Residential

  • May 08, 2024

    Brokers Lean On Other Business With Transactions Flat In Q1

    Commercial real estate's big four brokers are still waiting for inflation to cool down so capital markets can rebound, despite signs in the first quarter that a recovery was underway.

  • May 09, 2024

    Norfolk Southern Class Counsel Talks Settlement, Legacy

    With residents of East Palestine, Ohio, on the verge of a $600 million payout for the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment, plaintiffs' co-lead counsel Jayne Conroy shared some thoughts about the role property values played in the proposed settlement and what ripple effect their arguments might have in similar cases.

  • May 08, 2024

    Coldwell Banker's Lockboxes Draw BIPA Suit

    Coldwell Banker has been sued in Illinois state court by a proposed class of employees who claim it violated Illinois' biometric privacy law by failing to get their informed consent before requiring them to scan their fingerprints to access biometric lockboxes that store keys for rental units shown to potential customers.

  • May 08, 2024

    NAR Magazine Subscribers Drop Data-Selling Claims

    A proposed class has mediated and permanently dismissed claims in Michigan federal court accusing the National Association of Realtors of illegally selling, exchanging and renting the personal data of subscribers to the NAR's Realtor magazine.

  • May 08, 2024

    Homebuyers Can't Stop NAR's $418M Settlement Hearing

    An Illinois federal judge said Wednesday she won't derail a final settlement hearing for the National Association of Realtors' $418 million deal with home sellers, despite a class of homebuyers' claims that the deal interferes with their separate case, saying they will have a chance to voice concerns at the hearing.  

  • May 08, 2024

    Nixon Peabody Closes Green Retrofit Deal For Mass. Housing

    Nixon Peabody LLP has wrapped up a deal that will allow older adults in Quincy, Massachusetts, to use U.S. Department of Housing and Development funds and a federally insured loan to build a new HVAC system that's energy efficient and to make their housing more accessible, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • May 08, 2024

    Colo. Lawmakers OK Historic Structure Tax Credit Extension

    Colorado's tax credit for rehabilitation of historic structures would be extended and apply to structures as young as 30 years old under legislation approved by the Senate and headed to the governor.

  • May 07, 2024

    LA Sued For Landmarking House Marilyn Monroe Died In

    Owners of a Los Angeles home where Marilyn Monroe died sued the city in California state court saying it orchestrating an illegal, rigged process to designate it as a historical landmark, arguing Monday nothing in the home shows the actress spent a single day in it.

  • May 07, 2024

    Real Estate Co. Says Privilege, Immunity Don't Protect Trustee

    A real estate company says a Chapter 7 trustee overseeing a Connecticut woman's personal bankruptcy cannot invoke the doctrine of qualified immunity or assert a litigation privilege to avoid being countersued for trying to stop a home sale the trustee considered fraudulent.

  • May 07, 2024

    Property Co. Gets $365M In Loans Modified For Biz Growth

    Property owner and manager The GSH Group wrapped up the modification of $365 million in multifamily senior loans for its properties with lender Arbor Realty, it announced Tuesday.

  • May 07, 2024

    Real Estate Co. Settles Homeowner's Telemarketing Suit

    A potential class settled its Telephone Consumer Protection Act suit against a New York real estate company that buys and sells homes, according to a New York federal judge's order.

  • May 07, 2024

    New Missouri Law Forces Landfills Further From Cities

    A new Missouri law will increase the radius for approvals needed from nearby municipalities for several types of landfills to one mile from half a mile, in what the governor called a "win for property rights."

  • May 07, 2024

    HUD Unveils $5.5B In Housing Grants, New Voucher Reforms

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Tuesday that it will send over 2,400 housing grants worth $5.5 billion to 1,200 American communities, with the agency also detailing reforms to its housing voucher programs.

  • May 07, 2024

    Contract's 1-Year Limit Doesn't Block NC Mold Claims

    A North Carolina appeals court on Tuesday reinstated a couple's suit against a contractor they say failed to remediate water and mold damage in their house, saying the trial court was wrong to find that the contract's one-year limitation on claims applied to the state's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

  • May 07, 2024

    Ore. Tax Court Drops Values Of Residential Parcels

    The Oregon Tax Court ruled that the real market values of two parcels teed up for a residential subdivision should be lowered after agreeing with the owner's comparable sales study and development cost analysis.

  • May 07, 2024

    Colo. House OKs Conservation Easement Tax Break Extension

    Colorado would extend its conservation easement tax credit through 2031 and raise its statewide annual cap on available credits under legislation approved Tuesday by the state House of Representatives.

  • May 07, 2024

    NY State, Cities Urge Tossing Challenge To Rent Law Tweak

    Two upstate municipalities separately urged a New York federal court to dismiss a suit challenging a December amendment to the rent stabilization laws, arguing the particulars of their recent attempts to adopt rent stabilization undermine the landlords' claims. 

  • May 07, 2024

    Colo. Senate Approves Property Tax Cuts

    Colorado would extend temporary property tax rate reductions into 2024 and set lower rates for future years under bipartisan legislation passed Tuesday by the state Senate that is forecast to save property owners nearly $1 billion in its first year if enacted.

  • May 07, 2024

    DLA Piper Pads Real Estate Group With New Chicago Partner

    DLA Piper has added a partner to the firm's real estate practice group who will join from Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, saying the new hire's expertise spans asset classes and deal types.

  • May 06, 2024

    NJ Subdivision Assessment Spike Should Remain, Court Says

    The property value of a city block bought and developed in New Jersey increased correctly based on the subdivision, the state Tax Court ruled, rejecting the property owner's argument that the assessment was wrong because the city forgot to set the new property lines.

