Countywide

Realtors Side With County: The California Assn. of Realtors once again has sided with Orange County in the battle over the affordable housing program scrapped by the county in 1983. The association, which represents 103,000 real estate agents, said it intends to file a “friend of the court” brief arguing for removal of warning notices attached to titles of 491 condominiums built under the county’s defunct program. The notices were imposed by the Orange County Renters Assn. last November as part of its fight to have the affordable housing program restored. The real estate group believes the notices violate the homeowners’ rights, Realtors’ President Raymond D. Spinelli said Wednesday before a meeting of local real estate brokers. The county contends that the notices, known in legal terms as lis pendens, prevent owners from selling the condos. The notices warn potential buyers that if the renters’ group wins its suit, resale controls may be reimposed on the homes and that any resales of the homes that occur before the court rules could be declared invalid. An estimated 25 to 50 of the homeowners have their properties up for sale and many have complained that the notices have scared away buyers. The real estate group believes the notices are “an abusive use of the process,” according to Realtors’ general counsel William Pfeiffer.