COURSE SYLLABUS & OUTLINE Course Title: Legal Aspects of Real Estate (Online) Quarter: Winter 2016 Instructor: Edward (Ed) J. Wankovsky, J.D., REALTOR, Broker/Manager/Co-Owner, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties ewankovsky@ucla.edu (I check my e-mail several times per weekday) Phone (818) 882-2821; If calling after business hours, go directly to my Voice Mail by pressing 9205) Meeting Times: January 4, 2016 through March 28, 2016 Location: Online Course Description: This course provides an overview of California real property and its influence on various aspects of the real estate industry. Instruction examines the legal issues surrounding real estate ownership and transfer, rights and duties of ownership, conveyance issues, mortgages and deeds of trust, government control and powers, escrow and title insurance, zoning, landlord and tenant problems, real estate brokerage and agency relationships, and agency ethics. Goals & Objectives: The student should be able to achieve the following goals and objectives upon the successful completion of this course: to recognize and understand the legal implications of basic documents pertaining to real estate ownership and transfer of legal interests in real estate; to understand the legal requirements and implications of the rights and duties of the owners of any interest in real estate; to understand the legal implications of conveyance problems and the basic documents used to correct these problems; to understand the basic concepts that apply to government regulation and control of real estate, including the issues surrounding eminent domain; and to understand the legal issues and generally accepted practices of the California real estate industry relating to the areas of escrow and title insurance, zoning, landlord-tenant practices and problem areas, real estate brokerage and agency rules, requirements and problems; and ethical requirements and issues for real estate agents and brokers.
Required Reading: California Real Estate Law Text & Cases Eighth Edition Ted H. Gordon, M.B.A., J.D. Copyright 2011 OnCourse Learning Publishing Recommended Reading: realtor.org, car.org, local Association of REALTORS website (i.e. srar.com), leginfo.ca.gov, hud.gov and zillow.com. Grading: Course grades will be based on participation, assignments and exams. I will post 2 s Questions each week and students must participate in BOTH discussions to earn the maximum of 20 points for the week, for a total of 220 points. There will be 5 Assignments on which you can earn a maximum of 10 points each, for a total of 50 points. Exams will be multiple choice. The Midterm Exam will have 100 questions covering Chapters 1 through 10 of the text book; worth 1 point each, for a total of 100 points. The Final Exam will have 130 questions covering Chapters 11 through 23 of the text book; worth 1 point each, for a total of 130 points. Weekly Questions 220 points Assignments Midterm Exam Final Exam Total Points 50 points 100 points 130 points 500 points 90% - 100% = A 80% - 89% = B 70% - 79% = C 60% - 69% = D 59% and below = F Online Class Participation: Participation in an online class allows the instructor to see if the students are getting it and keeping current with the lectures, materials and reading. Participation, also, provides a safe opportunity for students to learn from each other s meaningful postings and questions. In the absence of regular participation by students, the online course is more like a traditional correspondence course where each student is reading and studying in isolation, and not fully benefiting from a true online learning experience. As such, participation in this class is
required, and you will be expected to have at least two meaningful posts in the discussion area per week. Your posts should be timely and contribute to a discussion during the period that we are focusing on that topic. Your posts should display original thought, not copying from the textbook, your classmates, or other sources, and be a minimum of 100 words. Grade points will be deducted for poor grammar and spelling. At my discretion, a minimum of 5 points will be deducted for posts made to a discussion thread after the due date ( catch-up posts) in subsequent weeks. Your final grade will be lowered if you do not complete the required participation, or if the quality of your contribution is judged by me to be not sufficiently meaningful or useful to the Board. In the case of a borderline grade, I will use the level and quality of your participation as a tie-breaker, either raising or lowering your grade appropriately. