News about properties and real estate
Q: I live in a “55 and over” condominium. Presently, we have a couple who is expecting a baby. This couple was grandfathered when we became a “55 and over” community. What is the law governing this situation? – R.A. (via email) A: It is generally unlawful to discriminate in any activities relating to the …
Continue reading “CondoIt may be best to ‘grandfather’ baby into condo”
Three years into the foreclosure epidemic, desperate condominium and homeowner associations are now beginning to employ aggressive law firms and collection agencies in a new tactic aimed at recovering delinquent fees. The debt collectors working for these associations are asking the courts to use more extreme measures. In a few cases, they have gotten judges …
Continue reading “Foreclosure fees haunt homeowner associations”
Residents of Volusia and Flagler counties well know that in order to build wealth, they can no longer simply rely on buying a house. That ship sailed in 2007, with the housing collapse dislodging its anchor. Financial planners say their clients — who skew to upper-middle class — have realized this and begun focusing more …
Continue reading “Financial planners: Home no longer reliable tool to build personal wealth”
Pat Neal is an oddity among Florida developers: He still builds and sells lots of new homes. The financial crisis that shattered many of his competitors only slowed Neal. His edge? He paid cash for land before the boom drove up prices. “I didn’t owe anybody any money,” said Neal, whose Neal Communities builds mostly …
Continue reading “Developer Pat Neal made the best of the real estate bust”
Scattered across 540 acres of San Diego County hills and ravines, the 235 opulent homes of the Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe flank a private golf course and country club with tile-roofed towers inspired by Tuscan villages.The placid panorama belies decades of bruising battles among the project’s developers. The cast includes home-building titan Lennar Corp., …
Continue reading “Inside a high-end real estate deal gone bad”
As if the love bugs weren’t enough. There’s something a lot more destructive than bugs splattering across car windshields: termites. The winged insects cause an estimated $5 billion damage each year in the United States, and Florida’s warm and humid weather makes the state a prime breeding ground. “The warmer and wetter the climate, the …