BUYING RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE: The Inspection Process
Just because a home might seem perfect on the outside doesn’t mean it’s actually flawless.
BUYING RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE: Attorney Approval
For the final post in my series on buying residential real estate, I will discuss the Attorney Approval phase. This is the last step in the 3 phase Negotiation Stage for the purchase of a new home. If you’ll recall, the Contract Negotiation phase and then the...
BUYING RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE: AN OVERVIEW
Buying the House with a White Picket Fence, Dream or Nightmare? Buying a new home can be an exciting experience. But it can also be very stressful because it is a “life event” (like getting married or having a baby) and it is more complicated than it appears, and,...
Protecting Your Company’s Image: An Overview
You’ve developed a successful business with an expanding client base. Everything seems to be going in the right direction. This is a wonderful position to be in and I congratulate you for creating such a prosperous enterprise. Building and maintaining a business is...
Cyber-Security and the Small Business
If your business takes credit card payments from customers, maintains computer records of current and past employees, etc., you have exactly the kind of information that draws the attention of hackers.
COMMERCIAL LEASES: INSURANCE OVERVIEW
Insurance can become complex, depending on the landlord’s and the tenant’s needs. There is no one size fits all approach.
Commercial Leases: Extension v. Renewal
How to continue your lease beyond its termination date. Such a continuation can be structured as either a renewal or an extension.
COMMERCIAL LEASES: TENANT VERIFICATION AND FORM CONTRACTS
I want to touch on how to investigate the legitimacy of the tenant business that will be located in your building. Then I’ll talk about best practices for reviewing form leases.
Commercial Leases: The Letter of Intent
…how to proceed with presenting these key provisions to a potential landlord for approval and inclusion of these terms in your lease. This goal is accomplished with a Letter of Intent.
COMMERCIAL LEASES: PRE-CLOSING INSPECTON / COOPERATION
… the importance of conducting a pre-closing inspection before you sign a lease agreement with a prospective landlord…
Why Homeowners May Need To Ditch Money For Sewer Cameras
Representative Luis Arroyo, D-Chicago, sponsored a bill that would require home sellers to have their main sewer lines evaluated as part of the property disclosure process.
COMMERCIAL LEASES: DEFINING THE TERMS
In my last few posts, I have discussed commercial lease provisions and delved into some of the core terms. In this post, I will provide a brief definition of several additional lease terms that are typically included in every commercial lease. These definitions are...
Commercial Lease Terms: Tenant Concessions
In my last two posts, I have discussed commercial lease provisions and focused on identifying the manner in which commercial rent is calculated and the operational cost items that may be included as Additional Rent. In this post, I will now provide a brief summary of...
COMMERCIAL LEASES: SQUARE FOOTAGE
Over the last several weeks, we’ve looked at how to choose commercial space and negotiate a lease for your business. Now I’d like to focus on the best way to determine a fair monthly rent based on the square footage. This may seem like a straightforward process, but...
Commercial Lease Provisions
Renting a commercial property for your business involves several careful steps. Over the past few weeks, we’ve discussed the differences between commercial and residential leases. In addition, I’ve explained how to identify some general features of a lease that may be...
COMMERCIAL LEASES: THE DRAFTING PROCESS
You’ve selected a space where you’d like your business to be located. Now you can expect the landlord to offer you a commercial lease. But chances are this document has been prepared either by the landlord or its attorney. Therefore, it’s likely the lease will be...