A few years ago, I received a call from an elderly client (let’s call him “Fred”) in a panic. Fred told me that he went out to his lake cottage one spring for the first time since winter and…
Hertz Schram Partner Eva Cantarella was sworn in as one of five new Directors of the Michigan Commercial Board of REALTORS (CBOR) during a board meeting on July 25. She will serve a three-year term as a Director. CBOR “…is the…
Prior to 1995, real property in Michigan was taxed at its “assessed value”; that is, at 50% of its true cash value, which Michigan courts deem synonymous with fair market value. This meant that taxes on real property went…
It’s not always as straight forward as you might think! JMC v. City of Grand Rapids, 2015 Mich. App. LEXIS 953 (May 12, 2015), highlights the importance of knowing the “party in interest” with the right to appeal a Michigan…
Many lawyers have multiple specialties that seem to go hand in hand. People often think of lawyers with dual specialties as having only one. Tax AND estate planning, medical malpractice AND personal injury, corporate AND securities are but a…
Last week’s Michigan Court of Appeals decision in Stenman v. Stenman, Docket Number 321203, provides a cautionary tale: You do not always have absolute control over your own property. In Stenman, the court recognized the broad authority of a public utility…
Most are aware of the recent housing bubble in the U.S., which caused strife across the nation’s economy. However, there may be many in Michigan and other states who do not realize that an entire portion of the real…
People Place Significant Importance On Historical Landmarks And Will Create Public Policies Geared Toward Preserving These Landmarks If Possible. However, due to the nature of historical landmarks, it can be costly to maintain the properties, especially if a property has…
When a company purchases a large piece of commercial property, it has to conform to the rules and regulations of the city government. However, many times the city government will also proactively help the new owner of commercial real…
There are a variety of factors which could affect the local real estate market. Some of these factors could include recent economic fluctuations, unemployment rates and even natural disasters affecting the local areas in Michigan. However, one…