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CF Real Estate Loans Inc., Commbroker Inc., Hollymax Realty Inc., DBA list.

More deception... it just gets better and more interesting

If you are a consumer this information should, at the very minimum, pique your interest. If you are an "employee" of a real estate broker this information would probably not concern you because most agents are not "employees", but it is informational.

However, if you are an "independent contractor" as an agent or broker associated with a big real estate brokerage you should read the following information VERY CAREFULLY. As an independent contractor you are effectively a "business owner / sole proprietor" and YOU are responsible for your actions in business; what you choose and choose not to do, and how your run your business as a licensed real estate agent or broker; NO MATTER who, or what company, you work with. Essentially as an agent or a broker - YOU have responsibility for how YOU run your business.

Corporation Commingling Issues

It does not jump out at you at first, but you have to understand that CF Real Estate Loans Inc. really has only about 11 offices. There are two other corporations somehow involved with CF which are Hollymax Realty, Inc. and Commbroker Inc. They [CF] may associate and commingle these other companies to make the reporting company look bigger with more agents or to raise the sales volume they report to groups like NAR and the Los Angeles Business Journal it seems.

The Re/Max All Cities Realty website was actually comprised of three totally separate corporations that [CF] commingled and [we feel] improperly advertised under using the name Re/Max All Cities Realty. This is most likely why we were getting conflicting agent counts from Ms. Kelli Todd CEO. She [Kelli Todd] did not know whether to give us her true agent count for CF Real Estate Loans or what her purported agent count was when she combined all three corporations under the concocted umbrella name Re/Max All Cities Realty... but that is a story for another day. This is of course our opinion from the facts that we have.

Real Estate Licensing Issues

Commbroker Inc. and Hollymax Inc., and the agents and associated brokers that have worked there, have NEVER had valid real estate licenses to sell under, or use the name Re/Max All Cities Realty, nor do they have a license to sell under the name Re/Max Marquee Partners as of the date of this writing - check the license check below. It's just that simple.

Under license check below - why don't you check to see if you have a license to work under Re/Max Marquee Partners.... we can't find one as of 2/10/08. Whoops another major violation...

Would you not have your Real Estate License in hand BEFORE you change the name of your company? That is the law in California and you can not have a partnership name unless its truly a partnership - Read this DRE document.

License name check - Hollymax Realty Inc.
[no DRE DBA license for Re/Max All Cities Realty or Re/Max Marquee Partners]

License name check - Commbroker Inc.
[no DRE DBA license for Re/Max All Cities Realty or Re/Max Marquee Partners]

License name check - CF Real Estate Loans Inc.
[no DRE DBA license for Re/Max Marquee Partners??? - 2/10/08]

License name check - Kelli Patrice Amundson
[now Kelli Todd - expired license]
[now renewed AFTER this article and YEARS of inactivity]

License name check - Robert K. Todd
[Bob Todd - revoked license]

According to the DRE laws that I have read, YOUR license must be issued prior to doing business to use a fictitious name.

News Flash April 2008 - CF takes my advice and changes name of CF Inc. to Re/Max Marquee Partners, Inc. see below for blog I wrote back in February and see why....

Fictitious Business Name Issues

Someone should inform these people that ONLY a legal entity such as a person or corporation can do business using a fictitious name in California. Re/Max Marquee Partners (a fictitious name) can not do business as another fictitious name such as Re/Max All Cities Realty, Re/Max Beach Cities Realty, Re/Max Beach Cities, Re/Max Beverly Hills or any other Re/Max DBA. Its not legal.

A fictitious name CAN NOT do business as, or own another fictitious name - only a legal entity such as a person or corporation can do business using a DBA and then a real estate license comes into play... gotta have one of those too. You need to have both a DBA from the County and then a license issued under that DBA to sell real estate under a fictitious business name.

The short of it is that Re/Max Marquee Partners or Re/Max All Cities Realty CAN NOT be the "umbrella name" for all these DBAs and Corporations. Actually its laughable that they are even trying to accomplish this [again]. Doesn't Re/Max monitor this behavior?

Maybe they are trying to confuse people by doing this, but its not legal and [we feel] basically a type of false advertising. I would think that any agent or broker who displays their name and face under Re/Max Marquee Partners and works for Commbroker Inc. or Hollymax Realty Inc. may be breaking the law because they have no valid real estate license to work under the name Re/Max Marquee Partners, and neither do their brokers Commbroker Inc. and Hollymax Inc. or their broker of record under those corporations. Its just one BIG pool of deception. At least that is our opinion here at All Cities Realty Inc.

None of these Re/Max DBAs can do business as anything but themselves [at least that is the way it works in California]. The only way to create an "umbrella" name that covers all the DBAs is to re-name the corporation or create a sub-corporation and place the DBAs in it. Its hard to believe that such a large Re/Max real estate brokerage, with its own in-house attorney, could make so many obvious business errors. All these DBAs are only an arm of the legal entity, whichever legal entity that may be. [They finally renamed the company about the end of April 2008.]

All these agents using the name Re/Max Marquee Partners appear to be in violation of California Real Estate License Law if using the name Re/Max Marquee Partners. I am not an attorney but this Re/Max currently has NO license under the name Re/Max Marquee Partners. See license check above as of 2/10/08. They started to change their name in November of 2007... what's seems to be the hold up?

Personally, If I worked for some big broker, that was doing this, I would call a legal advisor [in-house, personal, NAR, CAR and or the DRE] and ask about all this just to make sure I was not violating the real estate license law and putting my license in jeopardy.

