Commercial Real Estate Law in Wisconsin

In Edgerton, Wisconsin, commercial real estate is any parcel of land, or any building, which is used for business purposes, as opposed to residential, agricultural, or industrial use.

The laws in Edgerton, Wisconsin which regulate commercial real estate differ considerably from the laws governing the rental and purchase of residential real estate.

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

These absent protections include rent control, and warranties of habitability, among others. The most basic protections, such as prohibiting sellers of real estate from lying about the property to the buyer, apply in any context, however.

Common Commercial Real Estate Law Issues in Edgerton, Wisconsin

Financing: Some small businesses in Edgerton, Wisconsin find it necessary, at some point, to purchase a piece of real estate, for various reasons. However, most owners of small to medium-sized businesses can't afford to make a real estate purchase up front, with the cash they have on hand. Simply put, very few people have hundreds of thousands of dollars just sitting in the bank. One solution to this is a mortgage, which is similar to most other types of secured loans: a bank lends you money, and you put up some piece of property as collateral, so the bank has some security in the event of default. With a mortgage, however, the property being purchased with the loan also secures the loan, authorizing the bank to foreclose on it in case the buyer defaults.

Disclosure of Defects: Sellers of real estate have an obligation to inform prospective buyers of any defects present in the property, such as water damage and other structural problems. Basically, 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 substantial 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.

Buyer's Duty to Inspect: usually, buyers of commercial real estate are expected to inspect the property before buying it. A failure to do so might prevent the buyer from prevailing in a lawsuit if he is injured by physical defects that an inspection would have revealed, and that the seller didn't know about.

Encumbrances: Encumbrances are defects of a different type: rather than physical defects, they are defects of title. In Edgerton, Wisconsin, 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 specific purpose. For example, 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 Edgerton, Wisconsin Attorney Help?

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