Property Law and Real Estate Books

I thought this book would give you insight on how to acquire property as Dan Barton says he did, the author, it did not. I can sum the booklet in a few short phrases, which are basically taken from M. Losier's Book "The Law of Attraction".
0. Change your old ways of thinking (think ONLY positive)
1. Desire something
2. Have faith: visualize it happening
3. Go for it (desire and faith alone will not bring riches, you have to put you self in action)

P.S. There is a work-book at the end of the 28 page booklet to write down your desires and how you plan to execute them for 90 days- this is the only thing that I see as a positive. And may I say very positive, but you don't need to spend $36 on this book when you can buy one that gives you more insight and goes in depth such as "Think and grow rich" by Napoleon Hill. Though I do see that Dan Barton provides a 800 number to call his company when in need to ask him or his associates about this book or situation.

I came to this book with experience in handling environmental litigation and business planning, and hoping for a quick exhaustive reference on environmental issues. This book provides a good starting reference for virtually every environmental law issue involved in business transactions. It enjoys very little competition in a field that is growing, which makes it timely and useful. But it should not have been rushed to print without practical analysis, broader reference materials, research/authority on key points, and removal of repetition.

The book is organized primarily by environmental topic. For example, lender liability is one section, criminal liability is another. The challenge for most practitioners is that we often see only a small portion of the environmental liability picture in a given case. This collaboration could have, and should have, brought the experts together to show how transactions can involve several environmental liability issues to explain what current authority requires (or gray areas involved) for those issues. Instead, the writers simply present their legal research (as if cut and pasted from a law brief previously paid for by a client) and leave the reader to imagine how sale of a lot of land could involve several environmental liability issues and what a business can do about those issues. For example, a section on environmental law in practice could have walked the reader through thoughtfully designed complex business transactions to provide insight into how potential or actual liability issues are addressed. Law school students can do legal research. Much more is expected of a reference prepared by seasoned professionals using the ABA name.

Some sections repeat information from other sections. For example, before Ms. Fromm discussed environmental consultants others had already covered the requirements for all appropriate inquiry, so that her section included repetition. In the next edition, when a writer wants to include a discussion about a topic that is covered elsewhere then than writer should keep it short and refer the reader to the designated expert on the topic. And the designated expert should not short cut analysis by omitting authority on key points. The number of pages that will be eliminated by this process can be used for the following criticism.

The text includes very little jurisdiction by jurisdiction comparison. General principles are given, but no effort is made to give the reader a comparison of, for example, how each state or federal circuit treats indemnity agreements for environmental liability. Speakers regularly pass out such comparisons with legal citations at CLE events for free. A text presented by the ABA to be a comprehensive reference priced at $179 should include jurisdictional comparison lists on laws where jurisdictions differ.

Finally, one specific problem was the lack of legal research on parental environmental liability. The writer refers to general common law principles of derivative liability, without any reference to law aside from a general reference to the Bestfoods decision. That section focuses on parental liability. That is an important issue professionals will definitely want to find in a reference from the ABA. The writer disappoints the reader by glossing over this point without useful reliable legal research to show what he assumes these general common law principles to be. The reader purchases the text for a jump start on legal research, but gets unresearched assumptions. Readers expect much more from ABA publications on a topic that the U.S. is creating as a model for the international community. I admit I only found this one example of a glaring omission of legal authority.

This book is as good as other similar books, but outrageously overpriced. The $11 Dictionary of Real Estate Terms is just as good as this $50 version. But neither one had the industry term that I was looking for. What a waste of money!!!!

This is a fantastic book (binder) for anyone who wants a good history of old Title Insurance law.

Unfortunately, and in spite of regular "updates" since the first printing (the most recent in 2006), the author completely ignores Homeowner's Policies of Title Insurance - the ALTA / CLTA policies that are now standard in many jurisdictions.

These new policies include a much broader array of covered risks, as well as significant after-the-policy-date coverage, but none of this is covered in the book. So if you want to fight an old fight, or study history, this is a good purchase. But if you want a good review of current policies, you'll have to go elsewhere.

To date, the best up-to-date book I've found on this subject is Miller & Starr, California Real Estate 3D, but even this is somewhat vague when it comes to applying the new policies to practical situations.

I was looking for advice on setting up a trust, trying to keep attorney and other fees as low as possible. This book certainly does not do this. The recommendations of hiring an estate attorney, a financial advisor, and other advisors to form a team would probably eat up my entire estate. For me there are much better books available

Book is weak; text should have the critical and in-depth writing of an attorney, but this weak book sounds like a touchy-feel session given by a pep-talk real estate agent trying to sell some canon-fodder real estate professional wanna-be a class, any class.
book has no place on this site! It should be hustled in the bookstore of a real estate board where they dont know any bettersave your money: this author has very little clues as to Mchigan real estate law, though with better research this Palmer book could be of assist to someone wanting some knowledge of Michigan legal points in real estate, but, again, this book misses the mark,

This seems pretty thoroughly researched and filled with extensive info, but for a student trying to learn the subject and be able to answer questions on it it's a nightmare. Many of the chapters (No.12 on Constructive Trusts is a good example) are written so twistedly and unintelligibly they take ages to decode into plain, up-to-date info on what the state of the law on a particular point is now. Nice history lessons given about how such-and-such a principle developed over the last X years, but nul points when it comes to telling you how to go about actually solving problems in Equity with what you know.

