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CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS • BUREAU OF REAL ESTATE
Real Estate Bulletin
WINTER 2014
www.calbre.ca.gov
REAL ESTATE MATTERS!
Vol. 73, No. 3
Commissioner’s Message
The Bureau’s Resources “Toolbox” – For Real Estate
Consumers, Licensees, and Those Interested in
Residential Subdivisions
Consumers, real estate licensees, builders, and industry groups often inquire about what
resources are available from and through CalBRE to (i) help consumers navigate through real
estate issues, (ii) aid those persons involved with residential subdivisions better understand the
Subdivided Lands Law (which is under CalBRE’s jurisdiction and regulatory supervision) and
subdivisions in general, and (iii) assist real estate licensees so they can meet the requirements
of and stay compliant with an ever increasing and changing body of law.
We at the Bureau are mindful that laws regarding the sale, purchase, nancing, and practice
of real estate and the development of real property are complex and in a continual state of
evolution. For that reason, among others, CalBRE has developed and is regularly creating and
updating free resources and tools for constituencies it serves.
In the Fall 2013 Real Estate Bulletin, I discussed (among other things) the availability
of CalBRE Real Estate Bulletin articles on a broad variety of practice-related and
substantive topics, and the new and informative PowerPoint presentation on Trust Account
Reconciliations for those licensees who handle trust funds through a bank account(s).
In this message, I want to highlight additional resources that are newly available and others
that seem to or may be underutilized.
CalBRE is extremely pleased to announce the very recent publication and availability of
“A Guide to Understanding Residential Subdivisions in California”, which we believe is a
useful resource to, and a practical and valuable tool for, subdivision developers and builders,
consumers who are interested in purchasing a home in a subdivision, owners of homes and
units in subdivisions, real estate licensees, land use planners and other regional subdivisions
sta, and anyone else who might be interested in residential subdivisions. is new tool
discusses and addresses the mandate, operation, and substantive and procedural requirements
of the Subdivided Lands Act. In addition, it provides important and signicant information
on common interest developments, homeowner associations, the Subdivision Map Act (which
is the California enabling statute under which cities and counties enact local laws controlling
the “subdivision” of land within their jurisdictions), and a variety of other issues pertaining to
residential subdivisions in California.
Wayne S. Bell
Commissioner
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