Definition of "Duress"
Act of forcing an individual or business to do something against their will. It is a legitimate defense in court to reserve the effect of the compelled act.
Popular Real Estate Terms
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Lien on a given property, such as an person's house as a collateral for a loan. ...
Legal status conferred by certain states on a homeowner's principal residence. In certain states, homestead status may provide protection against creditor claims or forced land sales ...
Cost of the standard unit of area that is used to measure a parcel of real estate. Commercial property rentals are generally quoted on the basis of square foot cists. For example, a ...
Same as term higher and best use: Use of a parcel of land that will produce the greatest current value. ...
Land subject to an easement. ...
Commercial building having several different uses blending together. For example, retail shops are on the first floor, professional offices are on floors two through ten, and a restaurant ...
Provision at the end of a document, such as a will, wherein the witnesses sign that the instrument has been executed before them. This may be useful involving transfers of real estate. ...
Out-of-state or out of jurisdiction administrator appointed to probate a decedents property when there is no executer or executrix. ...
Comments for Duress
I would like to know why a law does not exist that forces real estate agents to say to vendors to take sale contract home or to their lawyers to verify. They always place contracts in front of people and point a finger to the signatory spor and say "sign here". I once said "I need to take contract home to think about it" and the agent immediately said "No, you can't, the purchaser will place an offer elsewhere". Is this action not considered duress. They are pushy and play on people's emotions.
Aug 20, 2019 23:25:44Hello! Thank you for bringing up this issue. There must be clients who have the same question. However, the answer is quite simple. Don't go alone! Whenever you have to sign a contract, ask a professional to join you - ideally, a lawyer. There is a lot of jargon and many real estate terms that you may not fully understand. If you want to study the contract, I'm sure that nobody would mind if you actually took the time to read it. If they didn't feel comfortable with this, then it would be a good idea to leave and do business with somebody else. Contracts are very powerful documents and both parties must know exactly what they are getting themselves into. As for the fact that agents play on people's emotions, this is true for all businesses. Emotions are the essence of marketing.
Aug 26, 2019 16:14:05Have a question or comment?
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