See
Wikipedia
California B&P Code regarding real estate law [read the whole thing it will enlighten you]
Download Commissioners Regulations #2731

*Visit the California Department of Real Estate website for more downloadable documents

Even better here are downloadable California Real Estate Reference chapters

Disclaimer - all of this information is just our opinion and from our perspective. This is NOT legal advice as I am not an attorney - its experience. Please check on these real estate license DBA and real estate license status issues using the links above so you personally don't get caught up in anything improper. Additionally please check the law in California regarding these issues. If I am wrong please call this number and correct me immediately. 800-738-2583; ask for Joseph Miner.

Current and former office names of Bob Todd, Kelli Todd, and this Re/Max organization in Los Angeles California. With the license name check above you can check the current and former names:

Re/Max Marquee Partners

Robert Todd
Robert K. Todd
Bob Todd
Bob K. Todd
Kelli Todd
Kelli Amundson
Kelli Todd-Amundson
Kelli P. Todd
Kelli P. Todd-Amundson
Kelli P. Amundson
Kelli Patrice Todd
Kelli Patrice Amundson
Kelli Patrice Todd-Amundson
CF Real Estate Loans, Inc.
C F Real Estate Loans, Inc.
C.F. Real Estate Loans, Inc.
C. F. Real Estate Loans, Inc.
Cf Acquisition Corporation
Hollymax Realty, Inc.
Combroker, Inc. (old company)
Commbroker, Inc. (new company)
Coastal Financial Real Estate Loans Inc (old company)
Oceanfield Inc (old company)
Security Financial Real Estate Loans Inc (old company)
RE/MAX All Cities Realty
Re/Max Bay Cities Realty
Re/Max Beach Cities Realty
Re/Max Beverly Hills
Re/Max Coast Cities Realty
RE/MAX Commercial Brokerage [Commbroker Inc.]
RE/MAX Crestline
Re/Max Estate Properties
RE/MAX Hancock Park
RE/MAX Hollywood Hills [Hollymax Realty Inc.]
Re/Max Lake Arrowhead
Re/Max Los Angeles
RE/MAX Mountain Resorts
RE/MAX Sunset Boulevard [Hollymax Realty Inc.]
RE/MAX VIP
Re/Max Westside Properties
Coastal Financial Real Estate Loans
Platinum Realty
Re/Max Beach Cities Realty
Re/Max Of Hermosa Beach
Re/Max Of Manhattan Beach
Re/Max Of Palos Verdes Estates
Re/Max Professionals Realty
Re/Max Westside Properties
RKT Realty


RE/MAX All Cities Realty
ACTIVE AS OF 10/25/2002

Re/Max Bay Cities Realty
ACTIVE FROM 03/28/1995 TO 04/30/2002

Re/Max Beach Cities Realty
ACTIVE AS OF 07/17/1995

Re/Max Beverly Hills
ACTIVE AS OF 03/12/1997

Re/Max Coast Cities Realty
ACTIVE FROM 03/28/1995 TO 04/30/2002

RE/MAX Commercial Brokerage
ACTIVE FROM 02/27/2004 TO 01/07/2007

RE/MAX Commercial Brokerage
ACTIVE FROM 11/24/1999 TO 02/08/2004

RE/MAX Crestline
ACTIVE AS OF 08/25/2003

Re/Max Estate Properties
ACTIVE AS OF 03/12/1997

RE/MAX Hancock Park
ACTIVE AS OF 10/01/2001

RE/MAX Hollywood Hills
ACTIVE FROM 05/10/2001 TO 01/07/2007

Re/Max Lake Arrowhead
ACTIVE AS OF 03/12/1997

Re/Max Los Angeles
ACTIVE AS OF 03/12/1997

RE/MAX Mountain Resorts
ACTIVE AS OF 07/23/2007

RE/MAX Sunset Boulevard
ACTIVE FROM 05/10/2001 TO 03/09/2005

RE/MAX VIP
ACTIVE FROM 10/25/2002 TO 01/07/2007

Re/Max Westside Properties
ACTIVE AS OF 12/19/1996

Coastal Financial Real Estate Loans
ACTIVE FROM 05/06/1991 TO 10/31/1995

Platinum Realty
ACTIVE FROM 05/22/1992 TO 08/03/1992

Re/Max Beach Cities Realty
ACTIVE FROM 05/30/1984 TO 10/31/1995

Re/Max Of Hermosa Beach
ACTIVE FROM 01/26/1983 TO 06/01/1994

Re/Max Of Manhattan Beach
ACTIVE FROM 01/26/1983 TO 06/01/1994

Re/Max Of Palos Verdes Estates
ACTIVE FROM 04/09/1984 TO 03/20/1989

Re/Max Professionals Realty
ACTIVE FROM 03/20/1989 TO 06/01/1994

Re/Max Westside Properties
A Division of Re/Max Beach Cities Realty
ACTIVE FROM 01/26/1995 TO 10/31/1995

RKT Realty
ACTIVE FROM 07/08/1993 TO 10/31/1995

*Note - you, the reader, will need to verify that these are correct and the times and dates they were/are accurate.

IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION THAT YOU FEEL MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO OUR SIDE OF THIS CASE, or any questions that we may answer, AND YOU ARE NOT OTHERWISE REPRESENTED BY YOUR OWN ATTORNEY please feel free to contact the attorney who is our point of contact for the State of California Superior Court and Federal Court action:

PLEASE NOTE - IF YOU ARE REPRESENTED BY YOUR OWN ATTORNEY YOU NEED TO CONTACT HIM OR HER AND OUR ATTORNEYS CANNOT ETHICALLY SPEAK WITH YOU.

ATTORNEY CONTACT INFORMATION:

Law Offices of Jeff Sax
Jeffrey F. Sax
213.623.5700
jsax@saxlaw.net

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