Real Estate

Real Estate

From acquisition and sale transactions to structuring all aspects of development and financing, our attorneys’ skills at negotiating, structuring, and documenting complex transactions puts us at the forefront of the real estate marketplace in Mid-Michigan and throughout the State.

 

Braun Kendrick’s real estate attorneys represent clients in a wide array of real estate development projects throughout the state including mixed-use developments, industrial projects, and public projects. Property owners, developers, investors, and lenders rely on us for all aspects of real estate matters including acquisition; development; planning; management; zoning; licensing; all types of permitting, including Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; disposition; financing, securitization; sale-leasebacks; leasing on behalf of landlords and tenants; construction contracting; and the acquisition and disposition of distressed properties.

 

Braun Kendrick’s real estate attorneys are also versed in matters of oil and gas law and work with oil and gas companies in connection with the relocation of facilities and the release of surface rights.

 

Our real estate clients include banks, savings and loan institutions, and other commercial lenders; real estate professionals and their companies; developers of residential subdivisions, condominium projects (both residential and business), apartment complexes, and planned unit developments; home buyers; municipalities; developers of shopping centers, office buildings, and industrial parks; insurance companies; and oil & gas companies.

 

Braun Kendrick regularly represents real estate boards and also prepares forms and renders advice to these boards.

 

In addition, our attorneys work closely with clients that have only intermittent involvement with real estate transactions, such as businesses that purchase, sell, or lease property in conjunction with their operations.

 

Public/Private Financing

The acquisition of commercial real estate often requires innovative and complex financial arrangements with public and/or private institutions. Braun Kendrick is skilled in structuring and reviewing traditional, as well as nontraditional, financing packages – including equity participation loans, taxable and tax-exempt bond financing, UDAG financing, tax increment financing, private placements, and other sophisticated techniques.

 

Acquisition and Sale

Our specialization in this area extends beyond the due diligence and documentation necessary to complete the transaction. We are skilled negotiators with in-depth experience in structuring transactions. Our real estate attorneys work closely with the Business Practice Group to establish ownership and operating entities, such as corporations, joint ventures, and limited and general partnerships. The firm’s tax attorneys review issues relevant to the determination of the most effective and appropriate structure for the transaction.

 

Land Use/Regulatory Matters

Developers must deal with land use and zoning issues; easements for utilities; vehicular, pedestrian, and construction access; and applicable government regulations and their impact. Our attorneys have developed an excellent working relationship with local, state, and federal authorities. This is important for the efficient resolution of regulatory matters, which are integral to the development process.

 

Environmental Matters

Today, a commercial real estate transaction cannot be properly consummated without careful consideration of the environmental laws, rules, and regulations of the transaction. Environmentally contaminated land may provide an attractive investment opportunity through the use of carefully planned Baseline Environmental Assessment and government incentive provided in the Brownfield Development Act.

 

Braun Kendrick has attorneys that specialize in Environmental Law, and close consultation with those specialists permits us to address and minimize potential risks to purchasers, developers, lenders, brokers, and owners of real property.