by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
Sometimes you just need a few legal questions answered without worrying about the clock ticking and Lee Osborne of Watson & Osborne has found an ingenious way to do just that.
When Sandi Wagner, manager of the Watson Realty’s Intracoastal office, needed a few legal questions answered for her Realtors, she called on Osborne, a real estate and probate attorney to help.
“I’ve been teaching for the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors for about 16 years,” said Osborne. “I teach some of the contract classes, the landlord/ tenant classes and I sit on the NEFAR forms committee that drafts the contract that Realtors use.”
About two years ago, Wagner asked Osborne if he had a few hours to come into chat with her agents and he said the only time he had was lunch time. “Typically I usually eat through my lunch break,” he said. “So, I said ‘Would you mind if I just bring my lunch?’”
And that is how “Lunch with Lee” was born.
About every six weeks, Osborne shows up at their office with his brown bag lunch and he gives the agents a lesson on a pertinent and current topic whether it is short sales, Amendment 1 or whatever is currently going on in the market. Then, he takes another hour of his time to patiently answer the Realtors questions - for free.
“I’ve always tried to do this without a charge,” he said. “The whole point is that someone has to be willing in this industry to say OK, I’ll answer your questions for free.
“People are afraid of attorneys because they are afraid that the minute that they ask you a question the clock starts ticking and you are going to charge them. If I can do something for someone and it takes me five minutes to do it, I’m not going to charge them. We need to be available to the real estate community so they understand what they are doing.”
Not only does Osborne want to do something for free for the Realtors, he wants to make it easy for them.
“When I sit on the forms committee, it’s attorney Jeff Marks, me and a bunch of Realtors,” he said. “Some of them are great, experienced Realtors. But, the perception has always been that lawyers tend to muck things up. Jeff and I have always tried to keep it simple and Realtor-friendly.
“I don’t treat Realtors as if they are stupid. I don’t expect them to be attorneys. I think Realtors have this perception of attorneys as being like doctors, because we do have a lot of education. They think we would be condescending if they ask a question.
“But, there are no stupid questions. I’d much rather you ask me and get the right answer now then call me six months from now and say you really screwed up and how do you fix it. If you don’t have that open door policy where people feel they can ask you questions, they just aren’t going to. They don’t want to look stupid.”
Wagner said either Osborne, she or her associates will come up with a subject that they feel is important.
“My team enjoys the opportunity to field ‘real live’ questions that they are experiencing at the moment, plus he gives them all the current information that is going on in the present market,” said Wagner. “Lee helps us understand and be able to share issues with buyers and sellers in layperson’s terms.
“I have a staff of more than 50 associates and we typically have 25 to 30 people attend the sessions. As a broker, I want my associates to feel comfortable explaining issues affecting our customers as well as our industry. In addition, it allows for brainstorming opportunities on ways to leverage some of the issues.”
Wagner said they’ve had three sessions in the past eight months on short sales and foreclosures, loss mitigation, Amendment 1 and the tax portability. Other topics include explanation of revisions to NEFAR/Florida Association of Realtor contracts and new addendums.
“Whenever we change the contract, the Realtors need someone to kind of guide them and show them where the changes have been made and how to protect themselves,” said Osborne. “The most recent class I’ve taught was on short sales. Unfortunately under the Mortgage Forgiveness Relief Act, it’s very specific as to how you can avoid paying income tax on the money that is forgiven. So, they needed to understand how a short sale works and how the forgiveness may apply to one’s residence, but not to an investment property.”
Osborne said that Realtors just don’t know to look for this stuff sometimes and he tries to think like a Realtor and educate them accordingly.
Osborne has been in business with his partner Keith Watson (brother of Bill Watson of Watson Realty) for 16 years. He worked with Watson for 19 years and became his business partner after year three.