Real Estate Transactions

This course will introduce students to the fundamental issues involved in real estate transactions, including: (a) agency agreements with real estate brokers; (b) contracts for the purchase and sale of real estate; and (c) closing a real estate purchase transactions, including financing, inspections, condition of title, zoning and other contingencies, deeds and other closing documents, and the role of title insurance and surveys. If time permits, we also will look at the basics of real estate lease transactions, including both residential and commercial leasing. The focus will be different from the courses on Real Estate Finance and Real Estate Development, with virtually no overlap. The materials will include a textbook with illustrative cases, analytical and practical essays; a complimentary book providing an anatomy of a real estate transaction, which includes and explains the documents involved in an actual real estate purchase and sale transaction; and complimentary handouts from the professor of cases, sample legal documents, and other materials to update, round out or enhance the published materials. There will be a traditional final exam, but if time and class size permits there may be one or two drafting or negotiation exercises that would factor into students grade.