Practice Area: Real Estate

High Swartz | August 14, 2019

Best Lawyers Names 9 High Swartz Attorneys

Best Lawyers® has included 9 High Swartz attorneys in its 2020 edition.

High Swartz LLP, a full-service law firm with offices in Norristown and Doylestown, Pennsylvania, is pleased to announce that 9 of its attorneys have been named U.S. News and World Report 2019 'Best Lawyers in America.' Among the highlights and on top of her inclusions as Best Lawyer in Family Law and Family Law Arbitration, Melissa M. Boyd was named Best Lawyers® 2020 Family Law "Lawyer of the Year” in Philadelphia.

High Swartz Best Lawyers® in 2020:

Workers' Compensation Law – Claimants in Doylestown, PA
Thomas E. Panzer

Family Law "Lawyer of the Year - Philadelphia
Melissa M. Boyd

Family Law in Norristown, PA
Melissa M. Boyd & Mary Cushing Doherty

Family Law Arbitration in Norristown, PA
Melissa M. Boyd & Mary Cushing Doherty

Family Law Mediation in Norristown, PA
Mary Cushing Doherty

Land Use and Zoning Law in Norristown, PA
David J. Brooman & Gilbert P. High Jr.

Labor and Employment Litigation in Norristown, PA
Thomas D. Rees

Land Use and Zoning Litigation in Norristown, PA
David J. Brooman

Municipal Litigation in Norristown, PA
Gilbert P. High Jr.

Real Estate Litigation in Norristown, PA
Gilbert P. High Jr.

Municipal Law in Norristown, PA
Gilbert P. High Jr. & William F. Kerr, Jr.

Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs in Norristown, PA
Richard C. Sokorai

Real Estate Law in Norristown, PA
Arnold Heller

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. Almost 87,000 industry leading lawyers are eligible to vote (from around the world), and we have received almost 10 million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2019 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, 7.8 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in almost 60,000 leading lawyers being included in the new edition. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers "the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice."

High Swartz | August 10, 2019

Real Estate Transfer Tax in Philadelphia

Do you have to pay real estate transfer tax in Philadelphia? If you’re dealing with commercial real estate, residential real estate or real estate development in Philadelphia the price could get steep. Here’s what you need to know.

In Pennsylvania, there is a real estate transfer tax imposed by the state as well as the county in which the property is located. Pennsylvania imposes a 1% transfer tax on the value of the real estate being transferred, while Philadelphia imposes a 3.278% tax on the value of the real estate being transferred. Philadelphia’s transfer tax is one of the highest rates within Pennsylvania.  For comparison, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania's transfer tax is only 1%. It's a lot to take in so you might want to talk with a good real estate lawyer to make sure you're covered.

Sale of Property isn't the only transfer tax. When it comes to real estate transfer tax aka realty transfer tax, most people only think of the sale of property in exchange for money. However, that is only one type of transfer on which the tax is imposed. In fact, real estate transfer tax can apply to other transactions that involve the change in ownership of real estate by deed or other document, including long term leases.

While Pennsylvania and Philadelphia provide exemptions from transfer taxes depending on the purpose/type of transaction and the parties involved, the law may vary between Pennsylvania and the county. There may be transactions that are excluded from Pennsylvania realty transfer tax that are not excluded from Philadelphia's tax and other counties.

real estate transfer tax in Philadlephia and Pennsylvania
Transfer taxes in Philadelphia can get pretty steep.

Although the government is excluded from transfer taxes, you may not be. Both Pennsylvania and Philadelphia transfer tax law excludes the federal, state or local government or its agencies from tax for all transactions. However, if the party to whom the property is being transferred is not an excluded party, that party may in fact be responsible for the transfer tax if the transaction itself is not excluded. These may include properties purchased at a judicial/sheriff’s sale or from a state or local government agency.

In addition to transfers to/from the federal, state or local government or its agencies, both Pennsylvania and Philadelphia tax law excludes certain transactions from transfer tax. These may include deeds of correction or confirmation, transactions between certain family members, non-profits, corporations, and trusts.

For now, it is important to understand that transfer taxes exist in residential and commercial property transactions and that you may need to consult with a real estate lawyer to protect your interests.

For more information regarding the real estate transfer tax, please contact our law offices via our contact form or call 1.800.LAW-1914. We'll have a real estate lawyer review your situation. High Swartz offers a variety of legal services to help clients with almost any legal issue.

The information above is general: we recommend that you consult an attorney regarding your specific circumstances.  The content of this information is not meant to be considered as legal advice or a substitute for legal representation.

Mark Fischer | April 30, 2019

PA Municipalities worried about the Airbnb trend can rest easier

In a recent decision, the PA Supreme Court reversed the Commonwealth Court’s ruling and in doing so, state that Airbnb-type rentals are against residential zoning laws.

Back in March 2018, I wrote about the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to review a case involving a now-prevalent issue confronted by municipalities across the country…the influx of Airbnb’s in their residential neighborhoods. On April 26, 2019, the Court issued its decision in the case of Slice of Life, LLC v. Hamilton Twp. Zoning Hearing Bd., and in the process made for a lot of happy municipalities throughout the Commonwealth.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in reversing the Commonwealth Court’s ruling, decided that short-term transient rentals (such as those typically found on websites such as Airbnb and VRBO) were not a permitted use in the residential zoning district at issue in the case. The Court stated that “the purely transient use of a house is not a permitted use in a residential zoning district limiting use to single-family homes by ‘a single housekeeping unit.’”

In making its ruling, the Court discussed how most zoning ordinances define the term “family,” acknowledging that many have adopted the phrase “single-housekeeping unit,” which has become a widely-accepted term of art that the courts have defined as requiring the occupants of a home to live and behave like a family in a character that is permanent and not transitory. The Court examined the goals of zoning in general, and more specifically in creating residential zoning districts, explaining that the underlying purpose of creating neighborhoods and a stable community environment support the conclusion that the transient nature of short-term rentals confound this goal and there cannot be a permitted use in such residential zoning districts.

PA Supreme Court comes down hard on Commonwealth Court

Perhaps more astounding than that headline-making part of the ruling is the High Court’s resounding rejection of how the Commonwealth Court has been applying the zoning law in the Commonwealth. Like a parent slapping the wrist of petulant child, the High Court reprimanded the lower appellate court for ignoring prior Supreme Court precedent and creating the false rule that a use not specifically excluded by a zoning ordinance is a permitted use. The Supreme Court corrected this error of interpretation, explaining that the correct rule is that a use is excluded unless expressly included in a given zoning district, with the interpreting body to undertake a “functional analysis” to determine whether the proposed use constitutes a permitted use under the language of the zoning ordinance at issue.

What does the Slice of Life decision mean for PA rental properties in residential districts?

This decision is a significant win for municipalities across the Commonwealth seeking to preserve those underlying characteristics of its residential districts as discussed by the Supreme Court without having to modify their existing zoning ordinances. At the same time, it effectively shuts down the “Airbnb market” in single-family residential zoning districts in Pennsylvania, rendering a major blow to the property owners and online services that depend upon those short-term rentals for their bottom lines. What will remain to be seen going forward is the effect the decision will have on other non-traditional “family” uses in residential districts, such as sober-living houses, that have characteristics of both family and transient uses. The ramifications of the decision will surely be felt for years to come.

2019 Pa. LEXIS 2363 (Pa.S.Ct. Apr. 26, 2019).

Download this article as a pdf here.

Tom Gabor | March 7, 2019

High Swartz Initiates Sale of Historic Norristown Building

High Swartz Law Firm sells corner building at 425 DeKalb Street in Norristown to developer, making way for luxury apartments and restaurant café space. The developer sought to reclaim the building's history, while keeping vintage decor intact.

The residential situation at the corner of DeKalb and East Airy Streets in Norristown was dire. The apartments were in very bad shape and the rent it brought in wasn’t enough for the current landlord to keep the property going. That’s when the partners at High Swartz Law Firm just a couple of doors down stepped in.

Approaching 117 years old, 425 DeKalb is the corner building at DeKalb and East Airy Streets which connects to High Swartz’s offices at 40 East Airy Street. This is significant, as the full-service law firm is the original tenant of their building, opening its doors in 1935. To say that High Swartz is bound to Norristown and its overall history would be an understatement. The firm partners saw the opportunity to acquire 425 DeKalb and keep it under High Swartz ownership until the right development, or developer came along.

Enter Ian Truelove, a British developer from Warminster, PA, his son Dominic Truelove and Jared Gruber of JG Real Estate in the winter of 2017. Ian states that the building had good 'bones' and is a Victorian architectural eye-catcher. It’s an asset worth preserving for Norristown and the Montgomery County community. The potential was there, although the space needed a lot of work. High Swartz quickly initiated the sale, confirming Ian’s sentiment of the building’s significance and its importance to the Norristown neighborhood.

To understand why Ian Truelove was in the position to develop the building you must first understand his background. While on a visit from London, Ian met his wife Jean through mutual friends in the Delaware Valley area. On top of the relationship, Truelove’s reasoning for moving to Montgomery County was his love of its suburban countryside and the convenience of the American way of life. In short, the Trueloves wanted to start a family here, and that they did. Ian and his wife are the proud parents of 10 children, ranging from 19 to 37, 9 boys and one girl.

Left: Reinforcing the flooring. Right: Work being done on original window apertures.

After obtaining historic approval for the project, Truelove requested the assistance of local architects Seiler & Drury for the zoning and code approvals process. Building engineers were hired, consulted and plans were drawn up to solve the structural issues that had manifested over many years. The basement was in total disrepair with distinct mold issues that needed remediation. Father Time and the effects of a nasty fire and roof leaks had caused the central spine of the building to sag. Ian turned to his son Luke to find a way to support the floors during construction.

Left: Restoration of original railings and stairsteps. Right: Reclaimed victorian doors finished in original red paint on top of newly installed solid oak floors.
Left: Restoration of original railings and stairsteps. Right: Reclaimed victorian doors finished in original red paint on top of newly installed solid oak floors.

The good bones that Ian stated the building had made it paramount for him to reclaim as much history as possible. On top of saving the terra cotta roof coping tiles, Ian dismantled, refurbished and reinstalled the original Victorian stair rail. Entry doors were refinished and repainted in period-correct Victorian red. Original window apertures were restored and energy-efficient full-sized sash windows were installed. It was then that the crew discovered an original short stair that had been covered up during apparent mid-century home improvements. When originally built, this stair enabled the shopkeeper and family to have direct access from the home above into the storefront and basement below.

Old and New: Quartz countertops stand next to a Victorian baking oven built into original brick wall in one of the apartments

After almost a year of repairs and rehabbing, the spaces were ready to be unveiled. The restaurant offers a prime opportunity for tenants to appreciate the history of the building. It’s equipped with an ADA-compliant bathroom and second bathroom with original fittings. There is full basement access under the restaurant space and adjoining kitchen. Areas of exposed original red brick embellish the dining area while a reclaimed Victorian enamel stove found in the basement sits as decor. The apartments similarly have a taste of the old and new. Quartz countertops sit next to a Victorian baking oven that now is simply a statement piece. Ornate columns and trimwork were rehabbed and solid oak floors were installed throughout each apartment.

Original trimwork and columns were refinished and restored.
Original trimwork and columns were refinished and restored.

In all, Truelove converted the space into 4 luxury apartments and restaurant space. On February 21, Truelove hosted an open house for local Norristown Zoning and Code Officials and Council members. The feedback has been tremendous and the results speak for themselves. Being able to save an important building from new construction is one of Ian’s proudest accomplishments. That of course, and the births of Jean and Ian's 10 children.

furnished apartment at 425 dekalb and 46 east airy street in norristown pa | Montgomery county


Contact Ian Truelove at hazelnutpropertiesllc@gmail.com or call 215.740.8072 for more information on the available spaces.

High Swartz | November 1, 2018

High Swartz named among 2019 ‘Best Law Firms’ by U.S. News – Best Lawyers

Full-service law firm in Bucks and Montgomery counties recognized for prowess in Family Law, Municipal Law, Real Estate Law and Litigation - Real Estate, Land Use and Zoning

High Swartz LLP, a full-service law firm with offices in Norristown and Doylestown, Pennsylvania, is pleased to announce that it has been named a “Best Law Firm” for 2019 by U.S. News – Best Lawyers®, achieving a Tier 1 ranking in the Philadelphia Metropolitan area in the practice areas of Family Law, Municipal Law, Real Estate Law and Litigation - Real Estate, Land Use and Zoning and National Tier 2 ranking for Land Use and Zoning Law.

