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Buying

Buying a home by private treaty in South Australia: Form 1 to duty

How a private treaty purchase works in South Australia: the Form 1, the two clear business days of cooling-off, the A$100 deposit limit, inspections, price ranges and stamp duty.

18 min read
Auctions

South Australia's auction rules: bidders, vendor bids and the Form 1

How a residential auction runs in South Australia: who must register to bid, how the reserve and vendor bids work, what dummy bidding is, and why there is no cooling-off.

18 min read
Investing

South Australia's short-stay register: consultation closes 30 October

South Australia is asking owners, councils and booking platforms how a register of short-stay homes should work. Submissions close at 5pm on Friday 30 October 2026.

11 min read
Foreign buyers

South Australia and Western Australia: the 7% foreign buyer duties

Both states add 7% to a foreign buyer's duty bill on a home, but they test companies, trusts, land and later changes of status differently. The rules, side by side.

18 min read
Auctioneers

Who may call an auction in Tasmania, and the bidding rules that apply

Tasmania splits auctions in two: land is for real estate agents, everything else for general auctioneers. The licence, the 2026-27 fees, vendor bids, penalties and discipline.

21 min read
Regulation

Tasmania's Residential Parks Act 2026 is in force: the notice periods

Tasmania's Residential Parks Act 2026 is now in force. Site agreements must be in writing, rent rises need 60 days' notice and deposits are capped at four weeks' rent.

11 min read
Agencies

Texas broker responsibility: what TREC rule 535.2 asks of a brokerage

Texas makes the sponsoring broker answerable for sales agents. A guide to rule 535.2: written policies, delegated supervisors, records, names in advertising, trust money and penalties.

19 min read
Agencies

Texas and California: what an unlicensed brokerage assistant may do

Texas bars unlicensed assistants from open houses and cold calls; California lets them greet visitors and canvass. A task-by-task guide to both regulators' guidance, pay and penalties.

19 min read
Tax & duty

Texas and Florida property tax: exemptions, caps, appeals and bills

How a homeowner's property tax is valued, reduced, capped, challenged and paid in Texas and in Florida, and what a sale does to the assessed value, as the two states publish it.

19 min read
Digital settlement

Remote online notarisation in Texas and Florida: the rules compared

How Texas and Florida each commission online notaries, check a signer's identity, keep the recording, cap the fee, and treat a deed that was notarised over a video link.

18 min read
Auctions

Texas property tax sales: bidding, deeds and the right to redeem

How a Texas tax sale runs under Tax Code chapters 33 and 34: the first-Tuesday auction, the bidder's tax statement, the officer's deed, redemption premiums and excess proceeds.

20 min read
Agents

Texas sales agent licence: hours, exam, fees and the first renewal

How Texas licenses a real estate sales agent: 180 classroom hours, fingerprints, a two-part exam, a sponsoring broker, the published fees, renewal education and the broker step.

18 min read
Contracts & disclosure

Texas seller's disclosure notice: who gives it, when and what it asks

Section 5.008 of the Texas Property Code makes most home sellers hand over a written notice of the property's condition. Who is covered, what the form asks and what a late notice costs.

22 min read
Conveyancers & escrow

Texas title agents and escrow officers: licences, bonds and audits

How Texas supervises the people who close a home sale: the title agent's licence, bond and yearly trust fund audit, the escrow officer's licence, the fixed premium and where complaints go.

20 min read
Commissions

Texas: who can legally be paid a real estate commission

Texas law lets a broker share a commission only with licence holders. How sales agents are paid, when a rebate is allowed, the US$50 gift line and when a broker can sue.

19 min read
Digital settlement

Electronic signatures and UAE Pass in UAE property dealings: the rules

What the UAE's Federal Decree-Law 46 of 2021 says about electronic signatures and digital identity, and where Dubai Land Department service pages name UAE Pass.

18 min read
Tax & duty

UAE property tax: VAT on sales and rents, corporate tax on income

How the UAE's two federal taxes apply to property: when a sale or a rent carries 5% VAT, and when rental income or a sale profit falls under the 9% corporate tax.

20 min read
Rentals

What US$100,000 rents: a Memphis house, a San Jose one-bedroom

A Zillow analysis of 7 October sets a US$2,500 rent budget against the 50 largest US metros: four bedrooms in Memphis, 650 square feet in San Jose.

11 min read
Foreign buyers

AFIDA in the United States: how foreign owners report farmland

A foreign person who takes an interest in US agricultural land has 90 days to tell the Department of Agriculture. Who is covered, what counts as farmland, and what a late report costs.

17 min read
Conveyancers & escrow

Who must conduct a US home closing? Attorney states and escrow states

Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina each require a lawyer in a home closing, but not for the same steps. How their rules compare with Washington's escrow model.

20 min read