Author Archive | Michael Rikon

Foreign Buyers Pay More for Real Estate Than Local Buyers.

An interesting article in the Winter 2023 issue of “The Appraisal Journal” written by Drs. Allen, Goodwin and O’Sullivan concluded that foreign buyers pay more for real estate.  The authors studied the condo market in Miami.  Their conclusion validated the generally accepted belief within the real estate industry that local buyers have an advantage from first hand knowledge of real estate people in the community, the neighborhood dynamics and pricing trends. Most people have a handle on what a house is worth.  They know what a house for sale is… read more

Posted in Foreign Buyers, Local Buyers, Real Estate Customs
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You Want a Pipeline? You Know What to Do!

The Wall Street Journal featured an article written by David Harrison titled, “Lost Pipeline a Bitter Pill for Foes.” The story is about the Mountain Valley Pipeline running through West Virginia and Virginia.  It was successfully challenged for over ten years.  The 303-mile, $6.6 billion pipeline running through the two states was a pet project of Senator Joe Manchin who couldn’t line up enough senate votes for his bill despite repeated attempts. Landowners and environmental groups have fought the pipeline since it was first proposed in 2014.  Many landowners also… read more

Posted in Congress, Eminent Domain, Mountain Valley Pipeline, Pipelines, Sen. Joe Manchin
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Who’s in Charge Here: The Province of the Trial Court in a Condemnation Case

New York is one of only three states in the nation that does not allow trial by jury in an eminent domain case.  All claims against the State of New York and certain other state authorities have exclusive jurisdiction in the Court of Claims where, regardless of the nature of the claim, there are no jury trials.  Appropriation claims in the Court of Claims are certainly included and are tried by a Court of Claims Judge.  Other condemnation matters must be tried by a Justice of the Supreme Court.  This… read more

Posted in Comparable Sales, Eminent Domain, Expert Witness, Province of Trial Court
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Everything Is Big In Texas

Texas has been operating a state park on land leased for free for 50 years.  The owner made a deal to sell the land to a luxury home developer.  The 5,000-acre parcel of land was purchased for $110.5 million by Todd developers. After months of stalled legislative efforts and failed negotiations to secure the park, the state opted to seize the land from Todd Interests, a Dallas-based developer, who purchased the property in February for $110.5 million.  Commissioners were not eager to use the power of eminent domain to condemn… read more

Posted in Development Property, Eminent Domain, Park
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The War Over Wind Farms

Wyoming has a range war going on.  It’s something out of a Zane Gray novel.  The problem is wind farms and transmission lines.  Wind and solar farms require exponentially more land than conventional power plants, and require an extensive buildout of thousands of miles of transmission lines to transport energy from wherever it is being produced at any given moment to where it is being consumed. A ranch owner described the experience of receiving a letter telling him that a company told him they were going to build a pipeline… read more

Posted in Eminent Domain, Transmission Lines, Wind Farms
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