To be eligible for a Best Law Firm ranking, a firm must have at least one lawyer included in The Best Lawyers in America©. Attorneys are neither required nor allowed to pay a fee to be listed. For 2019, 9 High Swartz attorneys were named among Best Lawyers:

Best Law Firm rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process.

The highest honor, a Tier 1 ranking, is based on a firm's overall evaluation, which is derived from a combination of its clients' impressive feedback, the regard that lawyers in other firms in the same practice areas have for the firm, and information that the firm provided to Best Lawyers via a survey.

High Swartz | October 25, 2018

William Kerr among 2018 Best of the Bar Honorees for Real Estate

William Kerr, a Partner in High Swartz’s Norristown, PA office, has been recognized by the Philadelphia Business Journal as one of the 2018 Best of the Bar Honorees for his work in Real Estate.

The Best of the Bar Awards annually recognizes a lawyer’s professional work, with this year’s awards focused from June, 30 2017 to present.  Attorneys are judged based on the quality of achievement, which includes the business and/or legal significance, size of the result, and the impact of their work.

Mr. Kerr is a real estate lawyer in Norristown, PA—a Philadelphia suburb—with more than 23 years of experience in real estate law.  Mr. Kerr’s real estate practice focuses on zoning, land use and land development, real estate taxation, real estate transactions, title issues, code compliance, and eminent domain.  He has particular expertise in the affordable housing industry, including tax assessment issues related to affordable housing properties.

Mr. Kerr was part of the affordable housing industry group that effectively pursued an amendment to Pennsylvania’s assessment law as it affects affordable housing.

Mr. Kerr’s clients consist of developers, property managers and property owners of properties ranging from a single or multi-family residential home to hotels, shopping centers, commercial and airport properties, and much more.

A 2018 Best of the Bar Awards ceremony will be held to recognize all honorees. The event will be hosted by the Philadelphia Business Journal on October 25, 2018 and held at the SugarHouse Casino Events Space.

High Swartz | July 25, 2018

Don’t Forget! 2019 Tax Appeal Deadlines Are Approaching

New assessment notices and tax bills have been arriving in property owners’ mailboxes throughout the spring and summer, and deadlines in a few counties in southeastern Pennsylvania are only a few cookouts or trips to the shore away. August 1 is the deadline for  filing appeals in Montgomery County, Bucks County, Delaware County, and Chester County this year, while Philadelphia appeals are due in early October.  Deadlines in  most other counties are between August 1 and October 1.

Property assessments - and the tax bills that are calculated from them - are often very difficult for property owners to interpret and fully understand.  Assessments are often some percentage of actual fair market value, and determining your property’s actual fair market value can be a bit complex.  It is usually best supported for residential properties by evidence such as an appraisal, recent sales data for comparable properties, or other sources of information and support. Several other factors might be considered for commercial or investment properties, like the cost approach or income approach to valuation, each of which can involve compiling significant amounts of data and applying complex analysis.

At High Swartz, our attorneys have many years of experience representing property owners in counties all across the state in appeals on properties ranging from single family homes to multi-million dollar apartment complexes, to high-value commercial properties. With our skills and experience, we help our clients assure that their property assessments, and the taxes based on those assessments, are appropriate.

Below we’ve provided some information and resources on the appeals process in a few southeastern Pennsylvania counties.  Feel free to do some research regarding the possibility of appealing your own tax assessment, or Contact Us to discuss a potential appeal of your property with one of our experienced and skilled attorneys.

Montgomery County

The deadline to file Montgomery County tax assessment appeals is August 1.

Montgomery County was last reassessed in 1996, and a 2017 Inquirer article estimated that 1 in 5 Montgomery County properties were over-assessed. The Common Level Ratio for 2019 is 50.9% meaning the assessed values you see on the website or your bill are supposed to correspond to about 50.9% of the current fair market value.

Click here for the Montgomery County Assessment Appeal form

For more information, check out this FAQ on the website for the Board of Assessment Appeals

Bucks County

The deadline to file Bucks County tax assessment appeals is August 1.

Bucks County real estate values were last reassessed in 1972, and a 2017 Inquirer article estimated that about 16% of Bucks County properties are over-assessed. Because the base year was 46 years ago, the  Common Level Ratio for 2019 is only 10.4%, meaning the assessed values you see on the website or your bill are supposed to correspond to about 10.4% of the current fair market value.

