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).
Launching Your Own Real Estate Business
Many professionals have a passion for real estate. Some of them have a real talent for it. When you are passionate about the work you do and know you can grow farther in real estate, you’ll often wonder if you have what it takes to launch a business. Owning a business means being your own boss and possibly reaping great financial benefits. Before taking the plunge and starting a business, here’s what you need to know:
Know what you’re up against
First of all, it’s important to know that starting a real estate business is not easy. Before making any major moves, it’s important to know all the ins and outs of the industry. Conduct as much research as possible of your niche, the market, and who your competitors might be. Most of your research should focus on median home values and rental prices, neighborhood amenities, and even place outside of your location. This research can be done online, talking with a mentor, or attending networking events.
Get your finances together
The age-old expression of “you need to spend money to make money” rings true. Starting a real estate business will take a lot of money to get it up off its feet. It’s important to know how much money it’s going to take and where you’re going to get it. If you’re behind on credit card payments or in a bad financial spot, reconsider launching a business. To get the funding you need to launch a business, this often means borrowing from lenders, looking to investors, or paying it straight out of pocket. Weigh your options to see what is best for you.
Create a business and marketing strategy
Once you have a total understanding of the industry and you have a solid financial ground to stand on, it’s time to start formulating a business and marketing strategy. This is where the research on the industry really comes in hand. The research will help you know exactly what will help your business succeed in your market and how to build your business strategy from this. You will also want to have a solid strategy of how you want to get your business out there for people to know about. Think about whether you’ll want to do traditional door-to-door, email campaigning, social media posts, or networking.
Launching a real estate business takes a lot of time, research, and passion. If you are up for the challenge, you could experience incredibly professional and financial success.