Real Estate Blog

Category: General

laptop with glasses and two paint brushes on a blue wooden surface

Show Me the Money! Negotiating Tenant Allowances

04/06/2015   |   BY Sherin and Lodgen

Tenant Allowances are cash contributions made by a landlord to a tenant to prepare the premises for business. Landlords offer... Read More »

five miniature houses made out of 100 dollar bills

Rooftop Leasing – Landlords, Look Before You Leap!

03/30/2015   |   BY Ronald W. Ruth

This month’s edition of Shopping Centers Today, the magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers, Inc., features an article... Read More »

the word "permits" labeled on a blue binder in a office

Massachusetts Permit Session Jurisdiction Explained

02/27/2015   |   BY Sander A. Rikleen and Jennifer Ioli Connelly

On February 27th, the Massachusetts Appeals Court again held that certain land use appeals under Mass. G.L.c. 185, §3A, cannot... Read More »

modern electric meter close up view

What You Need To Know: Boston and Cambridge Energy Use Disclosure Ordinances

01/05/2015   |   BY Jennifer Ioli Connelly

On July 28, 2014, Cambridge, Massachusetts enacted an energy use disclosure ordinance, joining Boston and several other cities. The Cambridge... Read More »

miniature solar panel house with gold money sign in the middle

Take Advantage of the Massachusetts Personal Property Tax Exemption for Solar Installations

12/17/2014   |   BY Sander A. Rikleen

The Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board recently addressed the situation in which a land owner used a solar power system to... Read More »

houses that look the same on a street with a tree in front and green grass also a blue sky in the background

Preexisting, Nonconforming Uses and Structures: A Recent Appeals Court Clarification

10/22/2014   |   BY Thomas P. Gorman

Revisions to local zoning ordinances look prospectively. Thus, when a zoning ordinance is enacted prohibiting a specific use in any particular... Read More »

SJC Decision Permits Solicitation of Nominating Signatures at Supermarket Entrance

10/14/2014   |   BY Joshua M. Alper

Owners and operators of supermarkets and other commercial property in Massachusetts should be aware that on October 10th, the Supreme... Read More »

a building in the middle of construction with work machines out front and blue sky in the background

Recent Changes to the Law of Private Construction Contracts – Your Government is Here to Help You Again

10/03/2014   |   BY Sherin and Lodgen

As part of the end-of-session rush at the General Court this summer, significant changes were made to Massachusetts law governing... Read More »

hand passing a set of keys over to another hand over a small pile of papers

Recorded Deed with Defective Acknowledgement Fails to Provide Constructive Notice to Third Parties

09/24/2014   |   BY Sherin and Lodgen

In a case of first impression, the Massachusetts Appeals Court recently held that a real property grantee could not be... Read More »

a brick mill with a chimney and clouds in the background

A Primer: Economic Loss Doctrine Not Necessarily Bar to Tort Recovery

07/22/2014   |   BY Sherin and Lodgen

Although the “economic loss doctrine” has historically barred recovery of certain classes of tort damages, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently... Read More »

a paper with a black pen and keys on top

Massachusetts Registered Land – A Primer

07/08/2014   |   BY Sherin and Lodgen

Many out-of-state attorneys and real estate professionals are unfamiliar with the existence of registered land in Massachusetts. Approximately 15 to... Read More »

solar panel park with blue cells on a green field and sunset in the background

2014 Massachusetts Solar Update

06/30/2014   |   BY Sherin and Lodgen

SREC II: It seems we hardly knew you. In April of 2014, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) published amendments... Read More »