Out of work and losing his home, Norfolk man nears 65 with unease

Phoenix Ackiss sat precariously on an upright suitcase in the clutter of belongings in his living room, striving for balance amid the disorder of his life. For more than a year, he’d been out of work, his three degrees and experience in fields from mental health to shipyard work spurned by employers. Ackiss knew he’d …

More people are buying their homes with cash

The Vasquezs are not unique; cash buys are becoming common. The number of homes bought with cash jumped to 32% in January compared to 26% a year earlier, according to the National Association of Realtors. In Southern California, about 30% of the sales in January were cash, according to DataQuick Information Systems. Same thing in …

Florida legislature to consider new real estate laws

The many woes of Florida’s housing market are well-known: hundreds of thousands of foreclosures, millions of underwater mortgages and a four-year trail of depreciating property values. Florida lawmakers, handicapped by a $3.6 billion budget shortfall, will take their best shot at solving some of the most pressing housing problems during this year’s legislative session, which …

Apartment Investors in U.S. Not Scared by Vinyl Siding in Search for Yield

Orchard Pointe, a 17-year-old, vinyl-sided apartment complex in Vancouver, Washington, wouldn’t have drawn a second look from Invesco Real Estate in early 2010, when most multifamily-property investors wanted newer, trophy buildings in coastal markets such as New York and San Francisco. “We wouldn’t have even considered it,” Greg Kraus, head of acquisitions at the Dallas-based …