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Leasing Retail Space – Types Of Retail Space

What Type of Retail Space?

A great retail space for your business needs to be the right type of space in the right location. The previous portions of this article addressed location. This section will address options for the type of retail space.
Impulse versus Destination

Some purchases are made on impulse and other purchases are made after careful planning. Retail for the carefully planned shopping will be termed destination retail. Starbucks is a great example of an impulse purchase. You see a Starbucks location and decide to pullover and have a coffee and perhaps a pastry. Have you noticed how Starbucks almost always has incredible locations?
Impulse

If they are in a shopping center, they’re almost always in an end-cap location. If they are part of a larger shopping plaza, they typically have the best a location within the shopping plaza. If the retail space you are seeking involves impulse purchases, you should see prime space. Great visibility and great access are both important. Even though it will be painful, you probably need to pay for the very best possible location.
Destination

If you are seeking retail space for destination retail, an incredible location is not necessary. You need to be in the right area but you do not necessarily need the finest location within the shopping center. Almost all destination retail has a convenient location with good visibility. While access is a factor for destination retail, it is much less important in comparison to impulse purchase retail.
Types of Retail

Following are various types of retail space:
Freestanding store
Strip center
Neighborhood Center
Community Center
Regional mall
Power centers
Definitions
Anchored retail space has a retailer who generates an amount of traffic. The anchor is typically a larger store or perhaps even a set of larger stores. A grocery store is the anchor for most neighborhood shopping centers. Department stores have typically been the anchors for regional malls.

Shadow anchor refers to a shopping center (typically a strip shopping center) which has a mall by virtue of being proximate to a major retailer. Target, Wal-Mart, Sands, Costco and IKEA are all stores which would be good draws for a shadow anchor shopping center.

End-cap is the space at the end of a shopping center, typically at the end of a strip center.

In-line space is space in a shopping center which is not at the end. In other words, it is space between the two ends of the shopping center.

Select a Type of Space

The optimal retail space for your business will be obvious in many cases. If you’re planning a gas station/convenience store, you would clearly not open it within an enclosed shopping mall. If you are planning a department store, you would not open it in a strip center.

Tradeoffs

However, there are variations in judgments regarding the best location for a retail store for many types of businesses. Many retailers have a combination of in-line shopping store space and freestanding stores. A freestanding store will likely be more expensive. However, a freestanding store gains more visibility. In most cases, you can effectively place advertising or signage on each side of the building. Your business has much better visibility in comparison to in-line space.

Prime Space?

An end-cap space in a shopping center which is perpendicular to the street also has excellent visibility. Restaurants frequently locate in end-cap spaces. If your product or service is an impulse purchase with a relatively low price point, give serious consideration to obtaining premium retail space. Consider paying the additional cost for either a freestanding location or end-cap. Enclosed regional malls can provide a good option for impulse purchases or high-end merchandise.

Regional Malls

Enclose regional malls have recently bifurcated into either prime or secondary/tertiary quality malls. The prime malls are doing great. They tend to be full and have an excellent array of tenants. The secondary and tertiary malls are doing fairly to poorly. In many cases, the highest and best use of the property has changed. Many second-tier regional malls are either being redeveloped as retail, perhaps as a power center, or are being scraped and rebuilt in a variety of land uses.

Destination Retail

Conversely, if your product or service relates to destination retail, consider cost-effective retail options. In some cases, space in a neighborhood shopping center where the anchor tenant has gone dark (anchor tenant has left the states but is still paying rent) they provide a great overall location and a modest price for rent. For tenants who need larger retail spaces, second-generation grocery store space can be a great option. And the big boxes also provide retail space typically in a good location at much more moderate prices. As Wal-Mart has revised their basic template, they have vacated many medium-sized retail stores. In general, second-generation retail space provides a much less expensive cost of occupancy than first-generation space.

The Market Research and Consulting division of OConnor & Associates provides information necessary to make decision to commercial real estate professionals. Occupancy and Rental Data, ownership and management information are routinely gathered for four major land uses multifamily, office, retail and industrial. This information allows investors to compare competitive properties, facilitate business decisions and track market and submarket performance. In addition the data is useful to brokers who for example continually monitor Houston retail space leasing, Houston office space leasing, Houston industrial space leasing, Houston apartments, Dallas apartments, Ft. Worth apartments, Austin apartments, and San Antonio apartments.

