Christine F. Li

Ms. Li practices in real estate, concentrating in condominium and planned real estate development law. Her experience includes residential condominiums, and subdivided lot communities administered by associations, where she structures the interests of high-rises, single-family detached units, townhomes, stacked flats and duplexes. She is experienced in the conversion of rental properties to the condominium form of ownership and the statutes and regulations governing the removal of tenants in the context of a conversion. Compliance with lending guidelines, age-restrictions and affordability controls restricting occupancy to low-and moderate-income households is part of her residential development practice. Her work also encompasses all aspects of mixed-use developments, including commercial, retail, office, and business uses, and industrial condominiums.

Ms. Li handles all aspects of project registration with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) on behalf of developers and sponsors and the preparation of public offering statements, master deeds, declarations and other documents governing the association. She advises on regulatory issues arising within the jurisdiction of the DCA including public disclosure compliance, conversion and eviction laws, builder registration, new home warranty problems, consumer protection, community association regulations, and building or housing code violations. She also performs the registration of developments situated outside of New Jersey with the Bureau of Subdivided Land Sales Control of the New Jersey Real Estate Commission so that homes in other states may be offered and sold within New Jersey.

Ms. Li frequently counsels successor developers and sponsors, owners, lenders, and associations on regulatory issues in existing and distressed communities. Negotiations with the association to resolve financial and operational issues between the developer and the association are common. She undertakes the reformation of existing governing documents to resolve problems which were unanticipated when documents were originally drafted or are warranted due to the passage of time.

She is experienced in phasing developments to afford the sponsor maximum flexibility in planning and timing construction, and in incorporating improvements into a development. This includes compliance with requirements imposed by FNMA and FHA. She is experienced in recognizing and reconciling differences in expenses and ownership interests within a single development and in anticipating economic and operational differences by the use of master and sub-associations.

In addition to her condominium and planned real estate practice, Ms. Li is experienced in the acquisition and sale, mortgage financing and leasing of commercial and residential real estate. She provides litigation support in cases involving construction defects and transition from sponsor to unit owner control of associations. Ms. Li’s community association representation also includes general counseling, collections, and alternative dispute resolution.