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California Association of Realtors® Selects Squaretrade as Online Mediation and Resolution Service Provider
LOS ANGELES (Oct. 3) - The California Association of REALTORS® today announced it has selected SquareTrade, an online mediation service, to resolve real estate disputes between buyers and sellers. "SquareTrade's innovative Web-based mediation service incorporates its experience in handling 150,000 disputes every year with C.A.R's expertise in real estate," said C.A.R. President Gary Thomas. "The service also meets the mandatory mediation requirement in C.A.R.'s Residential Purchase Agreement(RPA-11, Clause 17A).
"All SquareTrade mediators meet strict criteria and are approved by C.A.R.," he said.
Several local REALTOR® associations recently served as beta-testers for this new service for C.A.R. members prior to the statewide rollout.
SquareTrade can be used for all buyer-seller real estate-related disputes, including issues that might be related to move-in dates, physical property, release of deposits, disclosure issues, and fees. SquareTrade's online service also is ideal for disputes where both parties are not in the same location (e.g., when the buyer or seller has relocated).
"SquareTrade is very excited about our exclusive relationship with the
California Association of REALTORS®," said SquareTrade CEO Steve Abernethy.
"It is another great example of the real estate industry effectively leveraging the Internet to offer clients more affordable access to a fundamental service than ever before.
"An easy-to-use mediation process reduces the frustration for homebuyers and sellers when an issue arises," he said. "SquareTrade's mediation service helps them resolve the problem before it escalates."
SquareTrade's innovative Web-based approach means that users can access it from anywhere at anytime, with no need to schedule meetings or even have the parties in the same place. The filer of the dispute simply enters the contact information of the other party and transaction history, including a brief description of the problem. SquareTrade contacts the respondent with the case details and then both parties work with a C.A.R.-approved mediator to facilitate a resolution. A mediator is assigned to the case within two business days of the other party responding and most disputes are resolved within three weeks.
SquareTrade filing fees are being waived until 2002, and REALTORŪ-referred clients receive a 25 percent discount on other SquareTrade fees.
For more information go to www.squaretrade.com/carealtor and
www.SquareTrade.com/RealEstate.
The California Association of REALTORS® is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with more than 97,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles. |
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