A client from several years ago contacted me to ask how to resolve a potential dispute with his neighbor. In brief, the new neighbor was encroaching on, what my client felt was, his property. What to do? How to approach the new neighbor? I recommended he contact a surveyor to come out to set the property line settings. It seemed…
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A prospective client met with us and began to relate the facts of his involvement with a commercial property owned for years. The property’s tenant was a restaurant for many years, and at one time, the property’s architecture earned certification and preservation status. Eight years prior to meeting the client, the tenant vacated. The present owner did not pay attention…
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It’s a Family Affair. It has been my experience as a Trusted Adviser when dealing with the assets of others, confidence in my ability to serve their needs ranks first. BACKGROUND: Recent engagements have me involved with family legacy real estate assets, soon moving into the hands of adult children who do not know how to preserve and maintain these…
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As a boutique firm, we do what owners, lenders, investors and corporations cannot do for themselves. Here are a few of the highlights of our recent cases: Avoiding Liability: Our client, an investor without much real estate experience, bought three unfinished houses from a bank. We traveled to South OC to inspect the homes that were under construction. We put…
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by Leon J. Owens It’s all about rational decision-making. I first became involved in the world of real estate investing right out of law school. At the time, “location-location-location” was the value mantra promoted by professionals on every side of a deal. Sellers priced properties based upon local area “comps,” lenders considered street addresses and zip codes as the only true…
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by Leon J. Owens When looking for business funding, it’s important to know what the scale of your business truly is, and to understand the pros and cons of both “traditional” loans and of equity investments in your business. First, ask yourself a fundamental question: Are you primarily focused upon turning enough of a profit to sustain a reasonable income…
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by Leon J. Owens Running After Money? When the owners and managers of thriving businesses—who are already running as fast as they can—find themselves chasing an infusion of significant capital, investors and lenders point to some frequently daunting stumbling blocks beyond the obvious. Current sales and revenue numbers can be impressive, but they don’t always tell the complete story. Whether…
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The Value of Alternative Dispute Resolution by Leon J. Owens After several decades as a real estate developer and business consultant, I’ve learned a fundamental truth: even the most carefully structured and professionally managed business can run into problems. Whether it’s the effects of evolving consumer demand, interest rates, gas prices, or a change of company objectives, business owners are…
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by Leon J. Owens When hunting for investors or loans, the only weapon you need is a business plan that speaks to your audience. Whether you’re stalking the woods in search of startup capital, interim financing, cash for inventory, or just a bridge loan to get you over troubled waters, you need a document that details your business reality. That…
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by Leon J. Owens Business: it’s all about nurturing relationships. In the movie Annie Hall, Woody Allen’s most quotable line is about a romantic relationship: “It’s like a shark…it has to constantly move forward or it dies.” The same is true of your business. If it’s not growing, if you’re not winning new customers or clients, the future of your…
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