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
Assures that the title is free of any legal claims including encumbrances. It includes covenants of seizin, freedom from encumbrance, express warranties of title, right to quiet enjoyment, ...
Written agreement between two or more parties to extend the terms of a document. ...
Unexpected increase in the price of property not due to any effort on the owner's part. An example is when the appraised value of a house increases because of a population increase in the ...
Modification made by a municipality to the zoning of a locality. A change in zoning typically has to be requested and approved by a zoning commission and then the legislative body. It can ...
Sewer system built into the streets of a neighborhood that is capable of accommodating the excess water flow of a heavy storm without backing up or flooding. ...
A municipal or county local government board that resolves zoning disputes. ...
Individuals who are legally entitled to inherit money and property when someone dies. ...
The interest rate charged for a loan. For example, John obtained a $10.000 loan from the bank charging 10% interest. ...
An early term used to describe all types of real estate property, improvements to the land, and all rights accruing to the land. ...
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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