Discount grocer ALDI plans to open 25 new stores in California by next July, and have 45 stores serving Southern California by the end of 2016.  The company currently operates 1,400 stores across 32 states.  ALDI is hailed as a nationally-recognized low-price grocer committed to value and innovation-focused private brand development.  In 2014, ALDI was recognized as the nation’s low-price grocery leader for the fourth year in a row in a consumer survey, ahead ... Read more

Most real estate owners and operators are familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (the "ADA") (42 U.S.C. §§ 1211, et seq.). The ADA prohibits discrimination, and is intended to ensure equal access for the disabled in public places. The ADA's proactive companion legislation, the Federal Fair Housing Act ("FHA") is a remedial statue, intended to provide fair housing, free from discrimination, in residential properties throughout the United States. (42 U.S.C. §§ ... Read more

Economic indicators should continue their upward swing through 2016, which is good news for property owners, according to the Commercial Real Estate Outlook Report recently released by the National Association of Realtors.  All signs point to strong results over the next 19 months, the report suggests.  “Net absorption rose across the property types, driving rents higher,” according to the report. “As employment gains are expected to continue into 2015, demand for commercial space is ... Read more

Regal Properties just closed escrow on the sale of 2 residential triplexes it had listed for sale in the trendy North Park community of San Diego, California, on Utah Street and Howard Avenue.  The first property sold as an owner-user/investment rental with new financing.  The second could not be financed by conventional means, due to deferred maintenance, but Regal Properties procured a cash buyer with substantial development and rehabilitation experience.  As part of our ... Read more

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, among other things, introduced a new independent Federal agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ("CFPB"), to protect consumers and the U. S. economy from dangerous financial products. The CFPB has since formulated new mortgage rules, including the TILA-RESPA disclosure rules.  Effective for mortgage applications received on or after August 1, 2015, the CFPB will replace four existing forms used for decades: the Good Faith Estimate, ... Read more

As online retailers continue to chip away at the market share of brick-and-mortar shops, smaller, mobile, shipping containers are providing consumers with an innovative means to examine, touch, feel and buy the goods they most desire at festivals, concerts and sporting events.  The business of customizing old shipping containers into versatile and mobile retail shops has boomed.  Seasonal and event retailers can take their products when and where they’re in demand, without being anchored ... Read more

CEO of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, landed an official message unveiling the Powerwall, a battery designed to power your home.  The message came at a convention center powered completely by renewable battery power.  The battery unit itself contains the same batteries present in the Tesla electric cars.  The 7kWh unit will ship for $3,000, while the 10kWh unit will go for $3,500. They will store electricity from the grid or from solar and wind ... Read more

A new Citizens for Tax Justice (“CTJ”) analysis based on 2015 tax rates reveals that when federal, state and local taxes are tallied, the share of taxes paid by Americans across the economic spectrum is roughly equivalent to their total share of income – meaning our tax system is not really progressive. Although the federal income tax is somewhat progressive, state and local tax systems are highly regressive. A recent report from the Institute ... Read more

Regal Properties now handles leasing for the community shopping center known as South Bay Plaza in National City, California.  The center is anchored by Smart & Final, O'Reilly Auto Parts and Chase Bank, and includes Carl's Jr., Papa John's and many other restaurant and shop tenants on highly-trafficked Plaza Boulevard.  Contact us for information about available retail space. Read more

California law has long required residential real estate brokers, representing both the buyer and seller in a single transaction, to obtain each client’s written consent for that “dual agency” relationship.  The purpose of this requirement is to inform buyers and sellers about the potential conflicts of interest that may arise as a result of the dual agency relationship, and to compel agents to memorialize in writing the each client’s informed decision to proceed with ... Read more