Click here for the Bucks County Residential Assessment Appeal form

Click here for the Bucks County Commercial/Industrial/Vacant Assessment Appeal form

Delaware County

The deadline to file Delaware County tax assessment appeals is August 1.

Delaware County real estate values are actually in the process of being reassessed, pursuant to a recent court order. The process of assessing the county’s over 200,000 properties is expected to take a few years, and the new values will go into effect by 2021. However, the current assessed values are still based off of the previous base year of 1998, with a Common Level Ratio for 2019 of about 58.1%, meaning the assessed values you see on the website or your bill are supposed to correspond to about 58.1% of the current fair market value.

Click here for the Delaware County Residential Assessment Appeal form

Click here for the Delaware County Commercial Assessment Appeal form

Chester County

The deadline to file Chester County tax assessment appeals is August 1.

Chester County real estate values were last reassessed in 1996. The  Common Level Ratio is 51.3%, meaning the assessed values you see on the website or your bill are supposed to correspond to about 52.9% of the current fair market value.

Click here for the Chester County Residential Assessment Appeal form

Click here for the Chester County Commercial  Assessment Appeal form

Philadelphia

The deadline to file Philadelphia tax assessment appeals is the first Monday in October (which falls on October  1 this year).

Because Philadelphia does an annual reassessment, the Common Level Ratio is 1.00, meaning the assessed value should reflect the current market value. We’ve heard from lot of Philadelphia property owners who were alarmed to see large increases in their tax assessments for 2019, in some cases as high as 200+% higher than 2018. These stories aren’t necessarily anecdotal either, as the overall median market value for single family homes increased 10.5% from last year according to analysis of the data done by the Inquirer and Daily News. Certain neighborhoods or even individual blocks saw much higher median increases.

While most assessment appeals will challenge the Office of Property Assessment’s total assessed value, property owners with tax abatements on the improvement value of their property have begun appealing only their land values (which are not subject to the abatement). Some of these appeals have already been decided in Common Pleas court, with some favorable results for the property owners – see our earlier blog post for more information on Philly’s tax abatement system and assessment appeals.

Click here for the Philadelphia Assessment Appeal form

Click here for the OPA’s website containing information on appeals and the appeals process

High Swartz | April 30, 2018

William F. Kerr Appointed to the Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors

High Swartz partner, William F. Kerr, Jr. has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware Counties, Inc.

“We are very much looking forward to working with Bill, and are very impressed with the skill set he brings to the Habitat Board,” said William McEwan, Vice President.

Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware Counties, Inc. partners with local residents to help them build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build or repair their own homes alongside volunteers, resulting in an affordable mortgage. Habitat also provides low cost home repairs, financial literacy and empowerment education, and revitalizes neighborhoods. With community support, homeowners achieve the strength, stability and independence they need to build a better life for themselves and for their families., visit the Habitat for Humanity website at http://www.habitatmontdelco.org.

William F. Kerr, Jr. has more than 22 years of experience in the area of real estate law, focusing on land use, land development and zoning; real estate taxation; real estate transactions; real estate title issues; eminent domain; real estate valuation; and real estate code compliance.

About High Swartz LLP: High Swartz LLP is a full-service law firm serving clients in the Delaware Valley and throughout Pennsylvania from offices in Norristown and Doylestown. Established in 1914, High Swartz serves the needs of businesses, municipalities, government entities, nonprofits and individuals. With offices in Bucks County and Montgomery County, the full-service law firm provides comprehensive counsel and legal support to individuals and business entities of all sizes across a broad spectrum of industries throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. For more information, go to www.highswartz.com.

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Mark Fischer | March 27, 2018

How can municipalities control the AirBnB trend within their neighborhoods?

The online marketplace for short term lodging is proliferating well beyond Jersey Shore and Poconos rentals.  AirBnB’s are becoming a popular trend in suburban Philadelphia and in some townships, an unwanted land use.  Since this trend started, the municipal and zoning lawyer in me has wondered how this seemingly unregulated ability to rent out your house for a few days complies with local zoning and other township codes.  Well the Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently agreed to hear a case that might provide some new insight.

