I’ve said it before, owning and managing real estate is challenging. Particularly residential real estate. I hear it from my Property Owner and Property Manager clients. I experience it when I am involved in negotiating in landlord/tenant disputes. Some of the pitfalls property owners have to watch out for are illustrated in a Wednesday, September 6 DepartmentContinue reading “Real Estate Investors & Property Managers Should Avoid These Pitfalls: DOJ and Landlord Settle Allegations of Family Discrimination.”
Author Archives: jeshuatlauka
Real Estate Investors and Property Managers Should Keep Track of this Bill to Make Veterans a Protected Class in Housing Discrimination.
On August 16, 2017 HB 4872 was introduced into the Michigan House of Representatives. The Bill amend the “Elliott-Larsen civil rights act,” and would provide that veterans are included in the list of those protected by Michigan law against housing discrimination. The Bill would define Military Service as: “STATUS OF BEING AN ACTIVE DUTY MEMBERContinue reading “Real Estate Investors and Property Managers Should Keep Track of this Bill to Make Veterans a Protected Class in Housing Discrimination.”
Removing Employment Barriers For the Most Vulnerable. Work To Be Done.
Today I read an article from the ABA Journal – NY District Attorney’s efforts resulted in some $644,000 of minor offenses being dismissed. Check out the article here. In making his argument in support of the massive dismissals, the District Attorney explained to the Judge that: “New Yorkers with 10-year-old summons warrants face unnecessary unemploymentContinue reading “Removing Employment Barriers For the Most Vulnerable. Work To Be Done.”
Community Revitalization To Include Downtown Grocery Stores: Update on The Urban Food Initiative.
Yesterday I read a story about a Detroiter, Raphael Wright who plans on opening a “mission-driven supermarket” in downtown Detroit. Check out the article on NextCity. Raphael’s idea is sparked by a much needed grocery option in Detroit- particularly for low-income residents. I love this idea. A few years back I took my family toContinue reading “Community Revitalization To Include Downtown Grocery Stores: Update on The Urban Food Initiative.”
Cautionary Tale for Real Estate Investors: Yesterday California Investor Sentenced to Prison for Bid Rigging at Foreclosure Sales.
There are many pitfalls for real estate investors who purchase distressed property. In today’s market, good deals for real estate investors are getting harder to come by. With distressed property becoming a scarce resource and competition ever increasing, some real estate investors have resorted to less than legal acts to boost their profit. Investors should know thatContinue reading “Cautionary Tale for Real Estate Investors: Yesterday California Investor Sentenced to Prison for Bid Rigging at Foreclosure Sales.”
Business Law Update: Court Lessons on Personal Guarantees.
In the world of lending if a business wants to secure financing, you will be hard-pressed to find a bank that is not going to require some collateral, including a personal guarantee of the debt by the principal owner(s) of the business. businesses don’t want to sign personal guarantees; it’s why businesses take on theContinue reading “Business Law Update: Court Lessons on Personal Guarantees.”
OCC’s Remarks on Fintech Charter and a “Conversation about Financial Innovation and Fintech”
Today, Keith A. Noreika, Acting Comptroller of the Currency gave remarks encompassing the topic of Responsible Financial Innovation and Fintech Companies. You can read Mr. Noreika’s remarks here. All the excitement surrounding fintech companies reminds me of something that gets me excited – college football, particularly Michigan State Spartan Football (thus, a photo from oneContinue reading “OCC’s Remarks on Fintech Charter and a “Conversation about Financial Innovation and Fintech””
Fintech Company “Lemonade” Following Through on Its Purpose Driven Mission.
In the past I have posted on Fintech Companies – and highlighted a few – namely Lemonade. Below is an update on some exciting things Lemonade is doing. But as a threshold matter: What is Fintech? According to FinTech Weekly: Financial technology, also known as FinTech, is a line of business based onContinue reading “Fintech Company “Lemonade” Following Through on Its Purpose Driven Mission.”
Business Law Update: Lessons From Court on Deadlock Between Business Owners.
This morning was rainy and gray in Grand Rapids. It is one of those days that prompted me to write on a topic that can be downright depressing – when relationships between shareholders go bad. I had a client come in recently and ask me to set up an LLC for him. Client planned onContinue reading “Business Law Update: Lessons From Court on Deadlock Between Business Owners.”
Real Estate Law Update – a Court Case Discussing Laches.
From a lawyer’s perspective, real estate disputes are often messy. The parties are often driven by emotion. The facts are often complex. Simply put – it is usually a mess. Often the doctrine of laches gets raised in such a lawsuit. A few years back I wrote a post about the legal (technically, “equitable”) doctr ineContinue reading “Real Estate Law Update – a Court Case Discussing Laches.”
Purpose Driven General Counsel 