RECENT BLOG POSTS
As a Massachusetts real estate attorney with more than 40 years of experience, I am often asked to review the "status" of a Condominium which a client is considering purchasing. This includes reviewing the financial statements and operations of the Condominium, as well as the constituent condomin...
04/17/2011
A qualified personal residence trust (QPRT) is an irrevocable trust that holds no assets other than (1) an interest in one personal residence of the trust donor and (2) certain other related assets. The purpose of a QPRT is to save estate taxes for the donor's descendants. When an individual give...
04/16/2011
When parents want to help their children buy a home, they are often stymied by the myriad gift and other tax considerations which make providing for their children a difficult task. Recently, with the assistance of a resourceful loan originator, my firm, which specializes in Massachusetts residen...
04/16/2011
I am frequently asked by out of state realtors and mortgage professionals about deals "going into escrow" or the work of the "title company." Very few "out of Massachusetts" people are aware of the idiosyncrasies and terminology s real estate practice, which include the following: 1. An Offer and...
04/06/2011
I went to a good law school where I was challenged every day to develop new and innovative ideas. In effect, I was told that what I did needed to be special, because I was "so well trained". Over forty years into a career as a Massachusetts real estate attorney have demonstrated to me that the wi...
04/06/2011
I am sure all of us have considered the reasons why we are involved in ActiveRain, and probably more than once or twice. I started out on the blog-site because the material I was writing, and laboring over, was not being read, really by anyone. I thought I had some things to say, and I was lookin...
04/05/2011
Many of us have children, and some of these kids are still young. Most of us have life insurance policies which are designed to take care of our families if we should pass away. Nothing too out of the ordinary in any of these statements. What may lead to consequences that are probably out of the ...
04/04/2011
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Over the years, it has become more and more apparent to me that sales involves connecting with people who know, and appreciate, what I have to offer, not at my convenience, but, realistically, at theirs. One way I have found to stay in touch with these important contacts is to utilize the "5/25 S...
04/03/2011
As I have evolved from a practicing Masscshuetts real estate attorney who sat in my office and waited for the phone to ring into a realist who started to understand that marketing is an essential part of doing business, one thing became clearer and clearer. My best efforts involved finding motiv...
04/03/2011
Well, the good news is the spring selling season may not be a mirage. Attendance at open houses is up; some situations are such that people are actually bidding against each other for properties. For me, that will mean more purchase and sale work, and, sooner rather than later, more closings. In ...
04/03/2011
Rainmaker
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Elliott S. Topkins
Massachusetts Real Estate and Title Atty
Real Estate Resources
Realtor's Resource Blog is dedicated to furnishing current strategy and information to the Massachusetts real estate community of professionals and to out of state realtors and REO and relocation companies who need excellent representation in Massachusetts. My law firm, Topkins & Bevans, can cover the entire state of Massachusetts. I hope to use my 40 years of hands-on real estate experience to assist you and your Massachusetts Buyers and Sellers.