What is a Real Estate Law Degree?

The practice of law has undergone major changes in the past 20 years. Today, real estate lawyers work in varied and complex transactions, from simple residential house purchases to commercial projects.

This degree is a mix of law, business and dispute resolution. It will prepare you to deal with issues beyond law school, understanding how law interacts with tax, corporate, and environmental law. You will be faced with issues such as workforce housing, urban redevelopment, commercial leasing and workouts, and energy conservation. It will prepare you to deal with transactions when the economy is booming and when it is not.

What can I do with this type of Law Degree?

Real estate lawyers provide their clients with advice regarding purchase and sale of property, financing and development, construction contracts, investments, environmental compliance and property management. They help clients with governmental zoning restrictions necessary to move forward with projects.

With this type of law degree you could work in law firms, corporations as well as government agencies. You could work in large firms, in the building and zoning departments of counties and municipalities. You could also work for corporations, development companies or title companies. If you decide to work alone or in a very small company you will most likely focus on residential housing. In this profession you will work together with title insurers, brokers, environmental lawyers, litigation departments and bankers.

You would spend much of your day drafting documents, reviewing them, counseling clients as well as negotiating terms. A business law foundation as well as negotiation skills are critical for success in this area of the law.

Courses and Curriculum

Most students begin their study with a basic introductory course, transactions and finance. Following this entrance course, you would be exposed to courses in finance, mortgages, mezzanine loans, bond financing, leasing, acquisitions, mortgage foreclosures and community association law.

Managing rental properties like apartment, studio, condominium, townhouses or house and lot requires a lot of money, time and effort. It also needs near-constant availability to ensure that you meet the needs of your tenants. Property Management Company is the answer to many property owners and investors who are having a hard time managing their properties. This property management company is composed of professional people who are tasked to build a good relationship between the landlord and the tenant. Their duties include the collection of rent, responding to maintenance issues and repair damages of the property, evictions, and monthly financial reporting.

Not all property management companies are alike. Like any products or services in the market, there are hundreds of property management companies who are promising to offer a good service but only few deliver the best-in-class service. Thus, you have to be very critical in selecting the company to manage your properties. Below are some tips on how to find the company to trust in managing you properties:

1) Good Reputation. Reputation is an intangible and multifaceted concept, which takes time and experience to build. The company’s reputation speaks a lot of its identity and the kind of service that it offers to its clients. A good property management company must be consistently professional, responsive and thorough. In addition, the company must be a licensed real estate broker and must have a team of experts to manage you properties. Pick the one who values your property.

2) Cost Efficient. Understanding financial statements, profit and loss, income taxes and budgeting are all very essential for the property manager. Expertise and competitive rental properties is necessary. The real estate property management company should work closely with the landlord in order to maximize rental income and return on investment for the property.

3.) MARKETING STRATEGIES- Good marketing strategies of a company can attract more potential tenants to lease your property. Effective competition in the market place necessitates more than just a word of mouth; it needs a solid marketing. Advertisements should be consistent and up-to-date. An effective marketing strategy can maximize occupancy and rental rates.

4.) Quick and Responsive- Quick and responsive communication are the solution to business development and service improvement. The skill to communicate effectively with customers and respond to their needs is essential because it only reflects how customers are valued. The property manager must then respond to their requests, monitor their activities as regards the lease requirements, collect rent in a timely manner, and continually assess the tenants’ satisfaction as regards the property’s amenities versus those of competing rental properties in the area. Services and communication must respond to the members’ needs.

5.) Conflict Management Skills. Lastly, a quality property manager should be excellent in conflict management. Real estate matters are so sensitive; therefore, crucial situations are being dealt here. Knowledge of existing laws is important towards the implementation of the business policy to avoid unwanted outcomes. They should know how to deal with the complexities of running rental properties.

One of the foremost determinations you are going to need to make when you are thinking about starting a home based business is whether or not you are going to operate it on a full time basis or on a part time basis. For some professionals, you will be required to work full time in order to launch your business. If you are operating a small business from home in your spare time then you will not need to commit nearly the same amount of time or energy in regards to launching your new business venture. This is especially true if you are starting a business that sells products online. However, if you intend to develop a service based business then you may need to commit a substantial amount of time and capital towards developing your brand name for your home based business. As we have discussed in some of our previous articles, you should focus substantially on the benefits as well as the drawbacks to starting a home based business.Beyond the time factor that is involved with determining whether or not you should start a home based business, you are also going to need to examine the capital costs involved. Although you are not going to be starting an office, you are definitely going to need to have a computer, establish a website, obtain business cards, and have a clearly defined marketing budget. However, while these may seem like large expenses, we have seen home based businesses launch their operations for as little as $1,000. As such, prior to starting this type of business enterprise you may want to focus on developing an appropriate budget that outlines both your anticipated expenses as well as your expected revenues. In many instances, it may be in your best interest to develop a business plan specific to your industry. Within this business plan you should focus not only on the start up costs, but also on your expected profit and loss statement, cash flow analysis, as well as your balance sheet. The more organized you are in regards to your business the more likely that your home based business with be successful.Finally, you should work with your accountant to determine what type of corporate structure that your home based business may need prior to launching operations. This is important as their could be substantial ramifications if you do not launch this type of new business venture appropriately.