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COURSE GRADES ARE FINAL. Incompletes: The interim grade Incomplete may be assigned when a student's work is of passing quality, but a small portion of the course requirements is incomplete for good cause (e.g. illness or other serious problem). It is the student s responsibility to discuss with the instructor the possibility of receiving an I grade as opposed to a non-passing grade. The student is entitled to replace this grade by a passing grade and to receive unit credit provided they complete the remaining coursework satisfactorily, under the supervision of and in a time frame determined by the instructor in charge, but in no case later than the end of the next academic quarter. You will be required to enroll in the course again. This is the only way for you to have access the course to complete your work. It is highly recommended that you finish this course or drop it (in the time allowed) if you find that circumstances prevent you from finishing the course. If an incomplete is not finished by the end of the next quarter, the Registrar will cause all remaining Incompletes to lapse to the grade "F". Note: Receiving an I does not entitle a student to retake all or any part of the course at a later date. All work must be completed in the next quarter with consent of instructor and re-enrolling in the class. Academic Honesty Policy Academic dishonesty covers behavior in cheating, plagiarism, and fabrication of information. These behaviors are not tolerated. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the UCLA Extension Student Conduct Code and the official statements regarding cheating and plagiarism at: https://www.uclaextension.edu/pages/str/studentconduct.aspx Services for Students with Disabilities In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, UCLA Extension provides appropriate accommodations and support services to qualified applicants and students with disabilities. These include, but
are not limited to, auxiliary aids/services, such as note takers, audiotaping of courses, sign language interpreters, and assistive-listening devices for hearing-impaired individuals, extended time for and proctoring of exams, and registration assistance. Accommodations and types of support services vary and are specifically designed to meet the disabilityrelated needs of each stude3nt based on current, verifiable medical documentation. Arrangements for auxiliary aids/services are available only through UCLA Extension Disabled Student Services at (310) 825-4581 (voice/tty) or by email at access@uclaextension.edu. Please request such arrangements with at least five working days advance notice. All assistance is handled in confidence. Accommodations must be pre-approved. Requests for retroactive accommodation will not be accepted.
COURSE OUTLINE Date/Topic Assignments Readings Week One 1/4/16-1/10/16 - Nature of Property - Judicial System and History - Elements of Property - Contracts and Damages 1/10/16 Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4 Week 2 1/11/16-1/17/16 -Deposit Receipts Week Three 1/18/16-1/24/16 - Listing Agreements 1/17/16 1 due by 1/24/16 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Week Four 1/25/16-1/31/16 - Nonpossessory Interests - Estates in Land Week Five 2/1/16-2/7/16 - Voluntary Transfers of Property - Involuntary Transfers of Property 1/31/16 2 due by 2/7/16 Chapters 7 and 8 Chapters 9 and 10 Week Six 2/8/16-2/14/16 - Joint Ownership - Landowner s Liability for Injuries - MIDTERM EXAM Questions posts & Mid Term Exam due by 2/14/16 Chapters 11 and 12 Week Seven 2/15/16-2/21/16 - Leases and Eviction Questions posts, Assignment 3 due by 2/21/16 Chapter 13
Week Eight 2/22/16-2/28/16 - Recording System - Mortgages and Deeds of Trust 2/28/16 Chapters 14 and 15 Week Nine 2/29/16-3/6/16 - Involuntary Liens - Property Taxes - Homesteads Week Ten 3/7/16-3/13/16 - Private Restrictions on Land - Zoning - Environmental Controls and Subdivision Laws 4 due by 3/6/16 3/13/16 Chapters 16, 17 and 18 Chapters 19, 20 and 21 Week Eleven 3/14/16-3/20/16 - Title Insurance and Escrow - Agency and Broker s Relationship 5 due by 3/20/16 Chapters 22 and 23 Week Twelve 3/21/16-3/28/16 FINAL EXAM The Class Week is from Monday to Sunday. Responses to Questions are due by Sunday of that Week. Assignments are due NO LATER THAN the dates stated above. Week 12 will consist of the FINAL EXAM. You will have from Monday 3/21/16 to Monday 3/28/16 to complete the Exam. I have extended the FINAL EXAM deadline date as that Sunday is Easter. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WITH EXTENSIONS BE GRANTED.