House Hunting for the Sedentary.

No. 825 Have you ever watched the shows on the cable channels that feature couples (or occasional single working girls) searching for a new home? They have several of them on HGTV, Wealth TV, Travel Channel, etc. The house-hunters range from the very young to the moderately old. The venues range from the Philly suburbs, […]

Reassessment 2012: What About All Those Sheriff Sale Properties?

No. 778 From all reports, the assessment notices that started arriving in City and Mt Oliver mailboxes yesterday were full of assessment values that are double and triple the 2002 numbers. With all of the sheriff sale properties on the market, how can this be? Good question. The Sheriff’s deed, which frequently represent a very […]

Reassessment of the Reassessment by Fitzgerald — Too Little, Too Late?

No. 777 When we wrote “Christmas Reassessment” (below at No. 774) we gave Rich Fitzgerald credit for being shrewd enough to pass a one mill tax increase this year — before the assessment year in which increases would be limited to 105% of the prior year, at least in theory, by Act 146. However, to listen […]

Christmas Reassessment

No. 774 The County Assessors really do have a heart. They tried to keep from delivering the first batch of reassessment notices before Christmas. But Judge Wettick would have none of it. I must admit, I didn’t initially give Rich Fitzgerald credit for shrewd thinking. It was puzzling that the County Council rushed to pass […]

The Premature Millage Increase.

It must have seemed to the Democrats on County Council that the City voters’ willingness to appropriate a quarter mill tax increase for the Carnegie Library signaled a new era when it was okay to raise taxes. With the election less than a week behind them, they apparently lined up a majority for a one mill County tax increase.

Thank You Real Estate Agents

No. 731 Thanks to the great group of real estate agents that took the continuing professional education class I gave at CCAC North this past week. They asked plenty of great questions and added a great deal to the discussion. I will be giving the class at least four more times in the Spring at […]

Real Estate: Unsung Heroes of the Great Recession.

No. 721 Little note and less recognition has been given to a substantial group of people who have benefitted us all.They are the unsung heroes who have been quietly buying substandard, decaying houses and fixing them up. Without them, there would be a lot more unlivable or barely livable homes in our community. Many more […]

Real Estate: All is not quiet on the mortgage foreclosure front.

USA Today reports that a recent settlement between Bank of America (pronounced Countrywide) and certain large investors precipitated a storm of delinquency notices. Although BOA has denied the connection, there is no doubt that litigation activity generally has been increasing, after a long lull during the summer.

Real Estate and Consumer Protection: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Is Attempting To Simplify Loan Disclosures.

The truth was and is that government-mandated disclosures, no matter how graphically displayed, are not capable of educating the borrower sufficiently to make an educated choice. But the failure was not with disclosure, it was with underwriting. For generations, home lending was governed by regulations written to insure that the borrowers would be able to afford the payments. The creativity of brokers, who were subject to much less regulation, bent and then broke a system that had worked fairly well.

Wettick Suggests Possible Two Step Introduction of 2012 Reassessment.

Judge Stanton Wettick, who is supervising the implementation of the 2012 reassessment that he has ordered, asked the County assessors to report on what would be the outcome if the reassessment effort were concentrated on the City of Pittsburgh and Mt. Oliver (which is part of the City School District) first.

« go back — keep looking »

Welcome

CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk

Legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus.

1410 Posts and Counting