J John Sebastian Legal RepresentativeBuffalo Grass Location Medicine Criminal Offense Legal Represe

J John Sebastian Legal representative
Buffalo Location Medication Criminal offense Attorney

Drug criminal activity allegations are quite severe and have really extreme charges in New york city, consisting of serious optimum minimum sentences.

New York still has the Rockefeller Laws on guides and even though they have actually been moderated rather over the current years, they still ask for incredibly lengthy sentences for possession and sale of humble amounts of narcotics. And the sentences are given away based on the type and quantity of medications the implicated possesses.
Accused of Possession or Sale of Drugs?

That said, you need aggressive personal depiction if you are implicated of a medication criminal activity. Non United States citizens can experience expulsion and removal, while others can lose their works, and liberty without obtaining a correct defense behind them.

Conspiracy
Belongings
Possession with Intent
Sale
Distribution
Production
Prescription fraud
Prohibited Poss. of Cannabis
Loitering

If you are implicated of a Drug Criminal offense, contact J. John Sebastian today for a complimentary assessment.

J. John Sebastian’s initial top priority in your medicine case is to get the charges dismissed or minimized. He is a lawyer that knows how you can identify potential illegalities in cops searches or conduct. In many cases that are billed as possession for sale, J. John Sebastian could discuss with the prosecution to have them decreased to basic belongings charges. This might permit you to walk away with an alternate resolution as opposed to jail.

Whether it was a warantless search of your car, a buy or a raid and breast procedure, J. John Sebastian understands the techniques and methods to finest assault the district attorney’s situation and secure a positive result for you.

J. John Sebastian’s very first concern in your drug case is to get the charges decreased or rejected. He is a lawyer that understands exactly how to acknowledge likely illegalities in cops searches or conduct. In several cases that are charged as possession for sale, J. John Sebastian could work out with the prosecution to have them decreased to straightforward belongings charges. This might enable you to stroll away with an alternate resolution as an alternative of prison.

Home Plywood Boat Building Stitch And Glue Or Ply On Frame

There are two general modern techniques for building plywood boats at home: the traditional, Ply on Frame construction and the newer Stitch and Glue method. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Both methods of boat construction are capable of producing very functional, strong, and safe vessels. Which boat construction method a potential boat builder should select, depends as much on the skills, patience, and preferences of the builder as on the desired characteristics of the finished boat.

Lets begin by discussing the traditional ply on frame construction method. It’s done by starting with wooden frames, sometimes called ribs. These are usually straight sided, however some older designs try to incorporate curves in the rib elements, complicating the construction considerably. These frames are positioned using a construction jig, generally oriented so that the hull is built upside down.

Longitudinal frame members are attached into notched slots in the ribs. The first one is a heavy frame element called the keelson that runs down the center of the ribs. To the forward end of this element, the vertical timber that forms the prow of the boat is attached, called the stem.

Two longitudinal frame elements run along the upper edges of the hull, one on each side, called sheer clamps. Two more elements are added the bend of the ribs where the hull bottom transitions to the hull sides. This joint in the hull is called the chine and the frame member installed here is called the chine log. Depending on the size of the hull and the designers philosophy, sometimes, additional longitudinal members may be specified to complete the boat hull framing.

Most often each of these joints are glued and screwed or in somtimes, bolted together. These days, high strength synthetic adhesives, such as epoxy or the new polyurethane adhesives make an excellent for bonded joints because unlike the older natural, casein, or polyvinyl acetate glues, the modern glues will still hold even if the joints arent perfectly matched. They fill gaps better.

Next the plywood planking is leaned against the framework, cut a bit oversized, glued and nailed (or screwed in-place) and trimmed to the edges of the framing. Finally the plywood is finished off with one or more layers of fiberglass, or simply saturated in epoxy to improve strength, abrasion resistance, and water incursion.

Stitch and glue boats, on the other hand are built in an entirely different manner. These boats are built using precisely cut panels that will end up forming the shape of the hull. There is no internal framing, or if there is, it takes the form of bulkheads rather than frame elements. The builder uses either full sized panel drawings supplied by the designer, or lays out the finished shape of the sides and bottom of the hull on the plywood planking. The planking is then cut out. One side may be used as a pattern for the other, because getting both sides precisely the same shape and keeping the bottom very symmetrical are important.