This came as 1 of the "recommended texts" for University level Law. I want to unrecommend it. Don't choose this book as your main study/revision guide - you could do far better. There are other Equity study books with flowcharts and other far more useful things in if you want to learn how to practically apply Equity. I wasn't sure at first whether or not I could be bothered to write this review, but then I got so frustrated with the damn book I felt it was worth taking a few minutes doing so. OK, nuff said.

Toxic Legacy is ably written. Clear writing helps navigate an arcane topic in which the author is well-versed. The book provides an interesting assortment of photographs of DDT uses during World War II and in the home. DDT's inventor received a Nobel prize for its enormous public-health contributions.

Wargo focuses on legal issues in the U.S. regarding pesticides. This sidesteps some broader scientific matters. As Wargo notes (p. 127), Bruce Ames and Lois Gold have made a case that the chemical ingredients that naturally make up our foods provide risks that dwarf those from residues of synthetic pesticides. The Ames/Gold argument meets common sense expectations, because foods are consumed in high doses for sustenance. Wargo dodges, because an implication is the triviality of risks posed by pesticide residues (the topic of his book): "it hardly seems prudent to avoid regulating synthetic toxins simply because we are commonly exposed to natural ones." This evasion is telling. Why ignore 99 percent of the risk (presented by natural ingredients in foods) and only pay attention to pesticide residues? Maybe because it is easier to stigmatize chemicals that protect foods supplies.

All living things constitute systems of interacting chemicals. Our choices in foods, drink, and pharmaceuticals very much influence health and development. Plants (fruits and vegetables) contain chemical ingredients to ward off predators. These toxicants collectively present much higher dose and risk than residues of chemicals used to protect crops against predators and disease agents like fungi, viruses, and bacteria. What are the health tradeoffs between disease agents versus pesticide residues? Or among various ways of protecting foods against disease agents?

Synthetic pesticides give many thoughtful people pause and can surely cause harm, if in excess dose. They deserve to be carefully managed by applicators. For decades, the U.S. has had ways of regulating pesticides to minimize unwanted impacts. Because children are more vulnerable to any and all chemicals, Wargo may contribute constructive suggestions, deep within the arcane field of pesticide regulation. Yet the subtitle, How Science and Law Fail to Protect Us from Pesticides, seems unjustified.

It is commonplace for environmental scientists to analyze only a select few pesticides present within the environment. When found, these few are stigmatized and their uses curtailed. Yet, this is a "free lunch" illusion, based on highly selective analytic chemistry. In reality, society uses a great number of pesticides and there is no holistic consideration of whether their collective levels within the environment pose any greater or lesser risk than before the cancelling of DDT and regulation of other pesticides. Wargo may not be mindful of this larger surrounding context, trusting too much in the scientific understanding of the environmental industrial complex that he is endeavoring to improve. He is narrowly focused on a problem that he believes we should fear: synthetic pesticide residues. He seems conscientious in intention.

For the reader interested in books on chemicals and health, some options are:
-- J. Rodricks. Calculated Risks: understanding the toxicity and human health risks of chemicals in our environment (Cambridge U. Press).
-- John Emsley. The Consumer's Good Chemical Guide. (W.H. Freeman)
-- W. Baarschers. eco-facts & eco-fiction. (Routledge)
-- Aaron Wildalsky. But is it True? (Harvard U Press).
-- John F. Ross. Living Dangerously: navigating the risks of everyday life. (Perseus)
-- National Research Council. Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens in the human diet. National Academy Press.

I like to call books like this "fluff books" for the simple reason that the are on law professor's reading lists for a class and yet there is no reason to read them. As a supplement, it is less than optimal. If I had to describe it differently than fluff book, I would call it a Baby Hornbook. If you have to buy this book, then get it used. You won't need it in class. It will sit at home on your bookshelf in its bright red glory and perhaps be taken out for a spin every once and a while.

Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of good information in this book, but personally I find Aspen's Examples and Explanations a better source if I need a concept explained. On the other end of the spectrum, the real hornbook for property is also fairly helpful for research into concepts. This book falls somewhere into the uncomfortable gooey middle between those two resources. A shame. Some of the writing is good, but you can tell what hasn't been updated and what has.

It would be a three-star book if it were not for the fact that better materials exist out there. Good luck with Property, it is a tough class.

Okay, I have a high lvl of reading which requires no college classes but I am definiely not a law school student either. Reading the first chapter I felt like I didn't understand anything because I didn't, no matter how many times I read it. Don't take this class on the internet .... just a warning. This book should not have been written as if it was talking to a law student.