  • May 06, 2024

    Redfin To Pay $9.2M To Exit Broker Fee Class Action

    Redfin disclosed to regulators on Monday that it will pay $9.25 million to end claims that it caused home sellers to pay inflated commissions under rules set by the National Association of Realtors, allowing the company to exit a class action that ensnared several brokerage firms.

  • May 06, 2024

    Data Privacy Co. Wants Personal Info Suits In NJ State Court

    Most of the recently moved lawsuits alleging violations of a New Jersey judicial privacy law should be moved back to state court since the plaintiffs and defendants reside in the Garden State, the data privacy company behind the first-of-their-kind cases has told a New Jersey federal judge.

  • May 03, 2024

    Freddie Mac, Insurer Settle $32M SEC Probe Coverage Dispute

    Government-backed lender Freddie Mac told a Washington, D.C., federal court Friday that it has settled with an insurer in a $32 million coverage suit stemming from civil actions and federal probes around its collapse during the 2008 global financial crisis.

  • May 03, 2024

    Opendoor Says NAR Settlement Should Aid Growth Efforts

    Leadership for Opendoor Technologies Inc. said they expect the online home-selling platform will benefit from the recent proposed legal settlement involving the National Association of Realtors as they expressed confidence in plans to "rescale" their business this year, while discussing the release of its first-quarter earnings.

  • May 03, 2024

    Judge Says Lender Can't Escape CFPB's Loan Data Suit

    A Florida federal judge has refused to dismiss the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's suit accusing mortgage servicer and lender Freedom Mortgage Corp. of violating federal law by submitting inaccurate government mortgage loan data.

Expert Analysis

  • How New Rule Would Change CFIUS Enforcement Powers

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    Before the May 15 comment deadline, companies may want to weigh in on proposed regulatory changes to enforcement and mitigation tools at the disposal of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, including broadened subpoena powers, difficult new mitigation timelines and higher maximum penalties, say attorneys at Venable.

  • 2nd Circ. Eminent Domain Ruling Empowers Municipalities

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    The Second Circuit's recent decision in Brinkmann v. Town of Southold, finding that a pretextual taking does not violate the Fifth Amendment's takings clause, gives municipalities a powerful tool with which to block unwanted development projects, even in bad faith, say James O'Connor and Benjamin Sugarman at Phillips Lytle.

  • SEC Should Be Allowed To Equip Investors With Climate Info

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rule to require more climate-related disclosures will provide investors with much-needed clarity, despite opponents' attempts to challenge the rule with misused legal arguments, say Sarah Goetz at Democracy Forward and Cynthia Hanawalt at Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change.

  • 8 Fla. Statutes That Construction Cos. Should Prepare For

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    In this article, Jason Lambert at Hill Ward discusses a number of recent bills out of the Florida Legislature targeting construction companies in the Sunshine State that have been sent to the governor for signature, at least some of which will have broad impacts that affected companies should prepare for ahead of the July 1 effective date.

  • Time To Fix NYC's Broken Property Assessment System

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    A New York appellate court's decision to revive Tax Equity Now New York v. City of New York may force the city to revamp its outdated and unfair real estate tax assessment system, which could be fixed with a couple of simple changes, says Seth Feldman at Romer Debbas.

  • Understanding The IRC's Excessive Refund Claim Penalty

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    Taxpayers considering protective refund claims pending resolution of major questions in tax cases like Moore v. U.S., which is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, should understand how doing so may also leave them vulnerable to an excessive refund claim penalty under Internal Revenue Code Section 6676, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Bankruptcy Ruling Shifts Lease Rejection Claim Calculation

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    A New York federal court’s recent ruling in In re: Cortlandt provides guidance on how to calculate a landlord's damages claim when a bankruptcy debtor rejects a lease, changing from an approach that considers the remaining rent due under the lease to one that considers the remaining time, say Bethany Simmons and Noah Weingarten at Loeb & Loeb.

  • Do Not Overstate Fla. Condo Termination Ruling's Impact

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    A close look at the unique language at issue in Avila v. Biscayne, in which a Florida appellate court deemed a condo termination to be invalid, shows that the case is unlikely to significantly affect other potential terminations, say Barry Lapides and Edward Baker at Berger Singerman.

  • Takeaways From FDIC's Spring Supervisory Highlights

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    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s spring 2024 consumer compliance supervisory report found that relatively few institutions had significant consumer compliance issues last year, but the common thread among those that did were inadequacies or failures in disclosures to consumers, says Matthew Hanaghan at Nutter.

  • Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

  • What Calif. Eviction Ruling Means For Defaulting Borrowers

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    A California appellate court's recent decision in Homeward Opportunities v. Taptelis found that a defaulting borrower could not delay foreclosure with an improperly served notice of pendency of action, but leaves open a possibility for borrowers to delay eviction proceedings merely by filing lawsuits, say Anne Beehler and Krystal Anderson at Holland & Knight.

  • How 3D Printing And Prefab Are Changing Construction

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    The growing popularity of trends like 3D printing technology and prefabrication in the construction industry have positive ramifications ranging from reducing risks at project sites to streamlining construction schedules, say Josephine Bahn and Jeffery Mullen at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Wave Of Final Rules Reflects Race Against CRA Deadline

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    The flurry of final rules now leaping off the Federal Register press — some of which will affect entire industries and millions of Americans — shows President Joe Biden's determination to protect his regulatory legacy from reversal by the next Congress, given the impending statutory look-back period under the Congressional Review Act, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.