My MIL has become a victim of a realtor trying to take all of her land instead of just the acre they supposedly bought from Mom. What do I do?
Where do we go to get help to stop this. Also the county is citing Mom for the mess that the people who stayed here last year left. Is there somewhere to get help to clean it up? They want it done by the 19th of this month!
Phoenix625, did your mother-in-law have the acre for sale? Or all of the acreage? Was it listed with a Realtor or was she doing a for-sale-by-owner? If your MIL only had one acre for sale, how did the purchasers get the rest of the land? Was the Realtor et als the buyers as you said *they*? Or did the Realtor call your MIL asking if she would sell the property to him/her or his/her buyers? How did they come to an agreeable price?
As for the mess that the tenant left, it's your MIL's responsibility to have it cleaned up since she was the Landlord. And as others had mentioned, the *security deposit* should help with some of that expense. Since this happened last year, the tenants are probably long gone if they were the type that would trash a place. Next time have your MIL use a Realtor that does rentals to get you good tenants as long as your MIL has a good home to rent.
If you live in Phoenix, call the State Board of Realtors (if this realtor was licensed by the State of AZ). Next, file a lawsuit against the realtor and be sure and notify their broker (the person at the real estate office who holds the real power). You can contact the Maricopa County Assessor's office and file a grievance and contact the title company so this sale will not get recorded.
Something is not straight here...sounds like you need a lawyer, and/or need to get all the facts. Is Mom confused about what she has actually agreed to? It should all be in writing if there has been a sale. If mom was actually not competent to make a sale, or was actually taken advantage of *maybe* you have some recourse but that really will need legal help unless just going to state realtor boards or atty general office with a complaint can resolve things
Realtors don't take land, they just do the paperwork for a sale to someone else. If the sale closed and Mom signed the papers, it is gone. The mess is now the problem of the person who bought the property.
First of all, you look at all the paperwork involved in the sale of the parcel of land and, if you didn't have a real estate attorney at closing, then hire one now. It sounds like you might need one to protect your mother.
How extensive is the mess? The only suggestion I have is to get someone in there right away to clean it up. It needs to be done, no matter who is responsible for it being there. The responsibility ultimately falls on the owner. It is one of the risks of having rental or loaned-out property. The owner is legally responsible.
How exactly is the realtor attempting to take all of your MIL's land? Has she executed a deed, and if so, who drafted it? Was a real estate attorney involved?
As to the code enforcement violations, contact the county ASAP and explain the situation. Some CE officers are reasonable; others are not. Explain that the tenants made the mess, that you agree it should be cleaned up but cannot do it without help, and ask what help is available. In my experience, CE officers use threats to intimidate people into rushing into a cleanup. The threat is that the CE will have municipal or hire a crew to clean up the situation and then bill the landowner.
Is this on the same land that you say the realtor is attempting to take? What is the realtor's role in all this? Some clarification really would help.
It's not unusual for CE officers to demand unreasonable actions, but the question also is when the citation was issued? How long had your MIL had to clean up the situation?
And what is the nature of the "mess"? Did you mother have a security deposit from last year's tenants?
If MIL is a church member, contact them to see if they have youth who will help; some churches do and provide this service for elders. Sometimes a church affiliated Scout troop will also help.
What about family?
There are 2 separate issues here but more information about each would be very helpful.
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As for the mess that the tenant left, it's your MIL's responsibility to have it cleaned up since she was the Landlord. And as others had mentioned, the *security deposit* should help with some of that expense. Since this happened last year, the tenants are probably long gone if they were the type that would trash a place. Next time have your MIL use a Realtor that does rentals to get you good tenants as long as your MIL has a good home to rent.
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How extensive is the mess? The only suggestion I have is to get someone in there right away to clean it up. It needs to be done, no matter who is responsible for it being there. The responsibility ultimately falls on the owner. It is one of the risks of having rental or loaned-out property. The owner is legally responsible.
How exactly is the realtor attempting to take all of your MIL's land? Has she executed a deed, and if so, who drafted it? Was a real estate attorney involved?
As to the code enforcement violations, contact the county ASAP and explain the situation. Some CE officers are reasonable; others are not. Explain that the tenants made the mess, that you agree it should be cleaned up but cannot do it without help, and ask what help is available. In my experience, CE officers use threats to intimidate people into rushing into a cleanup. The threat is that the CE will have municipal or hire a crew to clean up the situation and then bill the landowner.
Is this on the same land that you say the realtor is attempting to take? What is the realtor's role in all this? Some clarification really would help.
It's not unusual for CE officers to demand unreasonable actions, but the question also is when the citation was issued? How long had your MIL had to clean up the situation?
And what is the nature of the "mess"? Did you mother have a security deposit from last year's tenants?
If MIL is a church member, contact them to see if they have youth who will help; some churches do and provide this service for elders. Sometimes a church affiliated Scout troop will also help.
What about family?
There are 2 separate issues here but more information about each would be very helpful.