Residential

  • November 08, 2024

    Nixon Peabody Helps Boston Supportive Housing Land $153M

    A Boston housing development nonprofit, with guidance from Nixon Peabody LLP, obtained $153 million in financing to develop a 19-story, 126-unit supportive housing project in the city, the law firm announced.

  • November 07, 2024

    Trump Election Complicates Growing Insurance Climate Crisis

    Donald Trump's election to a second term as president is a huge setback for global efforts to curb climate change, and his disregard for the environment will likely complicate efforts to better understand climate risks facing insurers and consumers, experts say. 

  • November 07, 2024

    NC Contractor Says DR Horton Owes It Millions

    A contractor claimed that homebuilding giant D.R. Horton Inc. stiffed it out of more than $5.5 million after it did site work for residential real estate projects in North and South Carolina.

  • November 07, 2024

    Fla. Counties Say Notice Was Insufficient In $5B Bond Deal

    A group of Florida counties and tax collectors asked the Florida Supreme Court Thursday to reverse a decision that found they could not reopen a bond validation judgment issuing $5 billion in bonds for renewable energy and hurricane mitigation projects, arguing they were not given proper notice of the bond validation hearing.

  • November 07, 2024

    Minn. Court Nudges $50K Off Tax Value Of St. Paul Home

    A Minnesota home was over-assessed and should have its valuation reduced by $50,000, according to the state's tax court, taking into consideration a comparable sales analysis presented by the owners.

  • November 07, 2024

    Ariz. OKs Property Tax Credits For Unattended Nuisances

    Arizona property owners affected by public nuisances that local governments fail to address could qualify for tax refunds under Proposition 312, a ballot measure approved by state voters.

  • November 07, 2024

    Mass. Court Affirms Nix Of Property Tax Appeal Citing Blight

    A Massachusetts homeowner's request for a property tax abatement because of local blight was properly rejected by a state tax board because the owner did not pay the tax at issue as required, the state appeals court ruled Tuesday.

  • November 07, 2024

    Property Co. Sues Insurer Over Late Coverage Rights Letter

    A company providing management services to homeowners associations accused its insurer in North Carolina federal court of acting in bad faith after it said the insurer only sent it a reservation of rights letter a year into its defense of a fire damage lawsuit.

  • November 07, 2024

    Transparency Act Should Exclude Housing Co-Ops, Court Told

    A group of housing cooperatives asked a Michigan federal judge to grant them an exemption from the "dragnet" Corporate Transparency Act, claiming the disclosure requirements will deter members from serving on boards that govern affordable housing developments.

  • November 07, 2024

    Canada's Competition Bureau Seeks Dye & Durham Docs

    Canada's Competition Bureau announced Thursday that it obtained a court order to gather information and advance an ongoing investigation into alleged anti-competitive conduct by legal technology company Dye & Durham Ltd., which has been scrutinized over the past year by activist investors and other national regulatory bodies.

  • November 07, 2024

    JLL Adds $100M To Dry Powder Stock For Affiliate REIT

    Commercial broker JLL said Nov. 7 that it put an additional $100 million into its own JLL Income Property Trust to support its investments at an "opportune" time in real estate market recovery.

  • November 07, 2024

    Indicted Power Broker Says Civil Suit Repeats Earlier Claims

    Indicted Garden State power broker George E. Norcross III and his attorney brother have urged a New Jersey state judge to toss the civil racketeering suit brought against them by a Philadelphia developer, arguing that the developer's claims are time-barred and should have been filed in previously litigated and resolved actions.

  • November 06, 2024

    Venue For Fla. County Suit Against Funder Getting New Look

    A Florida appellate court ruled Wednesday that Palm Beach County can't use the "sword-wielder" exception to deny a funding agency's choice of court in a lawsuit over the authority to levy property taxes, saying the agency has proved it's a governmental entity entitled to a home venue privilege.

  • November 06, 2024

    What Trump's Victory Portends For Commercial Real Estate

    President-elect Donald Trump's victory could clear up uncertainty for investors who had been waiting out the election, but the commercial real estate industry may see challenges ahead from some of his proposed "protectionist" policies, attorneys and experts said Wednesday.

