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Marissa Berends's Blog

Shared Driveway Agreements
by Marissa Berends | 2025/12/10

The Legal Doc That Can Save You from Neighborhood Drama

Let’s be real — nobody dreams of owning half a driveway. But thanks to older neighborhoods, twin homes, or tight infill lots, shared driveways are super common — and they can turn into headaches fast if you don’t have the right paperwork. Enter: the shared driveway agreement — a small but mighty document that title pros swear by.

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Explain It Like I’m 5: FIRPTA Edition
by Marissa Berends | 2025/12/03

Alright, grab your oat milk latte and let’s decode one of real estate’s least sexy—but most important—acronyms: FIRPTA.

It sounds like a made-up word your toddler would yell (“Mom, the FIRPTA took my snack!”), but it actually stands for the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act. And if you ever handle, sell, or close on a property where one of the parties is not a U.S. citizen or resident, this little acronym can make or break the deal.

So let’s explain it like you’re five (but with the attention span of a millennial scrolling Zillow at midnight).

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New to Property Shielding? Here’s Your Guide!
by Marissa Berends | 2025/10/22

Here’s a concise guide to where “Safe at Home”–style protections (address confidentiality/property shielding) are active in the U.S., and what they mean for title research.

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What Is Flood Insurance?
by Marissa Berends | 2025/10/21

Flood insurance is a specialized policy designed to cover damage caused by flooding—an event typically excluded from standard homeowners’ insurance. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), administered by FEMA and established in 1968, provides most flood policies in the U.S., covering structural and contents losses up to specified limits. Since the 2010s, a growing number of private insurers have entered the flood insurance market, increasing competition and offering alternatives to the NFIP.

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What Is the Torrens Land System?
by Marissa Berends | 2025/09/24

The Torrens system is a land registration framework that simplifies property ownership verification by issuing a Certificate of Title, which is definitive proof of ownership under state supervision. Unlike the traditional “abstract” system—where historical deeds must be traced and examined for potential defects—the Torrens certificate provides clarity, security, and legal certainty.

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U.S. Housing Market Hits 30-Year Low in Home Sales: Causes and Consequences
by Marissa Berends | 2025/09/08

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Understanding Mineral Rights and the Importance of Trained Mineral Researchers
by Marissa Berends | 2025/09/05

Mineral rights refer to the ownership of the subsurface resources beneath a parcel of land, including valuable commodities like oil, gas, coal, precious metals, and other minerals. These rights can be bought, sold, leased, or inherited separately from surface rights, meaning one party might own the land’s surface while another owns the mineral rights below it. This separation can create legal complexities, especially when it comes to determining ownership or preparing for development, extraction, or transfer of rights.

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FHFA Title Acceptance Pilot: What to know
by Marissa Berends | 2025/09/02

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Wisconsin Home Sales Rise in June for First Time in Four Years
by Marissa Berends | 2025/08/27

In a positive shift for the state housing market, Wisconsin recorded an 8.1% increase in existing home sales during June 2025, compared to the same month in 2024—the first June uptick in four years.

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The Effect of Removing Capital Gains Tax on Home Sales on the RE Industry
by Marissa Berends | 2025/08/14

The capital gains tax has long been a factor in the real estate transaction process, particularly for homeowners who see significant appreciation in the value of their property. While current tax law allows for certain exemptions—such as excluding up to $250,000 in profit for individuals and $500,000 for married couples filing jointly—the idea of removing the capital gains tax altogether on home sales has resurfaced in political and economic discussions.

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