All articles by Robert M. Steeg
Are Your Real Estate Documents Prepared for Hurricane Season?
Hurricane season begins today, June 1. With Hurricanes Ida and Katrina etched in our memories, many of us will begin to review steps for hurricane preparedness in our homes and … More»
New Safety & Permits Performance and Accountability Tool in Phase One
The City of New Orleans has announced the inception of PermiSTAT, a new performance management tool designed to identify bottlenecks, track key metrics, and improve the overall customer experience in … More»
Update on the Transient Lodging Study
Since the Spring of 2025, the City of New Orleans has been engaged in the process of reviewing its policies concerning commercial short term rentals. At the request of the … More»
Fraud Scheme Targeting Residents and Businesses in New Orleans
The City of New Orleans is alerting people to an on-going fraud scheme in which fraudulent emails claiming to be from City planning, zoning, and permitting departments and requesting payment … More»
Canal Street Revitalization Plan
If you are looking for a genuine public-private partnership, look no further than the Canal Street Revitalization Plan. The Plan began as a project of involved private citizens, led by … More»
A Tale of Two Cities: Real Estate Prospects for New Orleans in 2026
It is the beginning of a new year, and so we inevitably encounter articles making predictions about the future and looking back on the past. That is especially true for … More»
DDD Report Highlights the Growth of Residential Real Estate
When it comes to Downtown New Orleans, the times really are a-changing. Traditional office space is being reduced, and several office buildings have gone back to their lenders. At the … More»
Downtown New Orleans: A Shining Success 20 Years After Katrina
There has been a ton of coverage over the past few weeks concerning the 20-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Some has been favorable, highlighting progress the city has made. Some … More»
Last Will and Testament: Follow the Exact Statutory Language
There are some instances in which a statute provides the exact language that will be legally sufficient on a particular issue. For example, Louisiana law provides the exact language of … More»
Feb 14, 2025, Deadline for Owners of 1-3 Residential Units to Register for Healthy Homes Program Certification
This is a reminder that owners of properties containing one to three rental residential units must file their certificates with the City of New Orleans under the Healthy Homes Certification … More»
Federal District Court Issues Injunction Against the BOI Reporting Program
On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas granted a temporary injunction against the federal government’s Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting program, on … More»
FinCEN Regulations That Are Combatting Corruption and Impacting the Real Estate Industry
Managing Partner Robert M. Steeg is a regular contributing columnist on real estate for Reuters Legal News and Westlaw Today. His article, “FinCEN Regulations That Are Combatting Corruption and Impacting … More»
Little Loopholes in Real Estate Documents Can Lead to Big Problems
Managing Partner Robert M. Steeg is a regular contributing columnist on real estate for Reuters Legal News and Westlaw Today. His article, “Little Loopholes in Real Estate Documents Can Lead … More»
Fallout from the National Association of Realtors’ Settlement
By now, most people interested in residential real estate have heard about the recent settlement involving claims of price-fixing by the National Association of Realtors. By the terms of that … More»
Provisions to Protect the Buyer in a Purchase Agreement
Managing Partner Robert M. Steeg is a regular contributing columnist on real estate for Reuters Legal News and Westlaw Today. His article, “Provisions to protect the buyer in a purchase … More»
Title Opinions v. Title Insurance
An article in The Wall Street Journal on January 16, 2024, discussed a plan by Fannie Mae that would allow this major governmental agency to accept attorney title opinions rather … More»
New City of New Orleans Registration Program for Rental Properties
The City of New Orleans has implemented the Healthy Homes Program, a new registration program that requires the owner of any parcel of real estate containing residential rental units to … More»
Reuters Legal News Publishes Robert Steeg’s Article on Seller Provisions
Managing Partner Robert M. Steeg is a regular contributing columnist on real estate for Reuters Legal News and Westlaw Today. His article, “Provisions to protect the seller in a purchase … More»
Establishing Servitudes: The Hard Way and The Easy Way
Servitudes are tricky things. They are even more tricky when they exist between family members. They are even more tricky when they exist between brothers, where the brothers have divided … More»
Some (Quite Strong) Provisions to Protect the Seller in a Purchase Agreement
As the actor Courtney B. Vance, playing the part of Johnnie Cochran, said to the assistant prosecutor in a film drama about the O.J. Simpson trial, “sometimes you just gotta … More»
Understand the Title Insurance Commitment Before You Put It In the File
Managing Partner Robert M. Steeg is a regular contributing columnist on real estate for Reuters Legal News and Westlaw Today. His article, “Understand the Title Insurance Commitment Before You Put … More»
6 Small Issues With Real Estate Documents That Can Turn Into Big Problems
