All stories
Everything published in Agents Estate, newest first.
US state housing agency loans: California, Texas and Florida compared
How state housing finance agencies help first-time buyers in California, Texas and Florida: who qualifies, what form the money takes, and when it must be repaid.
US tenant screening reports: a landlord's duties under the FCRA
What the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act asks of US landlords who buy tenant screening reports, and of the companies that sell them: purpose, notices, accuracy, time limits and disposal.
US title insurance: owner's and lender's policies, and who can shop
How title insurance works in the United States: what an owner's and a lender's policy each protect, how Texas and California price them, and what federal rules say about choosing a provider.
USA: when a tokenised property pool is also an investment company
How the Investment Company Act of 1940 applies to a pooled US real estate vehicle that issues tokens: the 40% test, the real estate exclusion, private funds and the adviser question.
US: TransUnion and Equifax let mortgage lenders buy scores later
Two of the three US credit bureaus launched tools on 8 October that let a mortgage lender pull a credit file first and add a score later. Equifax prices a 24-hour repull at US$1.
US Treasury sends first investor home-purchase ban rule for review
The Treasury's first proposed rule on the federal ban on large-investor home purchases reached White House review on 2 October. Law firms put the ban's start at 7 January 2027.
How the US Treasury and Marshals sell forfeited real estate
Forfeited homes and land in the United States are sold by two federal bodies on different terms. Deposits, online bidding, closing, deeds and default, as their own documents set them.
USA: how UAD 3.6 and the new URAR replace numbered appraisal forms
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are replacing their numbered appraisal forms with one dynamic report. The dates, the duties of each party and how the new report reads.
USA: who can pay the buyer's agent on a VA or FHA home loan
A VA circular lets veterans pay buyer-broker charges under set conditions, and it is still temporary. HUD has said how FHA treats a commission the seller pays.
Conveyancers in Victoria: licence fees, insurance, audits and penalties
What a Victorian conveyancer's licence involves in 2026-27: the fees, the annual statement, A$2 million of insurance, conduct rules, trust audits, penalties and the 2027 training rule.
Victoria's estate agency trust accounts: deadlines, audit and the Fund
How a Victorian estate agency must bank, receipt, record and audit client money, what a deficiency triggers, and how the Victorian Property Fund pays when money goes missing.
Working in Victorian real estate: licence, representative, new CPD
Who needs an estate agent's licence in Victoria and who works as an agent's representative, what each costs in 2026-27, and what changes on 25 November 2026 and 1 April 2027.
Victoria's estate agent conduct rules: duties, conflicts and complaints
What Victoria's professional conduct rules ask of estate agents: honesty, best interests, offers, confidentiality, the limits on buying a listed property and how a complaint is handled.
Victoria fast-tracks 15,000 homes while completions rise by seven
Victoria says its fast-track planning programme has approved more than 15,000 homes. On the same day, ABS figures showed the state finished just seven more homes than a year earlier.
Victorian Labor pledges to restore the A$300,000 land tax threshold
Victorian Labor says it will lift the land tax threshold from A$50,000 back to A$300,000 by 2033/34 if re-elected. The schedule, the cost and the other parties' plans.
Victoria private sale: what a buyer checks before signing the contract
The due diligence checklist, the Property Price Statement, building and pest reports, the finance condition and the three days that follow a signature in Victoria.
Victoria bans rental application fees from Tuesday 13 October
Five rental rules start in Victoria on 13 October 2026: no application fees, two-yearly gas and electrical checks for every agreement, standards records and evidence for bond claims.
How Victoria regulates renting: 90 days' notice, bonds and valid reasons
Victoria's renting rules as Consumer Affairs Victoria states them in October 2026: rent increases and how to challenge one, bonds, pets, minimum standards and notices to vacate.
Selling a home in Victoria: the owner's steps from agent to settlement
How an owner sells a home in Victoria as the state regulator sets it out: the agent, the price, the method of sale, the section 32 statement, offers, the deposit and settlement.
Washington state brokerage law: services agreements and dual agency
Washington's brokerage relationships law requires a written services agreement with a buyer. What it must contain, the duties behind it, and how dual agency consent works.