Despite what people may tell you, just about everything in life is negotiable. This is particularly true in the world of commercial real estate. Commercial lease agreements obligating your business to pay a hefty sum in rent each month, but they also include many other critical terms regarding the use of the...
Should a Charitable Trust Be Part of My Estate Plan?
There are many options available to you in designing an estate plan that is just right for you and your goals, and with the help of a trusted advisor you can put the pieces in place in a way that perfectly suits your needs. A charitable trust is one of...
What Happens if You Inherit a Property in Foreclosure?
Knowing what will happen to your home or real estate properties after you pass is an important part of proper estate planning. However, it is an unfortunate fact that many elderly people face challenges paying their mortgages. This can add to the already daunting legal challenges that come with planning an estate,...
What Happens If Your Landlord Defaults on the Mortgage?
What happens if your landlord ends up in foreclosure after defaulting on the mortgage? In most U.S. jurisdictions a tenant cannot be immediately evicted or forced to leave a unit when a landlord is in foreclosure. And no matter how dire his financial straits may be, landlords are not permitted to turn...
Living Trusts, Revocable Trusts, and Pour Over Wills – What’s the Difference?
You’ve worked hard to acquire, built, and earn wealth during your life. But what is to become of it when you pass? To make sure your valuable property is protected even after you are gone, estate planning is name of the game is estate planning. Having a good estate...
Mortgages 101: What Every Homebuyer Needs to Know
For most people, buying a home is a dream come true. From pondering floorplans to picking paint colors, shopping for your first home can be a fun and fulfilling experience. Unfortunately, however, buying a home is much more complicated than many people expect. This is particularly true in light of recent changes...
Struggling with Property Taxes? Your Local Real Estate Attorney Can Help!
Property tax is essential in the Chicago area. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to fund the majority of public services we’ve come to depend on. Unfortunately, however, people across the nation to find themselves with an unnecessarily high property tax bill on their real-estate investments each year. Property taxes can be...
Top 3 Tips for Managing Estate Taxes
Much like filing your taxes, planning your estate is seldom easy and never fun. It requires you to think deeply about the circumstances you will leave your loved ones in after you pass. This can be tough to handle for anyone, but fortunately a good estate planning lawyer can help guide you though...
What is a Short Sale, and How Can It Help You?
Generally, people do not pay cash upfront for their first real estate purchase. Instead, most homes are purchased using a mortgage. Mortgages charge fees and interest, which means they can drive up the price of the home purchase. Most people expect their home to appreciate in value over time to cover this...
Trusts vs. Wills: Understanding the Most Common Estate Planning Tools
Part of what makes life so beautiful is that it doesn’t last forever. It’s a bittersweet reality. We work hard to contribute meaningfully to the world while we’re here, and our contribution goes on through the relationships we’ve built and the gifts we’ve given to the people and causes we care about. A good...
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