Now that many of our clients are participating in the Spring housing market , repair issues have developed in several transactions handled by our attorneys . This post will address the manner in which such issues should be addressed in a contract. Most buyers will have a professional engineer inspect the premises prior…
Articles Posted in Real Estate Transactions and Finance
How Low Can You Go?
Some of our clients have recently inquired as to whether their cooperative board may have been declined their proposed sale because the proposed purchase price is too low. As we have indicated in previous posts , cooperative boards can decline a purchase for any or no reason so long as such reason does not…
Going Dark
News outlets recently reported on the demise of retailer Toys R Us in bankruptcy. Initially, it was thought that the famous chain toy store would continue operations under its bankruptcy plan. Then, those in charge of the company found that it was necessary to close all locations. Such a decision has…
Reverse Mortgages: What Happens to Those Left Behind?
Prior blog posts have discussed the legal ramifications of reverse mortgages, which are becoming more common, and, with this, have become the subject of more court actions, including foreclosure cases. Reverse mortgages allow a person to borrow against the equity in their home, and are limited to those homeowners older than…
Don’t Make Snow and Ice an Olympic Event on Your Property
Many of us have recently enjoyed watching the Winter Olympics. The competitive spirit of the athletes is enhanced by the beauty of the snow and ice and the vistas in South Korea. Back in our region, snow and ice can be dangerous for homeowners and subject them to damages for…
Has Your Building Been Sold?
A recent article in the New York Times discusses the purchase of the building which currently houses Chelsea Market by Google. Of course, this raises the issue of what becomes of the tenants in the building, including the all-important food vendors. Commercial real estate in New York, whether in the New York…
Recent Tax Overhall and Deducting New York Real Estate Taxes
In December, 2017 a new federal tax bill was enacted. Such legislation has a profound effect on relatively high tax states such as New York. This has resulted in a lawsuit filed by the State of New York as well as other regional high tax jurisdictions. Previously, there was no…
You Belong With Me: Disclosing Reasons Behind Coop Rejections
Consider the following scenario. A shareholder in a cooperative has been trying to sell her apartment because circumstances have resulted in her opportunity to buy a house in a sunny location out of town. Her buyer is a young professional gentleman who wants to own, rather than rent, and build…
Sales of Property and Status of Tenants in New York State
Our firm handles real estate transactions as well as landlord-tenant matters. At certain times, these two areas of the law may intersect. One situation which occurs frequently is when a multi-family house is sold by its owner, who may have one or more tenants living at the property. In such a…
Buying a House May Still Be the Right Move
Our readers may be aware that there is a movement to pass sweeping Federal tax reforms. Some analysts have suggested that such proposed legislation may not be favorable to highly taxed areas such as New York and that home ownership may be discouraged as a result. The proposed legislation in…