Managing Partner Robert M. Steeg is a regular contributing columnist on real estate for Reuters Legal News and Westlaw Today. His article, “6 Small Issues With Real Estate Documents That … More»
Modernizing Real Estate Purchase Agreements for 2023 and Beyond
Managing Partner Robert M. Steeg is the author of an “Attorney Analysis” real estate column for Reuters Legal News. His article, “Modernizing real estate purchase agreements for 2023 and beyond,” was published … More»
Practical provisions for commercial leases in light of changing times
Managing Partner Robert M. Steeg is the author of an “Attorney Analysis” real estate column for Reuters Legal News. His article, “Practical provisions for commercial leases in light of changing … More»
Beware the Person Who Uses a Power of Attorney in Their Own Self Interest
A recent case, Richland State Bank v. Benny L. Depingre et al, is a cautionary tale for lenders and anyone else who relies on a power of attorney: powers of attorney … More»
Increased Flood Risk in Southeastern Louisiana: Consequences and Opportunities
A new study by the engineering firm Arup and the non-profit First Street Foundation contains important predictions about flooding that are of particular importance to real estate development in Southeastern … More»
Be Careful What You Do in Addition to What You Sign: How Conduct Can Confirm an Agreement in the Absence of a Signature
In the recent case of Harp v. Bryan (consolidated with Wade v. Bryan and Lewis v. Bryan), decided by the Louisiana Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, it seems … More»
Servitudes Need Extra Care, but the Survey is Key
A recent case cited by the Louisiana Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reveals several important things about servitudes. Why are servitudes important at all? They are a very … More»
Changes and Trends in Real Estate Due to COVID-19
As it has in virtually every aspect of our lives, Covid-19 has drastically accelerated trends in the field of real estate that were emerging slowly before the pandemic, and has … More»
Why You Should Be Glad Your Lawyer Is a Stickler for Details
Lawyers, transactional lawyers in particular, are sometimes criticized for being too picky and for paying too much attention to the little things. In his song, “The End of the Innocence,” … More»
Coming Full Circle at McDonogh 19
A recent presentation by ULI Louisiana highlighted the intersection between civil rights, affordable housing, and community real estate development. The story starts sixty years ago, on November 14, 1960. Some … More»
Legal Issues In Real Estate During Covid-19: A Q&A With Robert Steeg
Covid-19 has brought business changes and legal challenges to the field of real estate. In a Q&A with the editor of the firm’s newsletter, Steeg Law Firm co-managing partner Robert … More»
Force Majeure In Today’s World
The legal concept of “force majeure” has vaulted from near-obscurity to intense scrutiny, all due to the novel coronavirus. Here is a general outline of how it applies to leases, … More»
Unique Urban Developments
At the most recent meeting of the Louisiana chapter of the Urban Land Institute, two back-to-back presentations highlighted how “new urbanism” can transform huge (over 1,000,000 square feet) buildings into … More»
Written Servitudes Must be Clear
Servitudes are making their way lately into quite a few cases being decided by the appeals courts of Louisiana. I recently wrote an article, “Apparent Servitudes: When Purchasing Property, Take … More»
Glimpses of the Future of Real Estate
By Robert Steeg I recently returned from a national conference of title insurance agents. The agenda included traditional, technical topics like underwriting standards and title insurance claims—very helpful, even if … More»
How to Lose a Right-Of-Way (Servitude) or Avoid Doing So
A recent case, Clement v. Menard, illustrates the pitfalls to be avoided so that a person enjoying a right-of-way (servitude) over adjoining property does not inadvertently lose those rights. It … More»
An Ever-changing Retail Landscape Finds Another Use: Office Space
If you ask 10 real estate professionals about the future of retail real estate, you’ll get 10 different answers (maybe 12 if some brokers are in that group). The answer … More»
Tulane to Offer MBA, Master’s Degree in Sustainable Real Estate
Real estate development today is about a whole lot more than location, location, location. Perhaps Millennials started it, but everyone is now on board. Commercial and residential tenants alike want … More»
Apparent Servitudes: When Purchasing Property, Take Note Of What You See
A recent case, Naramore v. Aikman, decided by the Louisiana Court of Appeal for the First Circuit demonstrates some established but little known principles of Louisiana law that every person … More»
Belts and Suspenders for Landlords, but the Tenant Can Still Cause the Pants to Fall
In a recent case decided by the Louisiana Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which has jurisdiction over Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, a landlord put into its lease all of … More»
Two Websites Where You Can Access Real Estate Data
By Robert Steeg I recently ran across an article in Forbes, “Urban America Just Got A Trove Of New Real Estate Data,” that may be of interest to homebuilders, … More»
New Orleans CityBusiness Publishes Robert Steeg’s Article on Hurricane Preparedness for Commercial Real Estate Agreements