Once the panels are cut out a row of small holes is drilled into adjacent panels close to the edge and either copper wire or nylon tie-wraps are threaded through the holes to stitch the plywood edges together. Then an epoxy mixture thickened with silica or microspheres is puttied into the joint to make a fillet and the joint is taped over with fiberglass tape. The hull is flipped over and similar joints are made on the outside of the hull. Then, if desired, the hull is fiberglassed.

Contrary to first impressions, a stitch and glue boat, if properly designed and built, is just as strong and capable as its framed counterpart. Theyre simply different philosophies in construction. Just as cars and aircraft have changed from framed and covered construction to more modern, unibody in the case of cars, and monocoque in the case of aircraft, construction, so naval architects have been transitioning from framed to stitch and glue construction for light, strong, easy to build boats.

Now that you know how these boats are built, lets talk about what kinds of skills and personality the builder has, in order to select the right kind of boat for him. First lets look at woodworking skills. Do you like to work with wood? Does planing on a nice piece of hardwood bring you joy? Do you like the smell, the feel and derive satisfaction from shaping wood? Dont laugh. This is a serious question. Some people will say, yes, thats me. I love it! Some will say, no, not really. I see it as a means to an end and I just want to get done.

If youre in the first group, loving to work wood, you probably have what it takes to make a framed boat. It requires woodworking and being careful about joint fits. It requires some patience and a sense of pride in your workmanship.

If youre in the second group, you probably should build a stitch and glue boat. They go together much faster with fewer steps. They also require less woodworking knowledge and use of tools. You still have to be able to cut out plywood fairly precisely, but almost everything can be done with simple power tools.

Building a stitch and glue boat is a messier proposition than a ply on frame hull. You have to mix and spread lots of epoxy, usually wearing rubber gloves, If you scratch your nose, youre going to have to spend some unpleasant time with acetone getting the epoxy off too. Working with wood, you just dust yourself off most days. There are adhesives used, but not to the extent of a stitch and glue boat.

When you sand epoxy, you should wear a respirator to prevent epoxy and fiberglass dust from getting into your lungs. Sawdust isnt as damaging to your system, but I still do wear a respirator when sanding large expanses of wood with a power sander.

Well, I hope this has helped you decide which of the two types of hulls to build. I would strongly encourage everyone to build a boat. Its a fun hobby and a great experience. Its also the parent and child project. I cant imagine a better experience for a child than to learn woodworking by helping to build a boat and take it fishing.

Pune Real Estate Market

The real estate market of Pune is going steady and smooth if compared to other cities, where both residential and commercial property graph is going downwards. While everywhere the experts are expecting a doom in realty, Pune seems to be confronting the forecast.

Perhaps, as Pune was never a mainstream real estate destination, it never saw a huge decline in realty prices. The slump was there in the city but it was only for a short period of time. There are various reasons why Pune has now emerged a preferred real estate destination.

As the IT industry drives the real estate demand in the city, first home sales constitute a major chunk of transactions happening in Pune. In this city, there is always a steady demand for property in Kalyani Nagar and Baner, which are close to two major IT hubs in the city. Besides the IT and BPO industry, the student population living outside their campuses are also responsible for fueling demand for housing in Pune.

Renowned real estate developers in Pune are of a view that the Pune property prices are on the move for a sharp drop. But real estate agents and the local industry experts in the city don’t think that there will be any recession in Pune real estate industry at least in the next 10 years. And Pune real estate developers also assert that the demand is stable and exceeding supply.
At present, Pune real estate market is one of the most active segments in Western India. Private realty players as well as local property builders and civic authorities are pouring in more investments in the city.

According to the latest realty market reports, commercial realty in Pune fetches about 20-25% returns on investment. This makes the city the most favorite and a preferred destination of investors.

The residential property segment is equally upbeat at this point of time.

The buzz has not only been created by the commercial real estate market of Pune but also by the residential realty market. In the residential front, the focus of real estate developers is on affordable housing. Major real estate developers like Kolte-Patil, Gera Properties have announced the launch of affordable housing projects in the city. These developers are planning to build one-room set and two-room set accommodation that costs between Rs 10-15 lakh.

Real estate developers in Pune are now also focusing on the bordering areas of Pune. The city centre boasts of high capital and rental values. Therefore, most of the buyers are now looking for affordable accommodation in the suburban and bordering areas. And, real estate developers are trying to cash in on this behaviour of the property seekers. Property in areas like Kothrud, Vanwadi, Oundh are high in demand. All these areas were earlier the extension of villages but are now they are the hub of property development.

