Distress & Blight & Stigma, Oh My! (7 Hours)

This continuing education course presents definitions, characteristics, and legal issues that pertain to homes that are distressed, blighted, or stigmatized.

The course will review procedures of short sales and foreclosures, looking at legalities, as well as focusing on how licensees can best represent their clients who are facing foreclosure or considering a short sale. We will then explore the history of blight within society to better understand the socioeconomic factors that play into the concept of blight removal and urban renewal. Act 135 of 2008 gave Pennsylvania the ability to take conservatorship of property that is blighted, and we will look at the aspects of that law, discussing the benefits and negatives of the act.

Some of the stigmatized issues we will look at are homes that have been affected by events or location at or near the property. Stigma is not legal bound to be disclosed in Pennsylvania, so these can present a tough situation for licensees when working with clients: what do we need to disclose, what can we not disclose, and how can we best serve our clients when their property is affected by these factors?

For all of the topics, this course will look at concerns surrounding environmental factors, legal factors, disclosure concerns, and marketing strategies to benefit clients while still protecting consumers.

These properties often come with a unique set of concerns, but armed with the right tools, real estate professionals can work with clients and consumers to address blighted, distressed, and stigmatized properties in appropriate, legal, and beneficial ways.