September is Emergency Preparedness Month, and this week the Virginia REALTORS®’s legal team discusses home sales and natural disasters. Although you cannot predict when a natural disaster will strike, you can take certain actions to make sure that you are prepared to respond. In this episode, Laura and Cate discuss what to do when your client has a home under contract for sale and a natural disaster strikes before closing. They review pertinent legal hotline questions and discuss some ways to make sure that you are prepared and know how to react when a natural disaster strikes.

What is an independent contractor? How is one different from an employee? This week, the Virginia REALTORS®’s legal team discusses independent contractors. Laura and Cate review some legal hotline questions, such as “I want to pay my licensees a base salary. Can I still classify them as independent contractors?” Finally, they discuss some ways to make sure that you properly classify independent contractors and do not unintentionally assume additional liability.