Category: Real Estate / Property

Taxation has always been the bane of our existence. It is never popular in any form, though we may acknowledge that it is the lubricant without which governmental mechanisms cannot function and that it is one of life’s “necessary evils.” Constitutions which authorize the levying… Continue reading →

Whether you are a major real estate developer ready to build 300 new homes or a homeowner with a quarter-acre property who wants to build a deck in the back yard, there may come a time when you need some sort of zoning relief. In… Continue reading →

  We have previously discussed the now infamous U.S. Supreme Court decision, Kelo v. City of New London, in 2004.  In that decision New London, invoking the doctrine of eminent domain, was permitted to condemn a privately-owned area of the City, to be replaced by… Continue reading →

If you  have a  relatively large tract of  land you may have considered selling off a piece of it to a developer or perhaps developing the property yourself for future sale. When a landowner divides land into two or more parcels for the present or… Continue reading →

Mechanics’ lien laws protect contractors in the event they do not get paid for a job. A mechanic’s lien is a claim created by statute for the purpose of securing payment for labor and materials provided in construction or improvement to buildings or real estate. … Continue reading →

If you are devoted and diligent enough to make all of your mortgage payments over 30 years, you will eventually pay off your mortgage. A more likely scenario, however, involves refinancing your mortgage with a new loan, which also results in the prior mortgage being… Continue reading →

It became a major local news story, and it was fun: The King of Prussia Inn has been rescued from the ignominy of the polluted, cacophonous, barren, and soulless island PennDOT created a couple decades back. And it looks beautiful, even in its pre-rehabilitated state… Continue reading →

What happens when a residential landlord fails to return a tenant’s security deposit and fails to provide a written list of damages to the premises within 30 days following termination of the lease? Under Pennsylvania’s Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, any residential landlord who… Continue reading →

If you take your car in for repairs and refuse to pay the bill when you pick up the car, does the garage owner have a mechanic’s lien? Actually, the answer is no. While he may have a lien, it is not a mechanic’s lien;… Continue reading →

Anyone selling a residence on or after August 31, 1996, in Pennsylvania must be aware of the new Real Estate Seller Disclosure Act. The Act requires a seller to disclose problems which may exist regarding, among others, the roof, basement (wetness), termites, structural elements, on-site… Continue reading →