REAL 216: Legal Aspects of Real Estate

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2022
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: No
Grading Method: Standard Letter

Catalog Course Description

An introductory course designed to acquaint the student with the legal aspects and current laws pertaining to real estate. This course if required to obtain California Real Estate Broker License. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • satisfy the license renewal requirement for the real estate salesperson as well as fulfill the prerequisite for the broker's examination
  • recognize, understand, and apply principles learned relative to opportunities of legalized tax avoidance in such areas as tax deferred exchanges, ownership of income property, and domicile exclusion deductions
  • critically analyze and apply principles pertaining to various alternatives and relative advantages when taking title to properties
  • independently analyze and assess the opportunities for "wholesale" purchase of properties, including tax and judgment sales, and property foreclosures

Major Course Content

  1. Sources of law and land titles
  2. Contracts in general
  3. Real estate contracts and their use
  4. Law of agency and regulation of real estate agents
  5. Duties and liabilities of licensees
  6. Acquisition and alienation of title
  7. Transfers by deed, and the use of escrow
  8. Ownership forms and implications
  9. Creation and enforcement of security devices
  10. Involuntary liens, recording, priorities, homesteads, and title insurance
  11. Limitations on use, including tax burden
  12. Land use, descriptions, subdivisions, and investment regulations
  13. Adjoining owner problems
  14. Leases and the landlord-tenant relationship

Suggested Reading Other Than Required Textbook

Wall Street Journal Los Angeles Times (Real Estate Section)

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

Legal brief on a current California real estate court case.

Examples of Outside Assignments

Examples of Outside Assignments Brief Cal. Bldg. Indus. Ass’n v. City of San Jose, Santa Clara County, Super.Ct.No.CV167289 We will discuss this assignment in class. Use the following format for your brief, including headings. When preparing your brief, please use this five-part format. Facts: (This is the story behind the lawsuit. What facts are at the root of the controversy? What is the defendant accused of? – 10 points) Procedural History: (Procedurally, what has happened to this case already? Was there a trail? Who prevailed? Who’s appealing? Why is that party appealing? – 15 points) Issue: (What question (s) is the court trying to answer in this case? – 5 points) Result/Holding: (The answer to the issue. The result is the court’s explanation of how it went from the issue to its result/holding. This is usually the longest part of the brief. It is the part where the justices’ discuss cases and statutes. – 50 points) Procedural Consequences: (Does the supreme court/court of appeals, agree with the trial court? Look for the magic words: affirmed, reversed, modified, or remanded. – 5 points) Remember your brief should be at least 2-pages in length, typed, and double spaced.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture