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1 State Bar Mich. Real Prop. L. Sec.: Newsl. 1 (1974)

handle is hein.barjournals/miralptyrew0001 and id is 1 raw text is: REAL PROPERTY Vol 1,No LAW SECTION Yewsltter No. 1 June, 1974 G. Norman Gilmore Frank S Sengstock Chairman University of Detroit Law School Editor This issue includes: 1. Letter to the membership from the chairman. 2. A judicial challenge to statutory foreclosure. 3. Recent changes in the law of zoning. 4. Committee descriptions and memberships. 5. Bylaws of Section. LETTER TO MEMBERSHIP FROM THE CHAIRMAN It may well be said that the inspiration for a Real Property Law Section grew out of the proliferation of consumer-oriented legislation in recent years. Without in any way disagreeing with the need for such legislation, it, in effect, brought the general practice of real estate law back to life. Basically, the laws affecting land had been about the same for centuries. Michigan, a common-law state, mostly followed the old English concepts and, while there were some variations and simpli- fications in proceedings and conveyancing practice, the attitudes toward real estate matters had tended to be rather stagnant. In the last few years, though, things have changed. Zoning ordinances and de- cisions and general restrictions on the use of land have become much more common. The requirements for subdivision development have solidified. Condominiums, cooper- atives and shopping centers have appeared all over the landscape, inviting more, and getting, regulation. Most recently, the sale of property for resort and vacation use, both in Michigan and in other parts of the country and even abroad, has caused many problems and attempts at legislative solutions. As tax shelters, and for in- vestment, ownership of both vacant and improved real estate has once again become popular. Numerous groups have been formed and authorized by law, including, for example, syndicates and real estate investment trusts. The reasons behind all of these things are many and for the purposes of our organization, almost unimportant. Suffice it to say that interest in real property transactions, and the law and practice relating to them, as well as any influence we may have in their direction, have become a much more vital part of most lawyers' concern than ever before. A few years ago, the Real Estate Law Committee of the Detroit Bar Association and the Real Property Law Committee of the State Bar were practically orphans, com- posed of a relatively small group of specialists, abstractors, and title insurance