Managing partner, Robert M. Steeg, recently had an article, “Hurricane Preparedness for Commercial Real Estate Agreements,” published in New Orleans CityBusiness. As he covers in his piece, hurricane season begins … More»
Pssst! Wanna See the Future of Real Estate? Here’s a Peek…
By Robert M. Steeg I just returned from the 2018 Advanced Commercial Leasing Institute at Georgetown Law School. This two-day intensive seminar is an invitation-only program for 140 attorneys from … More»
Small Case, Important Principles For Written Agreements
A relatively small case, recently decided by the Louisiana state Court of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit illustrates two important principles: First, a court will often find a way to … More»
Report on “Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2018”
By Robert Steeg I recently attended the “9th Annual What’s Really Going On & Emerging Trends in Real Estate” conference sponsored by PWC and the Urban Land Institute. PWC annually conducts … More»
Commercial Real Estate Lessons from Near Miss Hurricanes
By Robert Steeg Those of us in southeast Louisiana are well able to empathize and understand what Houston is going through after Hurricane Harvey. Our own near miss with Hurricane … More»
The Continuous Re-Invention of Retail Real Estate
By Robert M. Steeg Every week, we are bombarded with stories about the death – or at least the deterioration and restriction – of retail real estate. Shoppers are staying … More»
In a Purchase Agreement, Words Matter—A Lot
By Robert M. Steeg When your attorney is poring over every word of a purchase agreement that you are about to enter into, and you are getting frustrated with the … More»
Robert Steeg Reports on Timely Issues in Commercial Leasing Today
Managing partner Robert Steeg recently attended the invitation-only Advanced Commercial Leasing Institute (ACLI) at Georgetown Law School. The annual ACLI program, which was held April 19-21, 2017, brings together 150 … More»
Some Tips on Section 1031 Exchanges
By Robert Steeg Many property owners are generally familiar with the idea of deferring the taxable gain on the sale of real estate by applying the proceeds of the sale … More»
Case Alert: Can You Sue (Or Be Sued By) Someone You Didn’t Have a Direct Contract With?
By Robert M. Steeg When a business transaction goes bad, can the person who has suffered a loss sue other persons involved in the transaction even though the injured person … More»
Property Owners, Managers and Landlords: Are You Exposed to Premises Liability for Third-Party Acts?
By Robert Steeg The following article “Are Your Clients Exposed to Premises Liability for Third-Party Criminal Acts? A Top-10 List to Reduce Risks” by Norman W. Gutmacher appeared in Probate & Property … More»
Louisiana Dominates the Southeast in Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Projects
By Robert M. Steeg If you are tired of hearing about how Louisiana ranks at or near the bottom of various categories of social and financial programs, you will be … More»
Demystifying Tax Sales for Investors
By Robert M. Steeg For investors, depending upon your point of view, tax sales are a) a cheap way to acquire good real estate, b) a good way to get … More»
News You Need to Know: New Disclosure Rules for Mortgages
By Robert M. Steeg Residential real estate closings will never be the same. The following article from The New York Times, “New Disclosure Rules for Mortgages,” only begins to touch … More»
Reflections on the 10-year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
By Robert M. Steeg As a firm devoted exclusively to real estate and business law, our work is intricately tied to the direction and future of New Orleans. When New … More»
Case Alert: Good News for Real Estate Agents, but Caution for Buyers
By Robert M. Steeg In this article, Managing Partner, Robert M. Steeg, clarifies Rabalais v. Gray, a new case that was decided by the Louisiana Appellate Court having jurisdiction over … More»
New Court Ruling Alert: Owner of an LLC May Be Found Personally Liable for Company Obligations
By Robert M. Steeg Managing Partner, Robert M. Steeg, clarifies a new court ruling by the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that establishes the owner of an LLC may … More»
New Orleans “Food Deserts” Present Development Opportunities and Financing Options
By Robert M. Steeg Some developers are taking advantage of a unique opportunity in New Orleans to develop fresh-food retailers in “food deserts,” areas that have little or no options … More»
Historic and New Markets Tax Credits – The Basics
By Robert Steeg With an abundance of historic properties throughout the city and dilapidated properties and parcels of land in low-income neighborhoods ripe for rehabilitation, many developers in New Orleans … More»
Robert M. Steeg Interviewed for article, “Tips to Negotiate a Favorable Lease for Your Business”
Managing Partner, Robert M. Steeg, was recently interviewed for an article, “Tips to Negotiate a Favorable Lease for Your Business, that was published on LowesForPros,” Lowes’ website that provides the … More»
The Unexpected Consequences of Memorandum of Lease for Landlords and Tenants
By Robert M. Steeg According to Managing Partner, Robert M. Steeg, whether you are a commercial landlord or a commercial tenant, the recordation of a Memorandum of Lease has very … More»
Owner of an LLC May Be Found Personally Liable for Company Obligations
By Robert M. Steeg Managing Partner, Robert M. Steeg, clarifies a new court ruling by the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that establishes the owner of an LLC may … More»