A February 2019 article in USA Today discusses a US Supreme Court unanimous ruling stating, that states cannot impose excessive fees, fines and forfeitures as criminal penalties. “The decision, which united the court’s conservatives and liberals, makesREAD MORE
New York State “Zombies 2.0” – Attorney General James Announces Funds To Combat Zombie Homes And Revitalize Neighborhoods
On July 10th, New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced the recipients of $9 million in grants to address the growing statewide issue of “zombie homes” – vacant or abandoned homes that are not maintained duringREAD MORE
GAO-19-517 Improved Procedures and Assessment Could Increase Efficiency of Foreclosed Property Conveyances
As FHA insured mortgages continue to increase its market share, additional focus should be placed on the policies FHA/HUD have in place to address properties whose loan becomes delinquent and the property is abandoned. OnREAD MORE
Abandoned Properties and Blight due to……Pyrrhotite?
As far back as 2016, the State of Connecticut identified a significant issue with deficient concrete resulting in crumbling basements and foundations. The crisis prompted the state to create an official web page dedicated toREAD MORE
H.R.2390 – Clean Up Our Neighborhoods Act of 2019
Following is the Press Release from Congressman Tim Ryan discussing the introduction (on 4/29/19) of H.R.2390 – “Clean Up Our Neighborhoods Act of 2019” To view a related media article from WFMJ, please click here. CongressmanREAD MORE
Time to get off the Hamster Wheel
As a follow up to my March Blog posting where I discussed the continuing issue of wasted time, money and effort in identifying owners or mortgage servicers of vacant and abandoned properties please see thisREAD MORE
Murphy shoots down foreclosure online database measure
A recent article from NJBiz discusses a conditional veto from Gov. Phil Murphy on legislation that would have required the Department of Community Affairs to create an online database and interactive map of residential propertiesREAD MORE
Engaging a New Generation and Creating a New Tool in the Blight Fight
A local community in Pennsylvania has tapped in to a great resource, local students from Harrisburg Area Community College and Blue Mountain High School. The initiative to help the borough of Mahanoy City determine exactlyREAD MORE
Successful Utilization of a VPRO
A recent article in the Chicago Tribune featured the successes of Aurora’s (IL) Vacant and Foreclosed Property License program started in August 2016. Aurora’s utilization of the data includes inter-department collaboration. There are still moreREAD MORE
NJ Governor Murphy Signs Legislative Package to Address New Jersey’s Foreclosure Crisis
Following is the April 29th press release from the Governor’s office regarding his signing of 9 foreclosure related pieces of legislation. Governor Murphy Signs Legislative Package to Address New Jersey’s Foreclosure Crisis ATLANTIC CITY –READ MORE
Code Enforcement Liens: Carrot or Stick? Or both?
So I came across an interesting article, the headline, and in fact the article itself, was very matter of fact. The headline read “Code violators owe Estero more than $2M in fines. The Village CouncilREAD MORE
Doing the right thing…
I have been blessed many times in my life, and in many different aspects. One area I do not take for granted was the opportunity to witness first-hand how my late father-in-law, an Ernst &READ MORE