About Tal Rappleyea
As a municipal lawyer, Tal Rappleyea gets asked this question all the time: What is a municipality?
A municipality is actually just a technical term for a county or city. Although municipalities are mainly responsible for creating their laws, they hire municipal lawyers that are responsible for enforcing those laws. Tal Rappleyea covers the following municipal law issues to reflect the needs of area residents:
- Education policies, which governs the safety and standards of education in public schools, accommodating students with disabilities, and job security for teachers.
- Property taxes, which outlines how taxed income from residents can be used to benefit the community.
- Police power, which oversees how police officers monitor resident behavior.
- Zoning, which determines how land in the municipality is used.
Some municipal lawyers work internally for one municipality, while others practice law individually for multiple municipalities. Tal practices law individually in his own private practice and serves several counties in the Albany metro area in New York state.
Tal Rappleyea was admitted to the New York State Bar Association in January 1989. This chapter of the bar association is actually the largest voluntary state bar organization in the nation with a membership of more than 74,000 lawyers. Tal is proud to be a member, considering former presidents Grover Cleveland and Chester A. Arthur were members of the New York State chapter as well.
With nearly three decades of experience and a Juris Doctorate from Hamline State University, Tal Rappleyea has explored municipal law in several roles as an attorney, ranging from positions as Attorney for the Town and Attorney for the Village of several municipalities. Currently, Tal is a solo practitioner in his own Law Offices of Tal G. Rappleyea in Valatie, New York and lists municipal law as one of his main concentrations.
Tal is a supporter the New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials (NYCOM), which is an organization that trains municipal officials and operates as a general support group for municipal officials in each state. He is also very active in his community, as he is a member of the Capital District Trial Lawyers Association and holds a position in the County Bar Association of New York State.
Although Tal Rappleyea maintains an active lifestyle by volunteering in his community and maintaining memberships in his field of practice, he still makes time for one of his pastimes, golf, by on the range.
- “Deal of the Year” Award from the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY)
- Named one of the three new inductees to the Ethics Committee of REBNY
- Named to the Executive Board of New York Residential Specialists (NYRS).
Regulations to Permit Use of Drones in Real Estate Marketing
Some real estate professionals have mused about how drones could be helpful in marketing properties, particularly sprawling properties for sale that cannot easily be examined by a potential buyer. New regulations from the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, may soon change all of that.
Change in FAA Regulations
The FAA has just announced new regulations addressing the use of drones. Specifically, the FAA has announced regulation changes that will permit real estate professionals the ability to use drones in real estate marketing and sales.
The new regulations will permit the operation of a drone without the need for a pilot’s license. Rather, the operator of a drone used for real estate marketing purposes will only need to obtain what is being called a remote pilot in command certificate.
In announcing the new regulation, the FAA underscored the fact that the focus of the changes has been on ensuring that other aircraft as well as property and people on the ground will be kept safe. Allowing more people to operate drones, provided they have this special certification, will not jeopardize safety, according to the FAA.
Drone Use for Commercial Purposes
Over the course of the past few years, drone use for commercial purpose has been a significant issue. The most significant movement occurred in 2014 when the commercial use of drones was deemed illegal. This incremental movement to permit real estate professionals the ability to use drones for marketing purposes is considered the first step in liberalizing the rules regarding commercial use of drones.
Drone Photography for Real Estate Sales and Marketing
The use of drones to take images of real estate for sale, as well as surrounding property, is expected to become far more prevalent as early as the first part of 2017. These aerial photographs are thought to be highly helpful when it comes to selling property.
These photos will allow people the chance to see sprawling properties more completely. It will also give consumers the chance to get a bird’s eye view of the neighborhood, and area, in which a piece of real estate sits.
Drone Use and Appraisers
Another area in which drones will be highly helpful to real estate professionals is in the realm of appraisals. Appraisers will be able to more quickly determine the state of property. For example, an appraiser will be able to evaluate the state of a the roof on a property in a matter of minutes, as opposed to the traditional amount of time this type to of inspection requires to complete.