Homeowners Archives

A tidy wooden desk setup featuring a white keyboard, a spiral notebook, and a coaster with a cup. Above the desk, the handwritten words "WELCOME BACK" are prominently displayed on a white paper, symbolizing the return to office or a shift from remote working.

“They need us. They won’t force us to come back to the office!”

Or will they?

During the pandemic, remote work became a survival tactic. Some companies liked the new ways. They said they’d keep remote or hybrid working options available indefinitely.

For a time, stories abounded of employees who went remote, moved out of the cities, and bought homes further afield.

Now, news headlines point to high-profile companies calling people back to their office hubs. Are these return-to-office (RTO) policies causing people to ditch homes they bought during the height of the pandemic?

New York State Attorney General Letitia James is championing a cause near and dear to our hearts: safe and secure deeds.

On the last day of July 2023, the A.G. announced an indictment of a Long Island resident for deed theft. Joseph Makhani faces two counts of criminal possession of stolen property and one count of fraud.

Makhani allegedly filed forged deeds and related documents in order to take two Harlem brownstones. Makhani’s state tax returns indicate that he got these homes for $10 a piece. The actual, combined value of the two buildings? More than $4.7 million.

This isn’t just about property value. Lives were upended. As A.G. James declared, “The fear and confusion unleashed on New Yorkers when they learn their homes have been stolen out from under them is something no one should have to endure…”

Tag: Homeowners

Some Offices Are Bringing Their Remote Workers Back. Will This Force Homeowners to Sell?

Deed Theft Crackdown: New York’s on a Roll