Jointly owned property, whether residential or commercial, can lead to disputes when it is time to sell. These disputes can arise from various factors, particularly among business partners and family members with different priorities, financial situations, and...
Does A Covid-Mandated Closure Frustrate The Purpose Of A Commercial Lease?
In Cedarbrook Plaza v. Schwartz, 2024 Pa, Super. 154, ___ A.3d ___, 2024 WL 3504636 (July 23, 2024), the Pennsylvania Superior Court addressed the issue whether a government mandated shut down of face-to-face businesses frustrated the purpose of a commercial retail...
What is the difference between real property easements and licenses?
An easement is a legal right that allows one party to use another’s land for a specific purpose, such as accessing a road or installing utilities. They are generally permanent and can benefit a particular person, group, or the public, often established through...
What are examples of nonrecurring and recurring closing costs?
First-time home buyers often experience sticker shock as they prepare for closing. While they are clearly aware of what they offered to pay for the property, the amount of funds they must bring to closing will be quite a bit higher than the final purchase price....
What does the Corporate Transparency Act require?
The laws that apply to businesses are constantly evolving. As new industries develop and old industries evolve, lawmakers enact new laws and update existing ones to better reflect the modern economy. In 2021, federal lawmakers passed the Corporate Transparency Act...
The role of an environmental assessment in commercial real estate matters
In many commercial real estate matters, an environmental assessment is critical to the overall decision-making process. This assessment evaluates the environmental risks and liabilities associated with a property. An environmental assessment helps investors, lenders...
How might zoning regulations violate your land ownership rights?
Property owners in Pennsylvania have certain rights related to their land ownership. They have the right to quietly enjoy their property and utilize it as they see fit, provided that their use of the land complies with local and state law. They also have the right to...
What is a hard money loan?
Commercial real estate deals often involve "hard money loans”. In this case, the private lender offers fast cash financing at a higher interest rate and lower loan to value ratio than an institutional lender. Rather than a mortgage company, credit union or bank, the...
Importance Of Attorney Review Of Title Reports
According to the Washington Post, one-third of all real estate transactions require “extraordinary work” to deal with title issues, also referred to as “clouds” or “defects.” A title company will research past deeds, court judgments, tax records, trusts, wills,...
What Rights Do Property Owners Have With Runoff?
Pennsylvania contains a wide variety of different surface waters across the state. Included in which is over 83,000 miles of streams and rivers, more than 4,000 lakes and ponds as well as 120 miles of coastal waters. There is also groundwater, which is essential for...