Clayton Walker, Alaska Law Offices, Inc.
Anchorage, AK 99518 — 907-230-6988
The annual right of passage for Anchorage property owners is the receipt in the mail of the Anchorage Board of Equalization green property appraisal card. If you do not agree with the property value as assessed you may appeal the valuation. You may appeal on the grounds that the appraisal is “unequal, excessive, improper or under evaluation.” Continue reading “Anchorage Board of Equalization — Property Taxes”
Real Property Lawyers applied the Fair Housing Act’s section 3604(c) to a Craigslist advertisement for a one-bedroom apartment. The Connor Group placed an ad on Craigslist for an apartment in Dayton, Ohio, advertising a “great bachelor pad for any single man looking to hook up.” The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center brought suit against the Connor Group for violating the Fair Housing Act. The case went to trial. The jury found that the ad did not violate the act. Miami Valley appealed the district court’s denial of their Rule 59 motion for a new trial. The Connor Group cross-appealed because after winning the trial they were denied a recovery of their attorney fees. On appeal the court sent the parties back for a new trial. The court ruled that the jury instructions improperly stated the law. The full case can be found here.
If you are an Alaskan landlord, Alaskan property manager or Alaskan real estate agent and want to avoid Fair Housing Act violations call us at 907-375-9226 to review your advertisement policy.
Anchorage Real Property Lawyer
It’s good to get out and take in the views on a sunny day. From Wolverine Peak across the Chugach Range. Lots of people were out for the adventure. I wound up meeting with a judge, a former board member and client at various points along the hike.
It’s good to get out and take in the views on a sunny day. From Wolverine Peak across the Chugach Range. Lots of people were out for the adventure. I wound up meeting with a judge, a former board member and client at various points along the hike.
I frequently am asked by landlords and tenant how long different furnishings should last. This question comes up frequently when a landlord wants to charge the tenant with the cost of repair or replacement of components in a rental property. Landlords tend to want to charge the complete cost of replacement on the last tenant in possession before the item broke or was scheduled for replacement. In contrast the tenant is not liable for mere ordinary wear and tear. The closer the furnishing is to its life expectancy before failure or replacement the more it looks like the failure was simply ordinary wear and tear. The parties could rely on pictures and anecdotal evidence of the life expectancy of home components. Or they could hire an expert to give evidence and direction. Or they could look to industry standard material. A recent study was performed in 2006 by the National Association of Home Builders and Bank of America Home — The Equity Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components.
This information can also be used for scheduling maintenance and refurbishment of rental property or evaluating structures for acquisition. Knowing the expected life of the residence components can also aid in forecasting future property maintenance expenses. Using the list you can find which components are near their life expectancy and either negotiate a reduction in price on those components.
If you are an investment property buyer, landlord, tenant and want more information on how you can use this information in your business, give us a call at 907-375-9226 to schedule an appointment.
Depreciation and Changes in Use of Real Property.
Interesting traps for the unwary when you change the use of depreciable property from residential to nonresidential. Because residential property is depreciated about 30% faster that nonresidential. I wonder how many real estate operators will convert commercial space to residential to acceleration investment recovery.
The Tax Times: The Internet Sales Tax Exemption About To Expire?.
Oh how the world would change if the internet shippers have to remit and pay state and local sales taxes to the cities and states of their customers. All of the UPS and Fedex shipping that has been subsidized by the uncollected and unpaid taxes will likely slow down. The states and municipalities will finally start seeing a recovery after two decades of declining tax base.
Comparing the benefits and burdens of Limited Liability Company (LLC) and S-Corp is important, they are not the same. Before you blindly jump into one or the other you should know what you’re getting and what you’re giving up. This post will introduce some of the important considerations in entity selection.
Available Alternatives.
There are a number of forms of business entity available under state law – sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations and LLCs. Federal law applies different tax Continue reading “Comparing Limited Liability Company and S-Corp”
Brewers Association | Small Brewer Federal Excise Tax Bill Reintroduced in Congress.
It looks like some welcome news for all the Alaskan brewers is brewing in congress. I’m sure the tax relief will be welcome news.
Acquisitions are generally accomplished in one of two ways: purchase of the business and assets of a company or purchase of the company stock. Purchase of the business and assets has one advantage: the buyer knows the liabilities that will accompany the purchase. Those liabilities not assumed remain with the seller. Thus in an asset deal, the buyer is not at risk with respect to liabilities that don’t surface, such as tax claims, tort Continue reading “Thinking About Buying a Business”