10 Things to Look for in a Residential or Commercial Lease (LegalZoom)

/0 Comments/in /by

Signing a new lease is always exciting—and a little nerve-wracking. On the one hand, a new space means new possibilities. On the other, a lease is a legal document, and who knows what might be lurking there? If you’re about to sign a lease, don’t let the legalese trip you up. Whether it’s a residential lease for your home or apartment, or a commercial lease for your business, these 10 common lease terms explain your responsibilities and tell you what your lease will cost. Read them carefully, and you’ll kn

Source: 10 Things to Look for in a Residential or Commercial Lease

How To Do Estate Planning On The Cheap (Forbes)

/in /by

Yes, it can be painful to pay for estate planning. Lawyers charge a lot. The benefits of a plan are delayed, and you don’t live to see them anyway. Who wants to spend big bucks on a plan when times are so tough and the federal estate tax is in flux? Fewer and fewer Americans, it seems. Only 35% had a will in 2009, and only about half had any estate-planning documents at all–a will, a trust or a financial or medical power of attorney, according to a survey by Lawyers.com. That’s a drop from previous years.

Source: How To Do Estate Planning On The Cheap

Preparing for a new year: Take time now for a quick estate plan review | Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C. – JDSupra

/0 Comments/in /by

Hopefully, you’ve already made certain estate planning provisions this year to protect the interests of your heirs and minimize potential estate tax liability. But that doesn’t mean you’re completely in the clear. You can’t just fill out the paperwork, lock up the documents in a file cabinet or store them electronically, and forget about it. Consider your estate plan to be a “work in progress.”

Source: Preparing for a new year: Take time now for a quick estate plan review | Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C. – JDSupra

A Buyer’s Guide to Reading Financial Statements – Consider a Building’s Fiscal Health

/0 Comments/in , /by

One of the most important issues in deciding if a cooperative or condominium apartment is a wise investment is the financial status of the building itself. The key document that potential buyers should review is the annual financial statement. This review, commonly known as due diligence, should b…

Read entire article here: A Buyer’s Guide to Reading Financial Statements – Consider a Building’s Fiscal Health

Radon | US EPA

/0 Comments/in , /by

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. You can’t see or smell radon. Testing is the only way to know your level of exposure. Radon can have a big impact on indoor air quality.

Read more here: Radon | US EPA website

Cleaning and Repairs a Landlord Can Deduct From a Security Deposit

/0 Comments/in /by

Typically, landlords may charge tenants for any cleaning or repairs necessary to restore the rental unit to its condition at the beginning of the tenancy. Landlords may not, however, use the tenant’s security deposit to cover the costs of ordinary wear and tear. Here are examples of wear and tear versus damage or excessive filth:

Read more here: Cleaning and Repairs a Landlord Can Deduct From a Security Deposit | Nolo.com

TRANSFER TAX CONVEYANCES PURSUANT TO DIVORCE DECREE OR SEPARATION

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Conveyances for no consideration made between spouses are a common occurrence. Such conveyances may be made for a host of purposes, such as the making of a gift, estate planning, and loan eligibility.

In all of these instances, no money is being exchanged. The transfer is without consideration and is not in connection with a sale. As a consequence, gift transfers or transfers made without consideration are not subject to transfer tax. Both the NYS real estate transfer tax return (TP-584) and the NYC RPT real property tax return (NYC-RPT) list no consideration transfers among the types of conveyances that are exempt from transfer tax.

But what of conveyances made pursuant to divorce decree or separation agreement? In such instances, no money is being exchanged. Is the transfer without consideration and not in connection with a sale?

At first glance, one might assume that because no money is actually being paid, the conveyance is without consideration and not in connection with a sale. Schedule I of the NYC-RPT addresses this issue. It asks for four pieces of information: the fair market value, the existence of any unpaid mortgages, the percentage of ownership interest being transferred to the other spouse, and any alternate value assigned to the transferred interest that is recited in the settlement agreement, separation agreement or divorce decree. The basis for taxation is found in Section 23-03(d)(3) of Title 19 of the Rules of the City of New York (“RCNY”). This section states that “a conveyance of realty from one spouse to the other pursuant to the terms of a separation agreement” is subject to tax.

Read entire article here: TRANSFER TAX CONVEYANCES PURSUANT TO DIVORCE DECREE OR SEPARATION

Co-op Vs Condo | Co-op Apartments NYC

/0 Comments/in , /by

In 1882, the developers of the Rembrandt declared they were seeking “people of means and good social standing,” as owners. The building, at 152 West 57th Street, was New York City’s first co-op, a form of vertical living that quickly became ubiquitous in the city and still makes up a good chunk of its housing stock. But the age of the co-op is well and truly over: Since 2000, developers have moved to create a mere 75 new co-op projects, and no more than seven total in any given year, according to a new analysis by The Real Deal.

Read the entire article here: Co-op Vs Condo | Co-op Apartments NYC

Stock meltdown doesn’t scare your financial adviser: YOU do

/0 Comments/in /by

What keeps financial advisers, tax experts, credit counselors and wealth managers up at night? Not a stock market crash, but investors’ irrational behavior.

Click here to read full article: Stock meltdown doesn’t scare your financial adviser: YOU do

Forget that Prince had no Will, What About the Estate Tax Problems? | Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP – JDSupra

/0 Comments/in /by

However, whether Prince had a Will, or other testamentary instruments, is not the biggest problem his Estate is going to face, not by a long shot. Instead, his Estate is going to face a problem caused by his sheer success, one that would have been much more complex and harder to plan around than executing a Will.

Source: Forget that Prince had no Will, What About the Estate Tax Problems? | Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP – JDSupra