Vanessa G. Morris

Vanessa is of counsel in the Real Estate practice and a member of the Affordable Housing industry team. She represents affordable housing developers in real estate and financing transactions, with a focus on project structuring, financing requirements, and the issues that can affect a transaction from development through closing.

Vanessa’s affordable housing work includes transactions involving low-income housing tax credits (“LIHTC”), historic tax credits, tax-exempt bonds, Federal Home Loan Bank funds, and New Markets Tax Credits, as well as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae financing and acquisition, construction, bridge, and permanent loans. Her experience spans projects across the U.S., including scattered-site single-family housing, rural developments, and historic rehabilitation projects. Vanessa values the direct impact these projects can have on their communities, whether preserving housing for low-income residents, expanding housing options where there is significant need, or restoring historic properties while creating or maintaining affordable housing opportunities.

Working closely with developers, Vanessa identifies issues that can affect a project’s timing, including due diligence, permits, governmental consents, financing conditions, and documentation requirements. After more than 30 years representing lenders in real estate financings, she knows what lenders look for during each phase, the provisions they expect to see in project documents, and the issues most likely to draw comments or delay approval. She uses that experience to anticipate lender concerns and address them earlier in the transaction, before they become obstacles to closing.

Before becoming an attorney, Vanessa worked as an auditor with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) in the Office of Audit Services. She also earned her undergraduate degree in accounting. This background complements her real estate experience and informs the detailed approach she brings to affordable housing transactions.