|
Fall 2007
Construction: Going Green
The growing movement known as "green building" is having
an increasing impact on construction in the United States. Defined as
increasing the efficiency by which buildings use energy, water and materials
to reduce building impacts on human health and the environment, a green
building has features that improve its ability to collect, maintain or
transfer energy, provide an effective and efficient use of water resources
and improve health conditions by the use of natural lighting and ventilation
to eliminate a significant amount of mold and bacteria.
Read more...
Investments: Timberland
Timberland
is defined as land that can be used to grow timber of merchantable quality
and quantity and where timber production is not barred by legal or
regulatory rules. About two-thirds of the nation's forest lands—505 million
acres—is considered timberland. Relative proximity to timber consumers—most
often pulp and lumber mills—is a key consideration affecting the value of
timberland due to the reduced transportation costs of the cut timber.
Another factor affecting value is the location of the timberland; areas with
more rain will experience faster growth.
Read more...
Options: Minimizing Cash Outlays
A real
estate purchase option gives its holder the right to buy a parcel of real
estate at a specified price and on specified terms within a fixed period.
Purchase options can be a valuable technique for investors and developers
because they are the ultimate form of leverage, permitting the option holder
to control property for a relatively small cash outlay. In most cases, the
optionee makes a cash payment to the optionor when the option is negotiated..
Read more...
Lease Audits: Benefits of
Outsourcing
Tight market conditions are permitting
commercial landlords to raise rental rates to record levels. From a tenant's
point of view, it is vital that they utilize all opportunities to keep
overall facility costs as reasonable as possible. The best hope for tenants
in this regard is to periodically audit their leases to assure that lease
provisions are being correctly adhered to and billings are free from
overcharges or errors.
Read more...
Indiana Property Tax Update
On October 23, Governor
Mitch Daniels presented Hoosiers with his permanent property tax relief
plan. Read the governor's remarks and
download the latest details on the state's
special property
tax relief web page.
Please note that this is a
proposed plan that will obviously evolve as it goes through the
legislative process, constitutional challenges and other political hurdles
before being enacted. Somerset will continue to monitor the developments to
ensure that we capitalize on every opportunity available to our clients.
Somerset Real Estate Team News
 Michael
Fritton will be presenting a session on Section 1031 Like-Kind Exchanges at the
Indiana Commercial Real Estate Conference on Friday, November 16, 2007, at the Indianapolis Marriott downtown.
Somerset's Real Estate Team will also be exhibiting at the conference.
Please come by our booth to speak with
Dan Dickerson,
Cynthia Bay and
Andrea Riffey.
Somerset's Real Estate Team was featured in
BuyLeaseBuild's September issue. If you missed it,
click here to view.
Real Estate Focus is
provided by Somerset’s
Real Estate
Team for our clients and other interested persons upon request.
For additional information on the issues discussed, please contact
Michael Fritton, CPA. Since technical information is presented in generalized fashion, no
final conclusion on these topics should be made without further review.
These articles were written by and
published herein with the permission from professionals of BDO Seidman, LLP.
Somerset is a member of the BDO Seidman Alliance, a nationwide association
of independently owned accounting and consulting firms.
 Somerset CPAs, P.C.
3925 River Crossing Parkway,
Third Floor
Indianapolis, Indiana 46240
317.472.2200 • 800.469.7206 •
FAX 317.208.1200
www.somersetcpas.com
|