Now, the residential real estate market of Pune is all set to reach newer heights. As per the industry estimates, the city needs almost 40,000 residential properties every year to match the housing demands of its citizens.

Considering that, the Maharashtra government has now given a green signal to private real estate players for setting up fully integrated townships in Pune, under the Public Private Participation (PPP) model.

To cash-in on this opportunity, Pune-based developer, City Group has come forward with its township project Amanora Park Town, the first project after the governments declaration.

Under this project, the land would be provided to the developer by the government, who would then build up all the infrastructure comprising residential units and commercial properties. The developer will also be responsible for developing the social infrastructure encompassing healthcare centres, educational institutions, and entertainment facilities within the city.

The Amanora Park Town would be developed in the area of about 400 acres at Hadapsar with all the aforementioned infrastructure and facilities.

According to the real estate agents, demand for medium budget residential properties in Pune is continuously increasing.

Some other real estaet projects coming up in Pune:

1.Greensville Sky Villas in Kharadi by Gera
2.Bloomfield in Ambegaon by Amit Enterprises
3.Regent Park in Baner by Gera
4.Emerald City in Kharadi by Gera
5.Princetown in Undri by Kumar Properties
6.Sobha Carnation in NIBM Kondwa by Sobha Developers
7.Picasso in Hadapsar by Kumar Properties

Criminal Lawyer Palm Springs Law Firms

This article tells about the law firms of the Palm Springs. This also discusses about how to find one lawyer accordingly.

Finding a criminal lawyer Palm Springs
is not a very difficult task. One can do this with the help of the
internet and find them online. There are various law firms set up today
and these firms deal with one type of cases. For example, there are law
firms, which deal with medical cases and some law firms deal with
environmental cases. One should know the type of offense that they have
committed and search for law firms accordingly. Once the criminal law
firms are found, the person should look into the success rate of the
firm. This will tell a lot about the firm and the cases that it has
dealt with. If the offense is completely bad, then the person can
approach a criminal law firm. Otherwise, there are law firms, which take
up any type of cases for from which they can choose. The latter is a
type in which the fee charged is nominal.

When the budget of the
offender is very less, he can opt for the government law firms. There
are government firms that will help people in trouble at a subsidized
fee rate. However, there are a few documents, which one has to submit
for this. For example, the income statement showing that he or she
cannot afford a lawyer, etc. The attorneys and the lawyers associated
with the firm will also tell a lot about the firm. A good lawyer in the
firm means that the person can hire him for his case.

However,
the fee of lawyers in the firm will vary according to the reputation
that they have in the market. Criminal cases such as theft will not need
such high reputed lawyers. When the crime is high profile and something
like a white-collar fraud, a criminal lawyer Palm Springs
is very much required. These lawyers will fend to any type of criminal
offense with the grounds that mistakes can happen by good people too. In
a fit of bad influence, a good person may do something wrong like
killing a person or theft. These lawyers can save such people.

Zuellig Building A green footprint for Makati’s Commercial Real Estate Market

In 2009, Bridgebury Realty Corp, an affiliate of the Zuellig Group, announced that it will be investing 7 billion Peso for the construction of the Zuellig Building. The Zuellig Building, to be completed by Q1 2012, is located in the Makati Central Business District, at Makati Avenue corner Paseo de Roxas, on a lot area of 8,285 square meters. The 33 storey structure is a premium, commercial, single-owner office building, with 55,000 square meters up for lease to multi-tenants Interestingly, the Zuellig Building will be the first ever Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) pre-certified Gold building in the Philippines. LEED is an — internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built, using strategies aimed at improving performance across energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts– The LEED certification is meaningful given the increasing awareness and support to -green- efforts and saving the planet. From a business standpoint, the building promises operational savings on utilities (up to 40%) for tenants locating to the Zuellig Building.

Following the global financial crisis of 2008, the Metro Manila office real estate market is starting to stabilize and is now slowly recovering. Demand for Prime and Grade A office space is expected to pick up in the near term, coming from the positive business sentiment towards the new Aquino administration. According to Michael McCullough, Director of Manila real estate brokerage firm KMC MAG Group, -We have observed an increasing demand in premium office space in Makati, starting late 2010 until now. Therefore, we think the Zuellig Building has been perfectly timed to enter the commercial real estate market in Makati and the Philippines.- Upon completion in 2012, the Zuellig Building will be the only new Prime building in the Makati Central Business District. For perspective, by 2012, the other Prime buildings will be significantly older: Ayala Tower One would be 16 years, Philam Life Tower and the Enterprise Center would be 13 years, and RCBC Plaza would be 11 years. Given that a high-rise would take about three years to complete, no other new Prime buildings are expected by 2012. 2.

