South Florida Law Blog

The housing news reports existing home sales fell sharply in July, declining for a third straight month, as the effects of the expired homebuyer tax credit continued to add turbulence to the housing market. Consumers are now clearly entering into a new economic era where homes are no longer an appreciating asset. Oppenheim Law teaches Florida homeowners the latest legal […]

Homeownership Reaches Record Lows According to new industry estimates, millions of houses on the verge of foreclosure could send homeownership to its lowest level since 1960. Long considered a cornerstone of the American dream, homeownership has been sliding since the housing bubble burst in 2006. New projections say the rate could plummet to about 62%, compared with 69.4% in 2004. […]

States like Florida and California are obvious centers of attention when it comes to foreclosure, and many people throughout the world, who own real estate in Florida, are affected by this crisis. The global nature of our country’s real estate market came into focus when reporters from the BBC and Croatian National TV looking to do a feature commentary on […]

Is strategic default nearing its peak? Oppenheim Law doesn’t think so. Pointing to recent positive indicators in the economy and real estate market, today’s Daily Business Review poses this question to foreclosure defense attorney Roy Oppenheim in today’s Economic Outlook. Signals of stabilization in South Florida real estate include: The Florida Association of Realtors reported May data showing year-over-year increases […]

Taking after Britney Spear’s colossal “Oops…I did it again” hit song from 2000, Bank of America has accidentally foreclosed on a home for the third time in less than a year! “I honestly felt like Bank of America was trying to steal my property”, said Nancy Willmes, who had paid cash for her home from Fannie Mae, who had foreclosed […]

Foreclosures have been filed against 1.7 million American homeowners, and The New York Times is reporting the pace of the legal proceedings is continuing to slow: In Florida, the average property spends 518 days in foreclosure, second only to New York’s 561 days. This is good news for underwater homeowners, who now have the opportunity to use strategic defaults and […]

A silent rebellion has begun. This time there will be no drums or shots fired. In fact, no one will hear anything. Not even footsteps. Homeowners have reached a tipping point of sorts: 7 million homeowners are currently underwater. They are defaulting on their mortgages. One by one they are part of Shay’s Rebellion 2.0, a rebellion being fought on […]

Enough is enough. Oppenheim Law, along with a team of lawyers, recently brought a series of class action suits against various banks alleging the banks charged improper fees at closing. Specifically, these banks have been accused of the unlicensed practice of law for charging documentary preparation fees in connection with their mortgages. Interestingly, the Florida Supreme Court recently heard arguments […]