Important Information for Property Owners Power of the Government The power of the federal and state government to take private property for a public purpose, even if the property owner objects, is known as eminent domain. The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution allows the government to take private property if the taking is […]
Read More »Should landowners be compensated for fracking ban?
DAMASCUS TOWNSHIP, WAYNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) – The issue of natural gas drilling has divided neighbors in the Poconos for years. With the Delaware River Basin Commission poised to implement a permanent fracking ban in Wayne and Pike counties by the end of the year, one state senator wants to protect landowners rights.
Read More »Residents Vow to Fight Scranton Beltway Project
SOUTH ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — People living in the Woodcrest Estates development in South Abington Township say they will fight the Scranton Beltway Project.
Read More »Kline Township Supervisors are trying to acquire the land through eminent domain
KLINE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — There is a dispute over a playground and the land it is on in Schuylkill County. The Kline Township Supervisors are trying to acquire the land through eminent domain so that they can upgrade the playground, but the owners of the property tell Newswatch 16 they feel the township is trying to […]
Read More »Eminent Domain in Philadelphia
In Sharswood dozens of residents are being displaced through the use of eminent domain, clearing a path for the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s sweeping plans to transform the neighborhood. For our series Remaking Sharswood, reporter Ryan Briggs caught up with residents affected by eminent domain about their experiences and the road ahead.
Read More »Do you really need a will?
You May Not Think You Need a Will, But You Really Do. Most Americans do not have a simple will as part of their estate plan. You might believe that a will is only for the rich and famous, and not the average person who has a far smaller net worth. On the other hand, […]
Read More »Which life events that require an immediate estate plan update?
Estate planning is the process of developing a strategy for the care and management of your estate if you become incapacitated or upon your death. One commonly known purpose of estate planning is to minimize taxes and costs, including taxes imposed on gifts, estates, generation skipping transfer and probate court costs. However, your plan must […]
Read More »Highest and Best Use, Mitigation?
Eminent domain practitioners are well versed in analyzing a property’s highest and best use. Under these principles, a property being condemned is not necessarily valued based on its current, existing use. Where the appraiser can show that the property’s actual value is based on a different use, that use can often be the foundation for […]
Read More »Small Takings on Preserved Agricultural Land
Pa. development fight grows on ‘sliver’ of farmland Updated: JANUARY 22, 2017 — 3:03 AM EST by Michaelle Bond, Staff Writer @MichaelleBond It is a mere “sliver” in the county that has the state’s richest harvest of farmland, more than 100,000 acres of which is off-limits to development. But conservation activists say the future of […]
Read More »Americans Are Flipping Houses Like it’s 2006
Housing market investors have pushed the share of flips, or properties sold twice in 12 months, to its highest level in a decade. by Patrick Clark January 25, 2017, 12:01 AM EST
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