Category Archives: Real Estate Law

Wall Street Journal writer Justin Baer reported late last month that, “A financial-technology startup is taking on the difficult task of enticing mom-and-pop investors to invest in small slices of office towers and other commercial buildings. “Lex Markets aims to serve as the intermediary between investors and real-estate firms looking to sell stakes in individual… Continue Reading

Diana Olick reported yesterday at CNBC Online that, “Fall homebuyers are getting a bonus. The sell-off in the stock market is causing an unexpected turnaround in mortgage rates. “Mortgage rates fell throughout much of the summer but then made a sharp jump higher in September. Now rates are headed back down, along with the Dow… Continue Reading

Wall Street Journal writers Likhitha Butchireddygari and Harriet Torry reported today that, “The pace at which Americans bought new homes increased in August, a sign that low mortgage rates may be encouraging home building. “Purchases of newly built single-family homes rose 7.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 713,000 in August from the prior… Continue Reading

Conor Dougherty and Luis Ferré-Sadurní reported this week at The New York Times Online that, “California’s escalating housing costs have yielded epic commutes and a rising tide of homelessness. Now they are close to producing a political milestone: a vast expansion of tenant-protection laws that would cap rents statewide. “On Tuesday, the State Senate voted… Continue Reading

Wall Street Journal writer Ben Eisen reported last week that, “The risky mortgage is making a comeback. “More than a decade after home loans triggered the worst financial crisis in a generation, the strict lending requirements put in place during its aftermath are starting to erode. Home buyers with low credit scores or high debt… Continue Reading

Wall Street Journal writers Will Parker and Harriet Torry reported this week that, “Sales of previously owned U.S. homes picked up in July, a sign that lower mortgage rates may be finally starting to drive sales after a weak spring selling season. “July marked the first year-over-year uptick in 17 months and economists have been… Continue Reading

Harriet Torry reported in today’s Wall Street Journal that, “U.S. mortgage debt reached a record in the second quarter, exceeding its 2008 peak as the financial crisis unfolded. “Mortgage balances rose by $162 billion in the second quarter to $9.406 trillion, surpassing the high of $9.294 trillion in the third quarter of 2008, the Federal… Continue Reading

Diana Olick reported earlier this week at CNBC Online that, “Escalating tensions over a trade war with China sent investors rushing to the relative safety of the bond market late last week. That pushed the yield on the 10-year Treasury, which mortgage rates loosely follow, down sharply. “The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed… Continue Reading

New York Times writers Jim Tankersley and Ben Casselman reported yesterday that, “The mortgage-interest deduction, a beloved tax break bound tightly to the American dream of homeownership, once seemed politically invincible. Then it nearly vanished in middle-class neighborhoods across the country, and it appears that hardly anyone noticed. “In places like Plainfield, a southwestern outpost… Continue Reading

Justin Lahart reported this week at The Wall Street Journal Online that, “Lower interest rates were supposed to breathe new life into the housing market. But so far there are few signs of a real-estate revival. “Thanks in large part to the Federal Reserve’s dovish turn this year, mortgages have rarely been so cheap. As… Continue Reading