday, then you heard about a real estate property management company in Chicago by the name of Horizon Realty Group. Yesterday morning I wrote an article about Horizon filing a $50,000 libel suit against Amanda Bonnen, a Twitter user with 20 followers that sent out a Tweet in May. The end of that piece said, “Just watch. The carnage is … [Read more...]

Chicago’s Horizon Realty Group Sues Former Tenant Over a Twitter Post

by on July 28, 2009
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From deep in the “how to royally screw up your reputation via social media” files comes this gem. The Chicago Sun-Times reported yesterday that Horizon Group Management LLC, an apartment leasing and management company, has filed a libel suit against former tenant Amanda Bonnen. Apparently Ms. Bonnen sent out a Tweet on May 12 that read in part: Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was … [Read more...]

I want to short sell my home! The banks not being fair!

by on July 27, 2009
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Not once, not twice, but three times before noon today the phone rang with a call similar to this: Me: Thanks for calling Thompson’s Realty, home of the most kick-ass real estate brokerage in Phoenix! (OK, that’s not really how I answer the phone, but I’m considering it…) Caller: I’d like to short sell my home. Can you help? Me: Maybe! How far behind are you in your payments? Caller: … [Read more...]

On Dual Agency

by on July 24, 2009
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Dual agency, the practice of the same agent / brokerage representing both the buyer and seller in the same real estate transaction, has long been the subject of debate. Every few months, some real estate agent will get all spooled up about dual agency. Now it’s my turn. Prompted (this time) by discussions on several posts and comments at Inman News, I find myself scratching my head. It … [Read more...]

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