Arlington

Residential real estate sales and workers' compensation may have long-term legal consequences. The home that you buy may be one where you live for a long time. If the title has a cloud on it, for example, you may face litigation down the road. Similarly, if you do not fight for the workers' compensation benefits that you deserve within the appropriate time frame, you may miss the window within which to make your claim, and you may not be able to get those benefits later. At Pulgini & Norton, our Arlington real estate attorneys and workers’ compensation lawyers can provide legal advice to people who are involved in a property transaction or a job injury claim.

If you are buying a home in Arlington, you may wonder what your offer should be. While a seller may want to conclude a sale quickly, buyers often want to make sure that they do not pay too much for a home. The buyer's offer is based on market value as well as the sale-to-list ratio of similar houses in the neighborhood, among other factors. Determining the sale-to-list ratio requires you to divide the selling price by the list price. Multiplying the figure by 100 creates a percentage that is considered the sale-to-list ratio. Typically, if the percentage is over 100%, a particular home was sold for an amount that was more than the price listed. When it is under 100%, it sold for less.

Buyers trying to calculate their offer are hoping for a sale-to-list ratio of around 90%. This is a figure that makes it likely that their offer will be accepted but also low enough to feel that they are not paying too much. Market conditions, however, may affect what the offer should be. For example, in a seller's market, which is quite competitive for buyers, a buyer should probably offer an amount that is higher than the 90% range.

Workers in all fields and industries face the possibility of an on-the-job injury or occupational illness. In some cases, their employer's insurer behaves fairly and pays the benefits to which they are entitled. Unfortunately, in many cases, the insurer is more concerned with whether there is any way to avoid paying benefits. For example, when a health care worker receives a needlestick injury, an insurer may try to look for a pre-existing condition or a reason other than the needlestick injury that the worker got sick.

A needlestick injury occurs when a contaminated needle punctures someone. Sometimes an infectious liquid contains bloodborne pathogens, and a health care worker who has been poked while working gets sick with a serious illness, such as HIV or a bacterial infection. A health care worker who suffers an on-the-job needlestick injury is entitled to workers' compensation benefits, just as a construction worker is entitled to benefits for a broken bone. Workers' compensation benefits are provided without regard to fault. Thus, for example, if you were negligent in handling the needles, and this is why you were poked, your ability to recover benefits is not affected. Similarly, you need not prove that the needlestick injury was your employer's fault.

Located in Middlesex County, Arlington is a town with a population of about 45,000 people. It borders Mystic River, Alewife Brook, and Mystic Lakes. As in other places, people in Arlington may find the real estate purchase and sale process, as well as the workers' compensation process, confusing. An experienced attorney may make a difference to the outcome of your matter. At Pulgini & Norton, our Arlington workers’ compensation lawyers and real estate attorneys can advise you on the purchase or sale of a home or the pursuit of workers' compensation benefits. For a consultation, contact us online or call us at 781-843-2200.