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TAX TOPICS—DEDUCTIONS FOR PASS-THROUGH ENTITIES

On December 22, President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) into law. This sweeping legislation dramatically lowered corporate tax rates, encouraged multi-national companies to bring money back to the United States, generally lowered individual income tax burdens, reduced mortgage interest deductibility, and, perhaps most significantly for people in California, eliminated all but $10,000 of state income and real property tax deductibility. [READ MORE]

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HAS SILICON VALLEY AND SF ECLIPSED NYC AS AMERICA’S TOP REGION?

If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” This line from Frank Sinatra’s aspirational “New York, New York” reflects the long-held belief that New York is the epicenter of American commerce and progress. Yet, as technology pervades more industries and becomes the ubiquitous driving force of innovation and wealth creation, has Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area surpassed the Big Apple as America’s preeminent region? While the San Francisco Bay Area has only 7 million people compared to New York’s metropolitan population of over 20 million, multiple measurements of wealth, culture, and education indicate that the Bay Area now comes out on top. [READ MORE]

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EIGHT LISTING TRAPS TO AVOID

Many sellers erroneously conclude that they can sign the “standard form” listing agreements published by the California Association of Realtors (“C.A.R.”) or Peninsula Regional Data Service (“PRDS”) without review. These agreements are written by the Realtor® community and contain many provisions which should be carefully considered, either by the sellers or, ideally, by their attorney. After careful consideration of the “standard form,” the sellers should prepare a comprehensive addendum spelling out the precise nature of the agreement and making sure that both sides are treated fairly. [READ MORE]

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CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES – INSULATED CONCRETE FORMS (“ICF”)

Over the past decade, the building industry has become more environmentally conscious while also striving to find ways to improve the quality and durability of homes. One construction technique that has seen increased popularity in recent years is building with Insulated Concrete Forms, also known as ICF construction. [READ MORE]

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