System stymies mortgage fix

Homeowners who have spent months trying to work with their mortgage provider to avoid foreclosure are increasingly confused and frustrated. “I’m madder than hell,” said Alma Miller, 82, who has tried for months to get a loan modification on her Santa Rosa home. “They’re just playing games with me.” Miller’s anger is shared by a …

Insurers Are Likely to Boost China Property Demand

China is set to see a wave of demand for quality commercial real estate as insurance companies are allowed for the first time to invest in the sector, real-estate consultancy Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. Chief Executive Colin Dyer said Monday. In August, China’s insurance regulator announced a long-awaited revision to its rules, allowing insurance companies …

Condo security: South Florida HOA to use fingerprinting device for access to clubhouse, block access to delinquents

Condo security: South Florida HOA to use fingerprinting device for access to clubhouse, block access to delinquents – South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com Several weeks ago, Lynn Penedo’s condominium association installed an electronic fingerprint-scanning device outside her building’s multimillion-dollar community clubhouse. Now she refuses to use it because she fears identity theft.The association says it’s all about …

Housing: FHA may slash upfront costs of some reverse mortgages

Housing: FHA may slash upfront costs of some reverse mortgages The Federal Housing Administration isn’t talking publicly about it, but the agency may be getting ready to cut the upfront costs of reverse mortgages for some borrowers. The agency also, however, may be reducing the amount seniors can borrow against their homes. In a recent …

Tracking the First Coast’s great condo bust [North Florida]

Tracking the First Coast’s great condo bust [North Florida] While attention has been focused on shrinking values in Jacksonville’s single-family housing market,something much worse has been happening in the condominium market. Numbers tell the story: The median sales price for condominiums in Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties has sunk by more than 70 …

Good news, bad news on foreclosures

Good news, bad news on foreclosures Banks are repossessing distressed homes at an increasingly fast pace, but fewer homes are falling into delinquency, a sign that the region’s foreclosure crisis has entered a new phase. In August, lenders reclaimed 4,417 homes in South Florida, up 96.7 percent from the same month last year when banks …