One highly significant change to Minnesota trust laws which went into effect this year was the change in how long a Minnesota trust can last. Often times, an individual or family wish to create a ‘legacy trust’ to preserve farmland, a family business, or other assets for multiple generations. Common situations where legacy trusts are...

Minnesotans who either are thinking about selling commercial real estate or investing in it might be interested in learning about Morgan Stanley’s prediction for U.S. prices in 2016. According to the company, it believes that commercial real estate prices will stay flat, experiencing no growth at all this year. Morgan Stanley analysts based their prediction on...

The interest rate increase that was announced by Janet Yellen, the chair of the Federal Reserve, was the first hike since 2006 and is expected to tighten the lending environment for commercial real estate investors. The target range for interest had been 0.0 percent to 0.25 percent. Now it stands at 0.25 to 0.50 percent,...

Banking and real estate problems of recent years may be fresh in the minds of Minnesota residents. Those involved in commercial real estate activity may want to be aware of banking regulators’ plans to pay closer attention to lending activity in 2016. A Dec. 18 announcement noted that there is a high level of concern...

Minnesota investors may be interested to learn that while real estate prices are going up in certain cities, other parts of the country are showing much slower growth. While residential properties are quickly becoming unaffordable for many people in so-called gateway cities such as New York and San Francisco, this is not the picture everywhere....

According to media reports, the worldwide commercial real estate market is so hot that industry analysts are fearful it could lead to a bubble. The conditions, which are similar to those that tanked the real estate market in the mid-2000s, could impact investors in Minnesota and nationwide. Real Capital Analytics reports that U.S. transaction values for the...

Minnesota fans of Italian food might be interested in learning that the owner of the Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse restaurant chains has announced plans to pay off $1 billion in debt. On June 23, parent company Darden Restaurants said that it would move 430 restaurants into a real estate investment trust as a strategy...