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Category Archives: Real Estate

Are We in the Zone? What You Need to Know about Zoning for Commercial Real Estate Deals

Zoning is a major factor in any real estate transaction. It determines how a parcel of land can or can’t be used and allows communities to control property values and ensure safe land use. Zoning rules and regulations are divided into two categories, these being land use requirements and ordinance-based requirements. The intricacies of zoning…

Understanding ADA Requirements for Historic Properties

The passing of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) made access to places of public accommodation a civil right and is applicable to all properties, regardless of age or status as a ‘historic property.’ In other words, all places of public accommodation must remove barriers where feasible with no exclusions or exemptions. However, some historic…

A closer look at the new ASTM E2018-15 Standard Guide for Property Condition Assessments

ASTM has updated it A2018-15 Standard Guide for Property Condition Assessments. What were the key changes?

March 2015 Events

Start            End              Conference                              Location 1 5 ICBA National Convention Orlando, FL 2 4 CLRM Roundtable Phoenix, AZ 3 3 CREJ: Multifamily Owners and Managers Conference and Expo Englewood, CO 3…

Assessing the Assessor – What Makes a Quality Phase I ESA?

What are the key pillars of the Phase I ESA process that determine the quality of the report? Jason Bates discusses important things to look out for when selecting your environmental consultant.

How Did Environmental Contamination Become a Factor in the Appraisal World?

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) Handbook on Commercial Real Estate published in 2013 mandates that environmental contamination should be discussed and considered in real estate appraisals.  In the same year the OCC updates were published, the Appraisal Institute released a document providing guidance to appraisers for how environmental contamination should be…

File reviews: digging to uncover business environmental risks

Under ASTM E1527-13, file reviews are a much more pertinent part of Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESA) to accurately identify the potential for Recognized Environmental Conditions (REC) and assess business environmental risk associated with a property.

A Marriage That Will Last

The excitement over the corporate marriage between Partner Engineering and Science, Inc. and the former Birdsall Services Group (BSG) seems justified as the idea of the two working in tandem has quickly become a reality. Key Birdsall competencies are intact: Mechanical/electrical/plumbing (MEP) engineering design, construction services, energy and sustainability services, civil engineering and site survey services,…

Going beyond ASTM – Property Condition Assessments

The satisfactory completion of real estate transactions relies on the satisfactory completion of due diligence. The broad definition of due diligence includes a number of non-physical issues, such as leases and contracts, property title issues, taxes and assessments, approvals and entitlements, historic and open space provisions and personal property. The physical issues related to a…