Just this past week, MinnPost.com posted a story about the Twin Cities housing market. Apparently, 41% of Twin Cities homes are “underwater”, i.e., the homeowners owe more than what their homes are worth. The fact that almost half of Twin …
With the credit markets still tight , I have seen a spike in private loan transactions. These deals, sometimes known as “hard money” loans, typically have a higher rate of interest than a conventional bank loan. If a borrower’s credit …
It is common knowledge that that Federal, State and local governments cannot make laws that discriminate against certain protected classes. A corollary of this is that governments can make laws that discriminate against non-protected classes. The income tax is a …
The Important Role Real Estate Investors Play in the Housing Market Read more »
Yesterday I had the privilege of being on the panel for Social Media Breakfast – Twin Cities on the Topic of “How the Real Estate Industry is Utilizing Social Media.” My co-panelists were Steve Ladin , Jason Sandquist , Teresa …
SMBMSP #25 – How the Real Estate Industry is Utilizing Social Media Read more »
I work with a lot of entrepreneurs and real estate investors who are utilizing self-directed IRAs as a financing mechanism. Contrary to what some professional advisors believe, self-directed IRAs are legal under the Internal Revenue Code. That does not mean, …
Ten Common Mistakes Self-Directed IRA Investors Make Read more »
These days, I am working with a lot of new real estate investors who are looking to buy properties while the market is at or near the bottom. Real estate investment, however, is fraught with issues that, without sound legal …
These past five weeks, I’ve written about several real estate laws – both Federal and Minnesota – that, in my opinion, do not make sense any longer. I’ve done this to show that good intentions sometimes produce unintended adverse results. …
Top Five Silliest Real Estate Laws: No. 1: Minnesota’s Torrens Law Read more »
Deciding between the No. 1 silliest real estate law and the runner-up was a not an easy decision. However, when I post about No. 1, you’ll see why this law ended up in the No. 2 slot, even though it …
Top Five Silliest Real Estate Laws: No. 2: Extended Rescission Rights Under TILA Read more »
One of the things that I’ve learned as a real estate attorney from the housing market downturn is the effect that seemingly minor laws can have on the free flow of transactions in residential real estate. Almost daily I field …
Top Five Silliest Real Estate Laws: No. 3: The FHA’s “Seasoning” Rule Read more »
Continuing with our theme of real estate laws whose time has come…and gone…No. 4 on our list is the abandoned property provisions of Minnesota’s landlord-tenant statutes, Minnesota Statutes Chapter 504B. I work with a lot of real estate investors who …