Author Archives: Larry Bray
Your Home Failed Inspection. Is the Deal Dead?
You keep your home in good, working order. You maintain it regularly and repair what’s needed. So, when it’s time to sell your home, the last thing that you’re concerned about is the inspection. But then it happens—your home has problems revealed by the pre-closing inspection, or worse, your home “fails inspection.” Or, if… Read More »
Understanding and Recognizing Common Fair Housing Violations
If you own property, whether it is residential or commercial, you may be looking to sell the property, or rent or lease it out. In doing so, you are likely to try to market or promote the property. But be careful, because even if you don’t intend to discriminate, it’s easier than you may… Read More »
Leaving and Inheriting Shares and Stocks in An Estate Plan
Among the many things that we plan to leave to our loved ones, or that we may expect to inherit from loved ones, are intangible assets—specifically, shares or stocks. But unlike other assets that are left and inherited through an estate plan, stocks can create some special situations that should be dealt with, when… Read More »
Handling and Identifying Municipal Liens Before Closing
When you are closing on property, your real estate attorney will conduct a title or lien search on the property. The purpose of this search is to identify any outstanding liens on the property, which could affect your ownership, ability to take title, or your ability to take title free and clear of owing… Read More »
Repair and Maintenance Provisions in Commercial Leases
When you review or sign a commercial lease, there is a lot of information to pay attention to. We tend to be drawn to rent, expenses, and anything else that comes out of our pocket on a regular basis, understandably. But one thing that too many tenants may overlook, are duties to maintain and… Read More »
You Can Include ADR in Your Contracts, But Should You?
Alternative dispute resolution, or ADR, includes things like mediation and arbitration, which are conducted in an effort to try to resolve disputes outside of court, or before a full blown trial. ADR can be a cost effective method of resolving disputes, without the time, cost, or necessity of extended business litigation. You can include… Read More »
Could a Beneficiary Controlled Trust be Right for You?
The way a trust works is relatively simple. You put property in the trust. The person who establishes the trust is called the settlor. Those who receive the property in the trust are beneficiaries. And the trust is the person who administers the trust, according to the instructions and directions given to them by… Read More »
Don’t Let Your Well Planned Out Trust Fail
So you’ve done the right thing, and gone to an estate planning attorney and set up your estate plan. Your estate plan is complete, and you can go on, safe in the assumption that your property will be left to whomever you have designated to get it. Except for one problem: have you taken… Read More »
Doc Stamps: Do They Have to be Paid?
When you close on a home, and you look through your closing costs, you may see something called doc stamps. It seems like an unnecessary cost—what are these, and why are you even having to pay for them? Just Another Tax Like so many taxes, doc stamps are just a tax, used by governments… Read More »
Understanding the Right to Quiet Enjoyment
It is generally understood that when we rent property, along with whatever rights are in the rent agreement itself, there is also what is known as a right of quiet enjoyment. Quiet enjoyment is a simple concept, although one that can have differing interpretations, making it something important for property owners, and those who… Read More »