Good Quality Motherboards – Basis For Great Computers

Importance of good motherboards in building computers
Motherboards are essential and integral to all computers. Motherboard is also called a logic board, main circuit board as it connects all PC components – right from CPU, expansion slots, USB ports, hard drives, keyboard, mouse – and keeps them working together in good coordination. The features and configurations of the motherboard make your PC capable of performing as a powerful gaming machine or just a routine office desktop. The first step in building a great computer is to buy motherboard in Egypt.
Essentials of a good motherboard
Motherboards are available with different configurations to suit different needs and your budget. It is essential to do your homework before you buy motherboard in Egypt. Make a list of features you want in your motherboard. CPU, chipset, video cards or any additional features need to be compatible with the motherboard. Selecting the right motherboard is crucial; the right choice gives more future-upgrade options as well better performance.
What makes a motherboard dependable?
High quality, right/exact specifications, and a good dependable brand name can be the important criteria to buy motherboard in Egypt for your system. Whether you go in for Intel series or AMD series, it is essential to match the CPU and other features with the motherboard. Some features you should pay attention to are:
Number of expansion slots/BUS
Chipset/interfaces for controllers, chips etc
Compatibility of processor and motherboard (processor sockets)
Properly implemented BIOS
SATA ports/drive connectors
Memory slots
USB ports
Conveniently located connectors
Dependable power supply
Do your homework and learn all about the different motherboards in Egypt before deciding
Once you have a clear idea of what type of system you are going to build, you better visit the websites of makers of motherboards. There are quite a few in the field like Intel, AMD, ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI etc. Before you decide to buy motherboard in Egypt, read about their products and get to know what features you like in your system and so what features you want in your motherboard. A well-designed and most reliable motherboard is the foundation of a great system.
Buy Motherboard in Egypt – High Quality at Great Price
Great offers and price options are available in online shops like e3050 where you can buy motherboard in Egypt. Excellent designs are a pleasure to work as a basis for building your own system. Check out motherboards like ATX, Micro ATX, AMD and Intel motherboards and check out what you like most. ECS A880GM-M6 V, S, L Motherboard with many latest enhanced features may be a great option for heavy game users. Just give a call and check out!

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How to Find Good Personal Injury and Car Accidents Lawyers in Toronto

Motor vehicle accidents are rising day by day at a very rapid rate. These accidents are often seen in the form of crashes and collisions and encountered by numerous drivers each year. If you have been in an accident, you may know the importance of having good car accidents lawyers on your case. You will need a lawyer whether the accident was your fault or not. If the accident was your fault, you will need to get a motor vehicle accident lawyer in Toronto that will help you out of the charges that have been made against you. While the accident victim will need to get personal injury lawyers in Toronto to ensure that they get the right amount of compensation.

When looking for good car accidents lawyers, you need to ensure that the lawyers area of expertise is injuries related to car accidents because you will need a lawyer that is experienced. Someone that knows how to handle your accident claims. When researching for car accidents lawyers, be sure to look into their records to find out their winning rate versus their losing percentage with similar cases.

Personal injury lawyers in Toronto that have a number of wins under their belt with similar cases is a good option because chances are, they will win your case as well. You should also be straight forward and ask good questions because the more you know about the process and what your lawyer will do for you, the better and more comfortable you will feel.

Finding good car accidents lawyers are easy and all you need to do is search through the yellow pages or visit the internet. The internet is however, the best way to go because you might be able to find reviews on personal injury lawyers in Toronto. Reading reviews will present you with the best options available because people will always speak the truth when it comes to the best lawyers. Using a lawyer that knows their job and one that you feel comfortable with is your best option.

Residential And Commercial Property In Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh

India is the second most heavily populated country in the world with more than 1.2 billion people (according to census 2010). India already contains 17.5 % of the world’s population and is expected to become the most heavily populated country by 2025. The increasing population is creating a relative increase in the demand for land/property to house this burgeoning population. Therefore, buying a dream home may be too expensive for a common man in the near future. Inflation and price hikes of various commodities & its subsequent effect on property prices will make it even more difficult to buy a home and office space of your choice.

