Owner-occupied commercial property and SBA loan closings in Virginia: what owner-occupancy means under the 51 and 60 percent rules, the two-deed-of-trust structure of an SBA 504 loan, the eligible passive company that holds title, and how the standard title search and recording fit around it.
Retail and mixed-use development closings in Greater Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield: the reciprocal easement agreements that hold a shopping center together, condominium declarations for vertical mixed-use, phasing and subdivision plats, and community development authority assessments that run with the land.
Commercial real estate closings in Hampton Roads, where the water and the military shape title: riparian rights and Virginia Marine Resources Commission submerged land leases, flood zones and Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act overlays, military-adjacent leased property, and the Hampton Roads regional grantor's tax.
Restaurant, hotel, and hospitality property closings in Virginia: separating the real estate from the going concern and its furniture, fixtures, and equipment, why a Virginia ABC license does not transfer with the building, hotel franchise flags and property improvement plans, and escrow holdbacks.
What to expect when you buy commercial property in Northern Virginia: confirming the buying entity and signing authority, the proffers and easements behind a Fairfax, Arlington, or Loudoun parcel, the ALTA survey, tenant estoppels and non-disturbance agreements, and the regional fees on recording.
Construction loan draws and title date-downs in Virginia: how the loan funds in stages after closing, why the title company updates the search at each draw to keep the lender in first position, how lien waivers are collected with every payment, how retainage and the final draw close out the project, and the title company's role as disbursement agent.
Industrial and distribution closings along Virginia's I-95 corridor through Hanover, Henrico, and Prince George counties: Phase I environmental review and environmental liens, metes-and-bounds surveys, rail and access easements, ground leases, and Virginia's mechanic's lien timing on build-to-suit projects.
If your commercial seller is a foreign person, FIRPTA makes you the withholding agent for 15 percent of the price. Here is how the rule works and how I handle it at closing.
When investors buy together, how they hold title matters. Here is tenancy in common, joint tenancy with survivorship, and why the survivorship language has to be express in Virginia.
On a ground lease you own the building but lease the land. Here is how a leasehold estate is financed, how leasehold title insurance protects it, and what diligence it takes.