We Understand The Ins And Outs Of Real Estate Law
If someone in your family has certain disabilities, they may qualify for Medicaid and other government benefits based on their financial situation. However, to ensure they continue receiving the care they need, you may want to give them an inheritance after you pass. If you don’t do this properly, the...
Whether you’re buying or selling a piece of real estate, it’s a big decision. The finances involved are usually significant and there’s a lot at stake. Often, real estate deals go through smoothly, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, a buyer will try and back out of a sale....
Entering a business partnership with someone can be a great way to move a company forward. Yet, whether you do it from the outset or once the business is up and running, one thing is crucial. You must create a solid partnership agreement. Here are some of the things the...
Question: When is the ideal location for something not ideal? Answer: When zoning laws prohibit you from doing the thing you want in that location. Local authorities use zoning laws to control how an area develops. They can use them to encourage new investment in deprived areas or to prevent...
The dream of homeownership should be available to everyone in New Jersey, regardless of race, color or national origin. But the reality for many people of color is that they often face discrimination when trying to buy or sell a home. One version of this frequently happens at the appraisal...
Maybe you just moved into your new home a little over a year ago when someone shows up and claims to have a partial ownership interest. Perhaps you have already owned the property for years. Title claims could be the result of mistakes during estate administration, fraud, problems with property...
You just found the perfect property to invest in. Unfortunately, you won’t be around to finalize the purchase. Now you’re conflicted about whether you should stay home to finalize an investment or go on your overseas trip. Instead of being split between traveling and investing in property, you may have...
You may have started your estate planning by looking at the financial assets and the sentimental items that you know your children are going to want. However, you also need to deal with your real estate in your plan. This could be a family home, for instance, or a cabin...
The homeowners association (HOA) in the community where you live helps preserve your property value and guarantees your quiet enjoyment of your home. The HOA establishes certain community standards and then enforces those rules by regulating access to shared spaces and assessing fees when appropriate. The HOA will also collect...
While real estate contracts are fairly straightforward, mistakes still happen. Even seasoned real estate agents make them from time to time. The best way to avoid errors with a real estate contract is to know the most common ones. Not filling in the entire contract There should never be blank...
Contingency clauses are often used in home sales. These contingencies have to be met in order for the seller and the buyer to be contractually obligated to work with one another. The potential buyer will put the contingencies in when they make the offer, and they only have to honor...
As the landlord, you cannot evict a tenant whenever you wish. You must follow the law, or else it may amount to an illegal eviction which could come with undesirable consequences. First, you must have good cause to evict the tenant. Some valid reasons include: Non-payment of rent Repeatedly acting...
When you apply for Medicaid, your application is subject to a review of your spending. This is known as the five-year look-back period. During that period, Medicaid checks for ways in which you might have spent money that could have been used to help with your current medical care. For...
After months of more demand than supply and frequent bidding wars, the real estate market in New Jersey has started to shift. With the increase in interest rates has come a drop in buyers wanting to get to the closing table. Some sellers now find themselves in the awkward position...
A will is one of the most important legal documents you can ever create during your lifetime. If you die without one (intestate), the New Jersey laws will determine how your hard-earned assets are distributed. A properly written will, on the other hand, can give you peace of mind knowing...
When you create a will, you do so to eliminate potential confusions and conflicts that may arise regarding the fate of your assets. However, if you have concerns about someone disputing your will, it helps to figure out how you can protect it. One of the steps you can take...
Planning your estate gives you control over what happens to your property and also allows you to provide support for your loved ones when you can no longer physically be with them. What happens to your home will matter to the people who live with you and to those who...
Talking about your mortality and what you want to happen to your wealth when you are gone may seem awkward. In fact, talking about death and money at the same time can be taboo in most households – so this conversation rarely happens. However, no matter how controversial and uncomfortable...
If you have ever completed the mountain of paperwork necessary to buy a house, you may wonder how on earth a place can end up with title issues. Surely all that is needed is for sellers and buyers to sign, and the proof of transfer of ownership will be clear?...
Creating your estate plan gives you a chance to dictate what happens to your assets when you pass away. People can pass along assets through their will, but many opt to establish trusts for doing this for a variety of reasons. When you look into trusts, you’ll notice that every...
House prices are soaring, and mortgage companies are scrutinizing buyers harder than ever before. You need great credit, a lot of money to put down and extra cash for all appraisals and other “extra” costs of purchasing a home. When you’re paying more for rent every month than you would...
You have searched for a new home for several months now. Finally, something has come up. You’ve spotted the ideal house. It has great facilities and plenty of space for your young children. The house is also for sale at a price that is well within your budget. It almost...
If you have a difficult tenant who you want out of your premises, frustrating their stay sounds like a sure way of getting them to vacate. Turning off their utilities like water, heating or power may seem like the perfect plan, but it is not. You could get in legal...
You try to vet your tenants so that you don’t have any issues and you get good tenants who are respectful of the space and who work with you every step of the way. But you don’t always have enough time to make sure that you’ve gotten this perfectly right,...
Thinking about a time when you are ill or nearing the end of life is uncomfortable but crucial. Most people want to retain control over their healthcare for as long as possible. However, not enough realize that estate planning can help you do just that. In estate planning, you have...
You run a construction company, so you’re always wary that clients may make claims that you have built them a defective property. In some cases, these claims have absolutely no grounds, such as when the client simply doesn’t like the aesthetic choices but you followed their plans and instructions perfectly....
If you are a landlord of rental properties, then you have lots of responsibilities. You’re the go-to person that agitated tenants call when their toilet overflows, the air conditioning won’t cool their unit or the heat balks in January. But what are you legally required to do to ensure that...
An easement is a legal arrangement that means someone who does not own a piece of property does have a legal right to use it. There are many examples of how this happens, but one of the most common is when a person shares a driveway with a neighbor. That...
Zoning rules help protect the characteristics of a community and the environment. However, sometimes they need to change to reflect the changing characteristics of a neighborhood. Property that was once commercial or even industrial could become a residential property. Such conversions, involving everything from old industrial buildings to vacant office...
Most people don’t sell a home very often, and that can leave you a little fuzzy about the rules you have to follow. You know that there are certain disclosures you have to make about the property that could affect both its value and any potential offers you might receive....
Contingency clauses are legal devices people use when buying and selling property, giving them a reason to break the contract. These contingency clauses can take on many forms. For example, one of the most common contingency clauses is that the sale is dependent on the buyer securing financing. When the...
If you live in a homeowner’s association, then there is a chance that you could run into issues with the HOA. One possibility is that the HOA could ask you to sell your home. HOAs can’t technically force you to sell your home, but an HOA could enforce rules or...