Reliable Property Dealer – A Must For Getting A Good Deal

Buying a Residential or Commercial Property is not an easy task, as there are innumerable contractors and builders who are involved in this business. Finding an apt Property Dealer is a prime concern, since it is not easy to trust someone when such a huge investment is at stake. It is important to find a reliable Property Dealer before investing in Commercial or Residential Properties.

Buying Residential Property

As the trend of nuclear family is increasing day by day, people are opting for Apartments instead of big houses, since buying and maintaining an Apartment less expensive than a big house. As the number of family members are very few in nuclear family, living in an apartment is easy and convenient for them. The concept of Group Housing Society is emerging as a new trend in Residential Properties. This concept is gaining a lot of popularity as it is makes for a less costly investment. Commercial Residential Projects like Group Housing Society has given the convenience of less investment to people who can’t invest huge amounts to buy Residential Properties.

Bilaspur Real Estate – A Profitable Investment

Metro cities are well known for their big Commercial and Residential Property Projects but nowadays Property Giants are also investing in erecting big Commercial and Residential Projects in small towns. There are many premium projects that are carried out in small cities like Bilaspur. Bilaspur is a city located in Chattisgarh, India. It is the second largest city of the state and is well known for its hand-woven kosa silk and aromatic rice varieties. Bilaspur is rich in culture and is considered by many Property Giants as a developing city to invest in. There are many projects, ongoing & completed, happening for developing Residential and Commercial Property in Bilaspur.

K.R. Properties are a well-known Builder and Real Estate Broker based in Bilaspur Chattisgarh. There are many pioneer projects that are successfully undertaken by K.R. Properties. The Residential and Commercial Property Projects undertaken by K.R. Properties are very popular amongst the investors in the state of Chattisgarh. The premium real estate solutions provided by K.R. Properties are excellent. To buy Residential Plot In Bilaspur or Commercial Property In Bilaspur, log on to www.krproperties.co.in

Overview Of Spousal Maintenance Awards In Divorce And Legal Separation

In a divorce or legal separation, spousal maintenance may be ordered by the court to provide important financial support for one party or the other. Maintenance is paid by one spouse (or former spouse) to the other spouse (or former spouse). Some states refer to such support as alimony, others as spousal support. In any case, the purpose and result is the same, as well discuss in this article.

Historical Basis for Alimony — Times Have Changed

There was a time when traditional marriages were entered into with the understanding and agreement that only death could terminate the bond. A divorce was only possible when there was evidence of marital misconduct, or fault. Once fault was established, the court looked to punish the party responsible for destroying the marriage.

Need for Alimony. Alimony was a solution to a very real economic problem. A divorced womans chances of finding work sufficient to support herself, even marginally so, were not promising. Knowing this, the courts were unwilling to let a husband impoverish his wife if he was guilty of marital misconduct. Receiving alimony sustained the wife who had kept her marriage vows, and paying alimony punished the husband who had not.

Punishing the Wife — No Alimony. A wife who caused the marital breakdown often found herself in immediate, serious financial trouble. Alimony was not generally available to her. The court reasoned that her post-divorce financial woes were the direct consequence of her guilty acts, and the punishment was deemed appropriate.

Punishing the Husband — Pay Alimony. As the family wage-earner, when the husband caused the marital breakdown the court granted the divorce and ordered him to continue supporting his ex-wife — support in the form of alimony. The guilty husband could not escape his obligation to support his wife, even after the divorce. The support was paid weekly or monthly, and could keep the ex-wife in the standard of living to which she had become accustomed during the marriage.

If the parties were unhappily married and both were without fault, then there were no grounds for divorce. Some couples colluded to achieve their desired result — ending a marriage they both wanted out of. When both husband and wife were at fault, the court was still unwilling to dissolve the marriage as they deserved each other and, consequently, were stuck in the marriage.

Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act.

By the middle of the 20th Century, sensibilities about the traditional marriage had changed significantly. Wives increasingly became wage-earners alongside their husbands, and the stigma of divorce was fading. In a sweeping legislative reform, Arizona adopted the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act (UMDA), as did Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, and Washington.

The UMDA (1970) allowed for the irretrievable breakdown of a marriage, which could occur without any fault. Today, our Arizona courts cannot consider acts of marital misconduct in deciding whether to award spousal maintenance.

