Residential

  • May 29, 2024

    DACA Holder Accuses Fla. Credit Union Of Discrimination

    A man with temporary immigration protections through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is accusing Florida's third-largest credit union of unlawfully denying him a home loan based on his immigration status, in a suit filed Wednesday in federal court.

  • May 29, 2024

    Fla. Gov. Signs Bill Requiring Greater HOA Transparency

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Wednesday that requires homeowners' associations to give physical or digital copies of their rules and covenants to members.

  • May 29, 2024

    Dream Finders Closes $412M Land Banking Deal After Buy

    400 Capital Management LLC and affiliate Builder Capital said Wednesday that they have closed on a $412 million land banking deal with Dream Finders Homes to acquire more than 4,000 residential home sites in Nashville, Tennessee; Charleston, South Carolina; and Greenville, South Carolina.

  • May 29, 2024

    MicroEra Power Plots New Phase For Thermal Energy Storage

    As buildings are increasingly powered by renewable energy, Rochester, New York-based MicroEra Power is working on a thermal storage solution that it says offers many advantages over current lithium batteries. Here's a look at this property technology company's vision, its progress so far and what its leaders see ahead.

  • May 29, 2024

    Nestle Purina Sued Over Foul Odors At Denver Plant

    Two Colorado residents hit Nestle Purina PetCare Co. with a proposed class action in federal court Tuesday, saying the company's pet food manufacturing facility emits gag-inducing odors that have disrupted lives and reduced property values.

  • May 29, 2024

    Walker & Dunlop GC Departs As Deputy Fills Shoes For Now

    The longtime top attorney for commercial real estate finance and advisory services firm Walker & Dunlop Inc. has left the company after nearly 14 years, and Walker & Dunlop's deputy general counsel is taking over in the interim.

  • May 29, 2024

    Ex-Freddie Mac Appraisal Chief Talks Bias And Sizing-Up Risk

    As regulators tackle bias in single-family housing, Martin Skolnik, who served as chief appraiser for Freddie Mac multifamily for 13 years, suggests applying the same scrutiny to multifamily appraisals.

  • May 29, 2024

    Greenberg Traurig Gets 30-Year Tax Break From Saudi Arabia

    Greenberg Traurig LLP is among the first law firms to get licensed as a regional headquarters, or RHQ, company in Saudi Arabia, allowing the firm to take advantage of a major tax break, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • May 28, 2024

    Goldman Family Battles Over Evidence In Property Biz Suit

    Relatives of Jane Goldman, an heiress of Sol Goldman's New York City property empire, argued that a contract she has said establishes her authority over the family's real estate business is of "dubious origin."

  • May 28, 2024

    Pittsburgh Agency Sues Over Utility Acces On $100M Complex

    The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority sued a developer and other city officials to maintain its ability to service a water and sewer main underneath a $100 million apartment complex after a city attorney's decision wiped out the agency's objection to a building permit for the project.

  • May 28, 2024

    Jones Day, King & Spalding Rep Blackstone, Bank's $1B Deal

    Blackstone has bought a $1 billion senior mortgage loan portfolio from Deutsche Pfandbriefbank after the German bank revealed plans to offload it, with the all-cash transaction shaped by Jones Day and King & Spalding LLP. 

  • May 28, 2024

    First Citizens Bank Lends $74M For Brooklyn Apartments

    First Citizens Bank has provided a $74 million secured senior loan to real estate investor and developer Lonicera Partners for a 23-story, 160-unit multifamily apartment building in Brooklyn, New York, the bank announced Tuesday.

  • May 28, 2024

    Ex-Florida Atty Accused Of Failing To Deliver Condo Proceeds

    A disbarred attorney was sued in Florida state court by a client who alleged fraud and breach of fiduciary duty in a Miami Beach condominium foreclosure action, saying he misappropriated more than $68,000 in proceeds.

  • May 28, 2024

    High Court Urged To Review NY Rent Law Challenge

    Four interested third parties have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a suit challenging two 2019 changes to New York rental laws, arguing that high court intervention is needed to protect property rights across the country.

  • May 28, 2024

    High Court Won't Hear Pilot HOA's Rail Easement Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a request from an Alaska homeowners association made up of pilots to review a Ninth Circuit decision giving a railroad control of an easement cutting into an airstrip for an airplane-centric subdivision.

  • May 24, 2024

    Conn., Property Owners Say Town Is Wrong On Housing Law

    Connecticut's Department of Housing and several property owners in New Canaan are taking issue with the town's arguments in a bid to pause its lawsuit challenging the state's denial of affordable housing credits, saying the town is misinterpreting a recently passed bill.

  • May 24, 2024

    Realtors Want Case Over 'Cooperation' Rule To Stay Dismissed

    The National Association of Realtors urged a California federal court not to reconsider dismissing a case targeting rules that prevent real estate agents from listing properties outside their affiliated networks, after the case took a trip to the Ninth Circuit.

  • May 24, 2024

    Software-Aided Price Fixing Under Antitrust Assault

    Claims that companies in the same industry are using software middlemen to fix prices are percolating in federal courts around the country, with cases targeting major operators in residential real estate, hospitality and health insurance, among other areas.

  • May 24, 2024

    Insurer's Coverage Suit Premature, Ga. Apt. Complex Says

    An apartment complex facing negligence claims over a shooting told a Georgia federal court that its insurer's suit seeking to avoid coverage must be tossed, arguing that without any factual findings in the underlying state court action, any finding on the insurer's duty to indemnify would be premature.

  • May 24, 2024

    Wells Fargo Opposes Class Cert. In Race Lending Bias Suit

    Wells Fargo urged a California federal judge to reject a class certification request from a group of plaintiffs claiming the bank offered non-white borrowers loans with higher interest rates and worse terms, while also applying more scrutiny to their applications.

