Residential
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October 31, 2024
Zillow's New Climate Tool Spotlights Old Insurance Concerns
Real estate marketplace Zillow recently launched a new tool that lists property climate risks and insurance recommendations, a move toward consumer transparency that also reignited existing concerns over climate modeling, environmental risks and the resulting property insurance implications.
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October 31, 2024
Calif. Judge Tees Up LIHTC Property Ownership Row For Trial
A California federal judge largely refused summary judgment requests in a fight between three entities struggling for control of a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit-funded property in Long Beach, saying a jury must decide whether a contractual purchase provision was properly triggered.
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October 31, 2024
Equity Touts Acquisitions With New Apartment Supply Waning
Chicago-based apartment owner Equity Residential said Oct. 31 that transaction activity is improving and pointed to $1.2 billion worth of acquisitions in the Atlanta, Dallas and Denver metros in its third-quarter results, while forecasting a continued scarcity of housing.
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October 31, 2024
Airbnb Insurance Providers Sued Over Undisclosed Fees
A proposed class of Airbnb users sued two insurers for the rental platform in Washington federal court, alleging the providers violate state law by charging consumers who buy their travel insurance with an unavoidable "assistance fee."
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October 31, 2024
Nixon Peabody Lands Norton Rose Real Estate Pros In LA
Nixon Peabody LLP took another step this week to strengthen its affordable housing and real estate practice on the West Coast and beyond, bringing on a pair of real estate attorneys from Norton Rose Fulbright with six years of experience working together.
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October 31, 2024
Suit Against Indicted NJ Power Broker Sent To Biz Court
A New Jersey state court on Wednesday granted indicted Garden State power broker George E. Norcross III's request to transfer the civil racketeering suit brought against him and his attorney brother by a Philadelphia developer to the state's complex business litigation program.
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October 31, 2024
NC City Urges Panel To Rethink Stormwater Ruling
A North Carolina city has urged a state appeals court panel to rethink its decision reviving part of a condo association's suit over damage the city allegedly caused by dumping stormwater onto the group's properties after Hurricane Matthew, arguing that the majority's opinion relies on a factual error.
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October 31, 2024
The 2024 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard
Check out the Law360 Pulse Leaderboard to see which firms made the list of leaders in all-around excellence this year.
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October 31, 2024
Firms' Hiring Strategies Are Evolving In Fight For Top Spot
Competition for top talent among elite law firms shows no signs of slowing down, even amid economic uncertainty, with financially strong firms deploying aggressive strategies to attract and retain skilled professionals to solidify their market position.
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October 30, 2024
Mortgage Co. Says Pension Fund Can't Jump In To Lead Suit
Rocket Companies Inc. has told a Michigan federal judge to reject a renewed class certification bid in a shareholder suit accusing the mortgage business of concealing a downturn in loan volume, arguing that the pension fund trying to take over as lead plaintiff is inadequate to represent the proposed class, among other things.
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October 30, 2024
Realtor.com's Parent Can Amend Costar Claims, Judge Rules
A federal judge has ruled that Realtor.com's parent company can amend two claims alleging its rival Costar unlawfully accessed its computers but that it would not be limited in its Computer Fraud and Abuse Act claim to arguing that it suffered "technological harms."
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October 30, 2024
Essex Warns Calif. Rent Control Prop Will Hurt Resi Supply
Essex Property Trust executives voiced concerns Wednesday that a California ballot measure that would give cities free rein to impose rent control would "dramatically restrict" residential construction.
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October 30, 2024
NYC Officials Hit With Suit Over 'Homeless Sweeps'
New York City residents without homes and a legal services nonprofit brought class claims against the city, Mayor Eric Adams, the police commissioner and the heads of multiple government departments over so-called "homeless sweeps" that they say are unconstitutional.
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October 30, 2024
Real Estate Tax Ballot Initiatives To Watch
Next week, voters in seven states will be weighing in on a variety of real estate tax ballot initiatives, including various measures that would provide additional property tax relief to veterans.
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October 30, 2024
Real Estate Dealmakers Rush To Close, Others Await Election
Attorneys advising on real estate deals and real estate companies working on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets say some dealmakers are rushing to close, while others are holding off until after the election.
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October 30, 2024
Nonprofit Says Wash. Gov't Mortgage Program Discriminatory
A nonprofit group aimed at "overcoming identity politics" has told a Washington federal court that a state government mortgage loan program is unconstitutional, as it only serves specific racial groups in violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
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October 30, 2024
Polsinelli Continues Philly Growth With 2nd Oct. Hire
Polsinelli PC grew its recently opened Philadelphia office with the addition of a real estate attorney who returns to private practice after providing in-house counsel for a commercial real estate subsidiary of Blackstone.
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October 30, 2024
How The Election Could Shift Enviro Real Estate Practices
At the end of a transformative presidential term for environmental real estate issues spanning from the group of chemicals known as PFAS, to clean energy, to flood mapping, real estate attorneys are poised for potentially major disruption when a new U.S. president takes office in January.
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October 30, 2024
NY Construction Exec Avoids Jail For Commercial Bribery
A construction executive dodged jail time Wednesday after pleading guilty in New York state court to his role in a sprawling bribery scheme involving $100 million in contracts linked to New York high-rise buildings.
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October 30, 2024
Miami Rep Keeps Affordable Housing, Condos Top Of Mind
As pressure on Florida real estate in recent years has forced the state legislature to take a more active role, Rep. Vicki Lopez has emerged as a key figure working on several major policy efforts regarding Floridians' homes.