Eligibility for Spousal Maintenance — How It Works Today

In general, when determining the appropriateness of a maintenance award the court must conduct a two-part analysis.

First, A.R.S. 25-319(A):
As a threshold question, a spouse must establish eligibility for alimony. In this first step, be prepared to answer questions like the following:

What property does the spouse have? Is the spouse already self-sufficient? Does the spouse need to stay home to care for a child? Could this spouse earn enough money to be reasonably self-sufficient? Did the marriage last many years, maybe a decade? Was the couple only married for a short time, maybe a year or two? Is the spouse at an age that would make self-sufficiency through employment impossible?

Second, A.R.S. 25-319(B):
Second, the court considers all relevant factors in the family law case. Although the court has broad discretion, the 13 factors presented in the statute provide a framework for the judges analysis. Here are some questions that should be asked, and answered, in this second step:

1. Standard of Living
Did the parties live well? Were they affluent? Did they maintain a high standard of living? Did they live modestly? Did they get by with limited resources?

2. Marriage Duration
How many years were they married to each other? Did the couple invest years in their marriage?

3. Age, Employment, Earning Ability of Supported Spouse
Did the spouse seeking support quit working outside the home to raise their children? What jobs did that spouse have in the past? How much could he or she reasonably earn? What education does that spouse have? Would training or an education improve that spouses employment options?

4. Supporting Spouses Financial Ability
How much does the supporting spouse earn? Can the supporting spouse take care of his or her own reasonable needs, as well as provide support for the other spouse?

5. Comparative Financial Resources and Earning Ability of Both Spouses…

Will one spouse substantially out-earn the other under most circumstances? Does one spouses property interests greatly exceed the others? Is there a significant financial imbalance between the spouses?

6. Contributions from Supported Spouse
Did one spouse maintain the household and care for the children, freeing the other spouse to concentrate his or her efforts on career employment?

7. Extent Supported Spouses Lost Career Opportunities
Did one spouse set aside his or her career, education, or employment goals so the other spouse could get ahead?

8. Ability of Both Spouses to Contribute to Childrens Educational Costs
Will each spouse have sufficient funds to help with the childrens educational costs? Will a spouse only be able to help with the childrens educational expenses if he or she receives help in the form of spousal support?

9. Financial Resources of Supported Spouse
Does the spouse have sufficient property to take care of all his or her needs without financial help? What makes up that spouses community assets?

10. Time Needed for Training or Educational Program
Is it possible for the spouse seeking maintenance to get vocational, college, or university training to improve overall employability? With an education, will that spouse be able to build a sustainable career? How much money would be required to get the necessary education or training? How long will it take to get through that training or educational program?

11. Excessive or Abnormal Expenditures and Concealment
Did the spouse hide property and assets or commit other destructive or wasteful acts?

12. Health Care Insurance Costs
What will be the cost of health care insurance coverage for the spouse seeking support after the divorce?

13. Damages and Judgments from Criminal Conduct
Was there a conviction of domestic violence committed against the other spouse or their child? Were there any other convictions in which the other spouse or child was a victim?

Maricopa County Spousal Maintenance Guidelines.

In an attempt to improve predictability and consistency in awards, the Maricopa Spousal Maintenance Guidelines were developed. The guidelines provide a formula from which a monthly support amount and support duration can be calculated with greater certainty. The formula allows for predictability and uniformity from one case to the next.

Guidelines Are Discretionary. As useful as Maricopas guidelines are, their application is purely discretionary with the court. There is no mandate, or requirement, that a judge use any guidelines at all in his or her maintenance analysis. In the case of Ramsay v. Ramsay, 224 Ariz. 467, 232 P3d 1249 (Ariz.App. 2010), the Court of Appeals stated once again that:

There are no legally authoritative guidelines governing spousal maintenance in Maricopa County or any other Arizona county. A.R.S. 25-319(B) vests the trial court with broad discretion to determine the amount and duration of spousal maintenance awards after due consideration of the factors that the Legislature articulated. The statute does not direct the court to refer to any set of guidelines, and the court’s disregard of any such informal reference materials cannot give rise to a finding of abuse of discretion.

The best approach to resolving spousal maintenance issues is by thorough preparation. Substantiating a spouses position on maintenance, with strong supporting evidence on each of the 13 factors, may be pivotal in achieving a favorable outcome in the case.