Real Estate Transactions: Our Approach

We take a pragmatic approach and work toward facilitating the transactions our clients want to make, rather than unnecessarily creating roadblocks by being overly legalistic. At the same time, we protect the interests of our clients by pointing out and guarding against potential problems and pitfalls. We draft real estate documents which can be understood by lawyers and non-lawyers alike. We have extensive experience in many complex real estate matters, as summarized below, and we strive to return telephone calls within 24 hours.

Real Estate Purchases and Sales:

	Assisting clients with the purchase and sale of vacant commercial land, improved commercial property, and residential property including:
	Negotiating and preparing purchase agreements, option agreements, escrow agreements and land contracts.
	Advising on and resolving a variety of due diligence issues.
	Preparing closing documents and coordinating closings.
	Advising on tax issues related to the acquisition and sale of real property.
	Assisting out-of-state law firms with real estate transactions involving Michigan property, and consulting with out-of-state law firms to assist local clients with the acquisition and sale of real property outside of Michigan.
	Structuring complex commercial real estate transactions to accommodate tax free exchanges.

Land Development:

	Structuring subdivision and condominium developments.
	Drafting easement agreements for roads, driveways and utilities, and drafting restrictive covenants for development projects.

Construction:

	Drafting construction contracts for large and small projects.
	Advising on, preparing, recording, and foreclosing upon construction liens.

Leasing:

Drafting and negotiating leases and subleases for build-to-suit construction projects, single- tenant and multi-tenant commercial buildings, and residential properties.

Financing:

	Assisting borrowers in small and multi-million dollar end-loans for construction projects and conduit loan transactions (one having been in excess of $40 million), including restructuring borrowing entities to comply with the lender's conduit loan requirements.
	Preparing promissory notes, mortgages, guaranties and security agreements for loan transactions.

Zoning and Planning:

	Advising on land use and zoning issues.
	Representing clients before city councils and planning commissions on land division applications, rezoning applications and tax abatement applications.

Fees and Costs:

We bill our real estate clients on an hourly basis and we charge for out-of-pocket costs we incur in handling the matter. We invoice on a monthly basis. Where appropriate, we consider other flexible fee arrangements.

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