Albany Commercial Real Estate Lawyers

Find the right Commercial Real Estate attorney in Albany, CA

Commercial Real Estate Law in California

In Albany, California, "commercial real estate" is any form of land or building which is utilized for a business, as opposed to residential, purpose.

The laws regulating real estate in Albany, California apply differently when dealing with commercial, as opposed to residential, real estate.

When renting or buying residential real estate, renters and buyers have considerable legal protections which often don't apply to commercial real estate.

For instance, residential real estate is governed by laws concerning rent control, living conditions, and other things relevant to buildings where people will be living. Most of these protections don't apply to commercial real estate, because the law assumes that the average business person is a bit more sophisticated in such dealings than the general population, and because a place to do business is typically less important than a place to live. However, the most basic protections, such as protection from fraud and deliberate concealment of defects, still apply.

Common Commercial Real Estate Law Issues in Albany, California

Financing: Most small business owners in Albany, California don't have the money to buy real estate with the cash on hand. Nonetheless, there is a solution to this problem, permitting people without massive sums of money (but with a steady income) to buy real estate: the mortgage. A mortgage is a loan used to buy real estate, and the real estate being bought is used as collateral for the loan.

Disclosure of Defects: Sellers of real estate have an requirement to inform prospective buyers of any defects present in the property, such as water damage and other structural problems. Essentially, if the defect is significant enough that it might affect a reasonable buyer's decision on whether or not to purchase the property, and the seller knows about it, it must be disclosed. Failure to disclose such defects would give a buyer the right to sue the seller, and recover considerable damages, including the cost of repairing the defect, compensation for any injuries or illness caused by it, and the reduction in the property's value caused by the defect.

Duty to Inspect: Buyers of commercial real estate are expected to be diligent, and a court will not reward a lack of diligence. Thus, if the buyer fails to conduct a thorough inspection of the property before buying it, and thereby fails to discover defects which such an inspection could have easily revealed, he will not be able to sue the seller over these defects later on.

Encumbrances: Encumbrances are defects of a different type: rather than physical defects, they are defects of title. In Albany, California, an encumbrance is an interest in a piece of real estate held by a third party, such as covenants or easements. An easement is a right held by someone to use the property of someone else for a particular purpose. For instance, a person might have an easement on the land of another person, allowing them to cross the land to access a public road.

Can a Albany, California Attorney Help?

These issues are sometimes intricate, and almost always very important. Therefore, it's necessary to seek the assistance of an Albany, California real estate attorney if you have any dealings in this area.

Talk to a Real Estate Law Attorney now!

Life in Albany

Albany, California is a city in Alameda County. It has a population of about 18,500 people.

The town of Albany was incorporated in 1909, when residents became fed up with the larger nearby city of Berkeley dumping its garbage in Albany. The residents voted to incorporate to give the town more territorial autonomy, allowing them to legally bar other cities from dumping garbage there without permission.

The city was named after Albany, New York, which was the birthplace of the town's first mayor.

Modernly, Albany is a quiet residential community, whose local economy is largely based around retail and services. Many professionals, such as lawyers, who practice in nearby larger cities, live in Albany, California.

There are also many lawyers who live, as well as practice, in Albany, California. So, if you need legal advice, it's very likely that there's an Albany, California attorney who will be able to help.

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