South Florida Law Blog

Nearly 40% of homeowners who took out a second mortgage are underwater on their loans, but the news surrounding second mortgages isn’t all doom and gloom for Floridians, says Florida foreclosure defense attorney Roy Oppenheim. Second mortgages refer to any loan taken out on a property that is subordinate to the first mortgage, and include home-equity loans or lines of […]

The good: All we can say is, you never know! When the real estate market collapsed, Miami’s downtown epitomized the worst excesses of the building boom. Glittering new towers sat mostly vacant. Today Miami’s downtown real estate is booming and bustling with life and commerce thanks to foreign investors and renters. A report by the Miami Downtown Development Authority indicates […]

What is killing Florida real estate? Excess inventories and falling home prices. House prices have been continuously falling for the first time in 70 years, and South Florida homeowners should expect the trend to continue. A surplus inventory of houses caused by Florida foreclosures and short sales is the mortal enemy of home prices. Lower prices are needed to sell […]

Florida real estate finally makes the #1 list for something positive. With the real estate market in recovery mode, owning a home is more affordable than renting in 72 percent of major U.S. cities. Miami, Las Vegas and Arlington, Texas round out the top three cities where buying is a safer bet. Renting is more affordable than buying in only […]

The South Florida Law Blog believes it will be at least 2016 before Florida’s housing market fully recovers, but a new study shows many Americans are far more optimistic. The results are in, and it appears the majority of those surveyed believe 2012 will be the magic year for the housing market. Trulia and RealtyTrac recently polled 2,034 U.S. adults […]

As a tribute to Bob Dylan’s 70th birthday today, his song “The Times They Are A-Changin” captures the spirit of the social and political upheaval happening in today’s Florida courts. Despite a swollen pipeline of more than half a million pending foreclosure cases, Florida’s appellate courts are starting to send a clear message that banks will not succeed in trampling […]

Wall Street corruption blurs the lines between good guys and bad guys as this week’s headlines bubble to the top. Unbelievably guilty in the court of public opinion. Now ultimately guilty in a court of law. The conviction of Galleon hedge fund billionaire Raj Rajaratnam on all 14 counts of conspiracy and securities fraud is a prime example of rampant […]

When will Florida see the sunny side of real estate again? Find out what the attorney, developer and media think. The first episode of Oppenheim Law’s new talk show “From the Trenches” is now live on Oppenheim Law’s You Tube Channel. Real estate attorney and award-winning legal blogger Roy Oppenheim joined guests CBS4 Chief Investigative Reporter Stephen Stock and Real […]