  • May 24, 2024

    NYC Apartment Hotel May Qualify For Tax Break, Dept. Says

    A planned 150-unit apartment hotel building in New York City catering to a nearby hospital's patients and staff and to university students could be eligible for an industrial and commercial abatement program, the city Department of Finance said in a letter ruling.

  • May 24, 2024

    CFPB Seeks $20M Penalty For Inaccurate Loan Data

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has urged a Florida federal court to hit Freedom Mortgage with a $20 million civil penalty for allegedly submitting error-filled government mortgage loan data.

  • May 23, 2024

    Colliers Seeks Buyer For Fla. Land Near Transit Station

    Colliers is looking for a buyer for 2.03 acres of Hialeah, Florida, land near a transit station on behalf of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, the commercial real estate services company announced.

  • May 23, 2024

    JV Inks $48.5M Ft. Lauderdale Shopping Center Buy

    BH Group, PEBB Enterprises and Related Group have snapped up a mixed-use waterfront shopping center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida's Harbordale neighborhood for $48.5 million through a joint venture, with plans to further develop the property.

  • May 23, 2024

    Ohio Bill Seeks Refundable Credit For Property Taxes, Rent

    Households in Ohio with $60,000 or less in annual income would be able to claim a refundable income tax credit for the cost of their property taxes or for 15% of their rent under a bill introduced in the Senate.

Expert Analysis

  • Contractors Need Protection From NJ Homeowner Protections

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    A recently passed New Jersey law, combined with the state's Consumer Fraud Act, is intended to protect innocent homeowners, but legislative action must be taken to prevent homeowners from abusing the law to avoid paying hardworking contractors, say Gary Strong and Madison Calkins at Gfeller Laurie.

  • NY Shouldn't Pair 421-a Restoration And Good Cause Eviction

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    The good cause eviction system of rent control should not be imposed in New York, nor should its legislation be tied to renewal of the 421-a tax abatement program, which New York City desperately needs, says Alexander Lycoyannis at Holland & Knight.

  • Setting The Stage For High Court BofA Escrow Interest Case

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    Dori Bailey and Curtis Johnson at Bond Schoeneck examine relevant legislation and case law dating back 200 years ahead of oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in Cantero v. Bank of America, the outcome of which will determine whether state laws governing mortgage escrow accounts can be enforced against national banks.

  • DC's Housing Tax Break Proposal: What's In It, What's Missing

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    Proposed Washington, D.C., rules implementing the Housing in Downtown Tax Abatement program — for commercial property owners who convert properties into residential housing — thoroughly explain the process for submitting an application, but do not provide sufficient detail regarding the actual dollar value of the abatements, says Daniel Miktus at Akerman.

  • Assessing The Future Of Colorado's Economic Loss Rule

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    The Colorado Supreme Court's decision to review a state appellate court's ruling in Mid-Century Insurance Co. v. HIVE Construction will significantly influence the future of Colorado's economic loss rule, with high stakes for the cost of doing business in the state, says David Holman at Crisham & Holman.

  • How Recent Laws Affect Foreign Purchase Of US Real Estate

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    Early diligence is imperative for U.S. real estate transactions involving foreign actors, including analysis of federal and state foreign investment laws implicated by the transaction, depending on the property's nature and location, the parties' citizenship, and the transaction's structure, say Massimo D’Angelo and Anthony Rapa at Blank Rome.

  • What Shareholder Approval Rule Changes Mean For Cos.

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently approved proposed rule changes to shareholder requirements by the New York Stock Exchange, an approval that will benefit listed companies in many ways, including by making it easier to raise capital from passive investors, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • High Court Case Could Reshape Local Development Fees

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    If last month's oral arguments are any indication of how the U.S. Supreme Court will rule in Sheetz v. County of El Dorado, it's unlikely the justices will hold that the essential nexus and rough proportionality tests under the cases of Nollan, Dolan and Koontz apply to legislative exactions, but a sweeping decision would still be the natural progression in the line of cases giving property owners takings claims, says Phillip Babich at Reed Smith.

  • White Collar Plea Deals Are Rarely 'Knowing' And 'Voluntary'

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    Because prosecutors are not required to disclose exculpatory evidence during plea negotiations, white collar defendants often enter into plea deals that don’t meet the U.S. Supreme Court’s “knowing” and “voluntary” standard for trials — but individual courts and solutions judges could rectify the issue, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.

  • How 2 CFPB Advisory Opinions Affect Reporting Agencies

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued two advisory opinions last month that demonstrate a continued commitment to address inaccuracies in background check reports and consumer file disclosures through broad interpretation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, expanding on a coordinated federal agency effort, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Algorithmic Pricing Programs Caught In Antitrust Crosshairs

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    The Justice Department's investigation into software company RealPage follows a host of federal antitrust cases alleging that property owners and casino hotel operators use the same proprietary software programs to fix and maintain pricing, which means algorithmic pricing programs are considered a key price-fixing tool in the digital age, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • A Welcome Turning Of The Page For Residential Real Estate

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    After one of the most challenging years on record for residential real estate, 2024 will likely be a time of transition to a stabler business climate, as sellers lose some of their excess bargaining power and the pace of sales picks up, says Marty Green at Polunsky Beitel.

  • Strict Duty To Indemnify Ruling Bucks Recent Trend

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    A South Carolina federal court's recent decision that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction to decide an insurer's duty to indemnify prior to the finding of insured liability sharply diverges from the more nuanced or multipronged standards established by multiple circuit courts, says Richard Mason at MasonADR.