Category: Real Estate / Property

Negotiating An Agreement for the Sale of Real Estate

When purchasing an existing home in Pennsylvania, most buyers and sellers, at one point or another, have entered into standard agreements for the sale of real estate on forms approved by the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS®. These forms are useful tools because nearly every provision… Continue reading

Postscript: The Inn at Rest!

On August 20, 2000, the King of Prussia Inn, which had been an inaccessible patch of historical architecture completely surrounded by high-speed highways, was moved about one-quarter of a mile to a sylvan setting on Bill Smith Boulevard. After the move contractors went to work… Continue reading

HUD Looks at Home-Lending Practices

These days, there’s hardly any business like the mortgage business. A cottage industry has evolved around historically low interest rates and easy credit; people who refinanced their residential mortgages two years ago found themselves doing it again a year later, and some have even done… Continue reading

Condominiums and Pest Control

You are a condominium owner in a multifamily building and one of your neighbors is chronically disruptive to you and others in the building to the point where the life-styles of the others and you are significantly affected. The disruption is constant and no amount… Continue reading

Zoning Variances: Use and Dimensional

Local zoning laws typically regulate the types of uses that can be established in a given area, as well as the physical characteristics of structures located with a given zoning district. Zoning ordinances typically divide a municipality into various zones, including residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural… Continue reading

The Implied Warranty of Habitability In Residential Leases

Many residential leases provide that the leased premises are either taken in “as is” condition or are silent as to condition. When no reference is made to the condition, the presumption is that the tenant has inspected the leased premises and has accepted the premises… Continue reading

Land Use: The Merger Doctrine

Suppose you own a parcel of real estate and you learn that additional land is available for sale next door. You purchase the ground thinking that maybe some day you will put in a pool or build an addition onto your house; later you decide… Continue reading

Nonconforming Use: Use It or Lose It

Local zoning laws are a relatively recent development in our country’s history. The first comprehensive zoning legislation was enacted in the United States during the first third of the 20th century, with many zoning ordinances created in the period between 1940 and 1960. Before then,… Continue reading

Venue

With the 2004 Olympics approaching, we are sure to hear a good deal about the “venue” for boxing and the “venue” for sailing. Venue is also an important concept in civil litigation. Sometimes the selection of venue for a particular kind of lawsuit is easy.… Continue reading

“Tacking” Down Property Boundary Lines

What if one day your long-time neighbor comes to you and says that he had a survey of his property, and it turns out that your driveway is encroaching upon his land? Despite your explanation that the driveway has been there ever since you moved… Continue reading