In late February 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed to review the Commonwealth Court’s June 2017 decision in Slice of Life, LLC v. Hamilton Twp. Zoning Hearing Bd.[1]  In the case, Hamilton Township in Monroe County issued a violation notice to a property owner stating that the owner’s use of the property in question for short-term rentals violated the township’s zoning code.  The property was in a residential zoning district in which only single-family residential use was permitted.  The Township’s zoning hearing board, and then the Court of Common Pleas, agreed that the use violated the zoning ordinance, finding that the owner was not operating a single-family dwelling, but rather a commercial short-term transient lodging business motivated by profit.

On appeal, the Commonwealth Court reversed those decisions, finding that the Township’s violation notice was an attempt to expand the language of the Township zoning ordinance to impose an unwritten policy against short-term rentals.  The Commonwealth Court analyzed the defined terms in the applicable ordinance sections and concluded that the Township was reading undefined terms into the ordinance language, when the law requires that any ambiguity in the written language be interpreted in favor of the property owner.  The Commonwealth Court also rejected the Township’s argument that short-term transient rentals threaten the health, safety and welfare of single-family residential neighborhoods, essentially explaining that neighborhoods sometimes have bad neighbors regardless of whether they are renters or owners.  The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will now review the Commonwealth Court’s decision, which could provide some insight on how local zoning codes may be interpreted with respect to these evermore common short-term rentals of single-family homes.

So what can municipalities learn from the analysis provided by the Courts so far?  The devil is in the details.  The Court’s focus on the defined and undefined terms in the applicable zoning ordinance is ultimately what controlled the outcome of the Slice of Life case and others that preceded it.  Recognizing that online services such as AirBnB have expanded the possible uses of single-family dwellings, the Courts have pointed out that townships wanting to control these new uses must do so by amending their zoning ordinances, rather than attempting to restrict the uses through broad interpretations of existing language.  If municipalities feel that short-term rentals pose a threat to their neighborhoods, they should review their ordinances and make the necessary changes to restrict such uses to certain zoning districts.  In the coming months, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court should provide some guidance to municipalities on what types of changes are necessary in order to properly address these emerging uses within their communities.

If you have any questions about zoning ordinances, please contact Mark R. Fischer, Jr. at 610-275-0700 or mfischer@highswartz.com.  Our Bucks County and Montgomery County Municipal & Government Law attorneys have knowledge and experience in all facets of zoning issues.

[1] 164 A.3d 633 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2017).

The information above is general: we recommend that you consult an attorney regarding your specific circumstances.  The content of this information is not meant to be considered as legal advice or a substitute for legal representation.

High Swartz | March 16, 2018

William F. Kerr, Jr. presented at the Lehigh Valley Regional Housing Summit

William F. Kerr, Jr. presented at the Regional Housing Summit on Housing Challenges and Opportunities held on February 8th.

He was part of a panel discussion that focused on housing affordability and how national and state models can be applicable in the Lehigh Valley. The discussion included various approaches being used to increase the availability of affordable housing locally and nationally.  Mr. Kerr discussed the use of inclusionary and incentive zoning as tools for municipalities and developers interested in expanding affordable housing opportunities in specific communities.

William F. Kerr, Jr. has more than 22 years of experience in the area of real estate law, focusing on land use, land development and zoning; real estate taxation, real estate transactions; real estate title issues, eminent domain; real estate valuation, realty transfer tax  and real estate code compliance. Mr. Kerr represents developers, property managers and property owners of single and multi-family residential, hotel, shopping center, commercial, industrial, golf course, day-care, prison, utility, cell tower and airport properties. He has successfully represented these clients, in Philadelphia and throughout eastern Pennsylvania, in obtaining various development, subdivision, zoning, and related approvals. Mr. Kerr also has extensive experience in successfully pursuing real estate tax assessment appeals, nonprofit real estate tax exemptions, preferential Agricultural Assessments and real estate tax abatements in various counties throughout eastern Pennsylvania. He has significant expertise in real estate tax assessment, land development and zoning, and related  issues for affordable housing properties.

High Swartz LLP is a full-service law firm serving clients in the Delaware Valley and throughout Pennsylvania from offices in Norristown and Doylestown. Established in 1914, High Swartz serves the needs of businesses, municipalities, government entities, nonprofits and individuals. With offices in Bucks County and Montgomery County, the firm provides comprehensive counsel and legal support to individuals and business entities of all sizes across a broad spectrum of industries throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. For more information, go to www.highswartz.com.

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