One can hardly turn on the television today without being inundated by artificial intelligence (AI), whether in the form of commercials during the big game, as the lead segment on the news, or through advertisements on your favorite podcast, or elsewhere. AI is all around us, and yet, its practical uses in everyday life –
When it comes to risk mitigation for property investors, title insurance may be the best kept secret in the industry. While the concept of title insurance is well known and most investors understand the basic coverage offered by a title insurance policy, many don’t know about the optional – and valuable – coverage that may
Original article in June 2023 issue of Properties Magazine
According to the Pew Research Center, the majority of Americans view climate change as a major threat and two-thirds believe that the government and corporations should be doing more to address climate change. Young Americans, in particular, are interested in curbing their carbon footprint and living
Original article in April, 2023 Properties Magazine
Stakeholders in the construction industry are managing the increasingly complex and costly challenges associated with major projects, facilities, skilled labor forces, suppliers, and real estate.
The acceleration of public infrastructure projects, together with other government manufacturing initiatives throughout the Midwest, is creating healthy demand — and exerting some
The Ohio General Assembly is considering a revision to Ohio private lien law to make it clearer when projects start and end and enable title to be clear on lien rights. Under 1311.04, a Notice of Commencement (NOC) is to be recorded before a project commences and remains in place for six years (1311.04(S)). That
In March of 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court was asked to consider revisiting an August 2021 decision made by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (Designworks Homes, Inc. v. Columbia House of Brokers Realty, Inc., Case No. 19-3608 (8th Cir. 2021)). The Eighth Circuit decision is presented as upsetting a long held
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) federal moratorium for residential evictions, which was set to expire on March 31st, was just extended through the end of June. A recent trend in federal cases may put an end to this moratorium on the basis that the CDC exceeded its authority by extending the eviction
The recent increasing price of lumber may be the single biggest threat to affordable housing in the United States, not to mention the threat it poses to the U.S. economy. Covid-19, which spurred an upsurge in home renovation projects and a drop in financing rates for new home builds, has caused a contemporaneous increase in
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 created a lucrative new tax incentive for certain business owners: the ability to deduct up to 20% of their qualified business income. Thus, a business owner who qualified for the deduction could earn a taxable income of $500,000 but pay tax on as little as $400,000, resulting in tax savings of nearly $40,000.
Like nearly all provisions of the tax code, however, the deduction is subject to a myriad of exceptions, limitations, and special rules. Among other things, the deduction is reduced or even eliminated depending on the owner’s income, the nature of the business, how the business is organized (the deduction is only available to pass-through businesses such as partnerships, S corporations, and sole proprietorships), how much the business pays in wages, and how much property it uses.
When the deduction was added to the tax code, construction business owners, in particular, faced uncertainty about whether they qualified for the deduction if their income exceeded a specified amount, whether they could combine multiple trades or businesses into a single business (or separate a single business into multiple businesses), and whether income from rental activities qualified for the deduction. Recent IRS regulations have clarified these and other issues, generally in taxpayer-friendly ways.
Continue Reading Construction Business Owners Can Benefit from the Qualified Business Income Deduction
On March 27, 2019, Home Builders Association of Greater Cleveland President Dean Tompkins and HBA members Josh Edgell and Aaron Evenchik testified in front of Euclid City Council regarding potential residential home construction in the City. Euclid Councilperson Kristian Jarosz asked the HBA to assist the City in evaluating a 2003 law that required all new residential construction be a minimum of 2,000 square feet. The City is concerned the law is preventing new development, especially as much of the existing housing stock is less than 2,000 square feet. HBA members agreed the 2,000 square foot minimum is an impediment to new construction in Euclid.
Continue Reading HBA Supports City of Euclid Development Efforts