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October 30, 2024
Walker & Dunlop CEO Says GSEs Must 'Get Back To Business'
Government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac need to get out of conservatorship and regain for-profit motivations so they can innovate and grow, Walker & Dunlop CEO Willy Walker told Law360 Real Estate Authority in an interview.
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October 30, 2024
MVP: Gibson Dunn's Farshad E. Morè
Farshad E. Morè, a partner in Gibson Dunn & Crutcher's Century City office and member of the firm's real estate department, advised longtime client KKR on two record-breaking multifamily and student housing transactions, earning him a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Real Estate MVPs.
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October 29, 2024
Republic First Bank Discriminated Before It Failed, NJ Says
New Jersey authorities said Tuesday that they have concluded that the former Republic First Bank redlined local communities of color in the state in the years before it failed, findings they have taken up with the bank's receiver, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
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October 29, 2024
DR Horton Cites Homebuying Slowdown In Q4 Results
Homebuilder D.R. Horton said in announcing fourth-quarter results Tuesday that it expects it will need to keep offering incentives to homebuyers faced with still-high interest rates and low supply, as the company reported a drop in home sales in 2024 compared to a year prior.
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October 29, 2024
Front Office Sports Sued For Using Luxury Real Estate Photos
Private equity-backed media outlet Front Office Sports is accused of unlawfully using luxury real estate photos online without permission, according to a lawsuit filed in New York federal court.
Expert Analysis
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Harsh 11th Circ. Rebuke Should Inspire Changes At CFPB
The Eleventh Circuit's recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Brown decision, which found the CFPB's conduct had been egregious in a debt collection enforcement action, should encourage some reflection at the bureau regarding its level of attention to the reasonable due process concerns of regulated institutions, says Eric Mogilnicki at Covington.
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3 Alternatives To CRE Collateralized Loan Obligations
With current commercial real estate market conditions pushing issuers away from collateralized loan obligations, several Freddie Mac offerings should be considered as alternative exit strategies for mortgage loans secured by multifamily properties, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.
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Fla. Banking Brief: All The Notable Compliance Updates In Q2
Florida financial institutions must now navigate minimum interest rates for attorney trust accounts, restrictions on property sales to prohibited foreigners, and a ban on weighing environmental, social and governance factors to determine a customer's creditworthiness — changes that will add to banks' compliance pressures, says Patricia Hernandez at Avila Rodriguez.
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NY Court Sends Mixed Signals On Contested Foreclosure Law
Although New York's Appellate Division, Second Department, has avoided addressing the constitutionality and retroactive application of the Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act, its conflicting pattern of applying FAPA to existing cases is creating confusion regarding the future of the law, say Christopher Gorman and John Muldoon at Abrams Fensterman and litigation support analyst Robert Marx.
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Expect CFPB Scrutiny On AI In Lending
As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau prioritizes regulatory oversight of the financial services industry's use of automated systems and artificial technology, it will need to balance regulation and innovation, and companies should prepare to mitigate any potential for bias or unfair, deceptive or abusive acts and practices, say attorneys at Goodwin.
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Texas Construction Statute Of Repose Leaves Open Questions
Texas' new significantly shorter statute of repose barring certain suits against construction contractors contains some ambiguous wording that will likely raise questions to be decided by courts, says Mason Hester at Munsch Hardt.
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In The CFPB Playbook: Abuse Policy, PACE, Payment Apps
From defining "abusive" conduct to implementing green energy financing to policing payment apps, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was busy last quarter. Akerman's Nora Rigby discusses all this and more in the first installment of bureau activity recaps by former CFPB personnel.
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How To Avoid Flopping When Flipping Fla. Real Estate
As land prices rise, Florida real estate developers are increasingly contracting to flip property to other purchasers for a profit, and they should carefully consider the unique risks and issues associated with the different forms that the process can take, says Gary Kaleita at Lowndes.
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States Must Fight Predatory Real Estate Listing Agreements
As momentum against long-term real estate listing agreements continues to grow, states should take action to render existing agreements unenforceable and discourage future unfair and deceptive trade practices in real estate, says Elizabeth Blosser at the American Land Title Association.
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Steps To Success For Senior Associates
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Adriana Paris at Rissman Barrett discusses the increased responsibilities and opportunities that becoming a senior associate brings and what attorneys in this role should prioritize to flourish in this stressful but rewarding next level in their careers.
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Ohio Tax Talk: Building On Federal Affordable Housing Credit
Ohio's soon-to-be-implemented low-income housing tax credit could significantly affect the state's affordable housing landscape and influence tax-credit deal financing for these projects, though Senate changes may have dampened the new credit's immense potential, say Raghav Agnihotri and Rachael Chamberlain at Frost Brown.
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LA's High-Value Real Estate Transfer Tax Should Be Scrapped
Los Angeles’ recently implemented high-value property transfer tax has chilled the real estate market, is failing to meet revenue expectations and raises significant constitutional concerns, making it a flawed piece of legislation that should be invalidated, says attorney Paul Weinberg.
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Foreign Investment In Real Estate Is Getting More Complicated
Increasing federal scrutiny and a proliferation of new state laws targeting foreign investment in real estate may complicate or prevent transactions even by U.S. companies or funds that have shareholders or limited partners from China and other countries of concern, say attorneys at Akin.