Education
- George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School, J.D., 2005, member, George Mason Civil Right Journal
- Centre College, B.A., 2001, government
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
- New York
Blair L. Schiff
Partner
More ways to contact Blair L. Schiff
Affordable housing lenders, developers, and public housing authorities trust Blair for practical advice on navigating the federal housing programs and successfully closing project financings.
Blair concentrates in the areas of real estate, housing, and policy development. His clients include multifamily lenders, residential and commercial developers, nonprofit organizations, and public entities. Blair has extensive experience in programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and with low-income housing tax credits.
Blair’s practice involves closings throughout the U.S. for lenders providing financing for multifamily housing projects, as well as skilled nursing facilities, pursuant to FHA Insurance programs, including the programs under Sections 232, 223(a)(7), 223(f), 221(d)(4), and 241(a) of the National Housing Act. He is particularly experienced in the Section 232 LEAN program, coordinating complex portfolio transactions involving account receivable financing and master lease structures.
Blair counsels clients in transactions that have a variety of assistance and funding sources, including tax-exempt bond issues, LIHTC investment, federal nonprofit grants, Section 8 contracts, the RAD program, and insurance by both state and federal housing agencies.
In addition to counseling lenders on specific deals, Blair has counseled a number of lending institutions in their applications and approvals as MAP and LEAN lenders, as well as Ginnie Mae issuers. He has also assisted clients who have had regulatory issues with Ginnie Mae reach satisfactory conclusions.
As well as working with lending institutions, Blair represents a number of developers and public housing authorities. He navigates through the restrictions that accompany federal programs for public and private subsidized, assisted and partially assisted projects and, most importantly, with the legal and political reasons for those restrictions. Specifically, Blair has worked with public housing authorities from procuring to closing HOPE VI funded projects and other mixed finance projects, including the utilization of low-income housing tax credits, capital grant funds, and replacement housing factor funds.
- LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional (LEED AP)