  • November 06, 2024

    Developer Raises $171M For Affordable Housing Projects

    The Richman Group Affordable Housing Corp. announced that it has raised $171.5 million in equity, which will allow the company to acquire, rehabilitate and construct 15 affordable housing properties in as many states.

  • November 06, 2024

    JV Nabs $110M Refinancing For NYC Multifamily Portfolio

    A joint venture between Davean Holdings and Meadow Partners landed a $110 million refinancing of a New York City multifamily portfolio from Hudson Bay Capital, according to Walker & Dunlop, which facilitated the refinancing.

  • November 06, 2024

    Capital Markets Bounce Back For Big Four Brokers In Q3

    After predicting a return of capital markets activity in the second half of 2024, commercial real estate's big four brokers reported that buyers and sellers are finally returning to the market in announcing third quarter results recently.

  • November 06, 2024

    Ga. Judge Trims Insurer's Shooting Coverage Claims

    A Georgia federal judge Wednesday threw out as premature AMCO Insurance Co.'s claim asserting it has no duty to indemnify an apartment complex facing litigation after a resident was struck by multiple bullets while sleeping, but left in place its claim it has no duty to defend the complex.

  • November 06, 2024

    FINRA Fines Firm Over Lax Real Estate Investment Diligence

    The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ordered broker-dealer XP to pay $800,000 in restitution and penalties to settle claims that, among other things, it recommended investments in a series of real estate-focused private placements without conducting proper due diligence on them, leading to investor losses when the offerings flopped.

  • November 06, 2024

    NJ Authorizes Sharing Property Tax Info To Calculate Credits

    New Jersey authorized the sharing of taxpayers' unredacted property tax information to calculate tax credits as part of a property tax relief program under a bill signed by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.

  • November 06, 2024

    MVP: Cadwalader's Holly Chamberlain

    Holly Chamberlain led teams from Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP in advising major lenders on several significant deals this year, including the origination of three mortgage loans worth a combined $3.1 billion as part of Blackstone's $10 billion take-private transaction of multifamily owner AIR Communities, earning her a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Real Estate MVPs.

  • November 06, 2024

    Calif. Voters Won't Rethink City Borrowing Tool For Housing

    California voters on Tuesday rejected Proposition 5, a ballot initiative that would have amended the state's constitution to make it easier for municipalities to borrow the money needed to fund affordable housing and infrastructure work.

  • November 05, 2024

    An Early Look At Trump's Supreme Court Shortlist

    With former President Donald Trump projected to win the 2024 presidential election and the Republicans' success in securing the U.S. Senate majority, Trump may now get the chance to appoint two more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, cementing the court's conservative tilt for decades to come.

  • November 05, 2024

    GOP's Senate Win Hands Future Of The Judiciary To Trump

    Republicans were projected to take back the White House and Senate and possibly the House early Wednesday, putting the GOP in position to back Donald Trump's agenda and his slate of young, conservative judicial nominees. 

  • November 05, 2024

    Florida, Georgia, Others Peel Back Real Estate Taxes

    Voters in seven states approved a spate of real estate tax ballot initiatives on Election Day, including measures that would curb property taxes for veterans, residential property owners and residents of municipalities that fail to enforce nuisance laws. 

Expert Analysis

  • How Calif. Video Recording Ruling May Affect Insured Exams

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    A recent California appellate decision, Myasnyankin v. Nationwide, allowing policyholders to video record all parties to an insurance examination under oath, has changed the rules of the road for EUOs and potentially opened Pandora's box for future disputes, say John Edson and Preston Bennett at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Unpacking FinCEN's Proposed Real Estate Transaction Rule

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    Phil Jelsma and Ulrick Matsunaga at Crosbie Gliner take a close look at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recently proposed rulemaking — which mandates new disclosures for professionals involved in all-cash real estate deals — and discuss best next steps for the broad range of businesses that could be affected.

  • Texas Insurance Ruling Could Restore Finality To Appraisal

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    The Texas Supreme Court's decision in Rodriguez v. Safeco, determining that full payment of an appraisal award precludes recovery of attorney fees, indicates a potential return to an era in which timely payment undoubtedly disposes of all possible policyholder claims, says Karl Schulz at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 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.