Rentable housing numbers vex cities

Rentable housing numbers vex cities With mounting foreclosures, investors are snapping up homes and renting them to tenants at bargain rates. But in the long run, the trend could shake the stability of Valley neighborhoods and hurt cities’ efforts to promote homeownership, community leaders warn. Some cities that have been hit hard by foreclosures are …

Birmingham banks going to great lengths to rid books of bad loans and real estate – Business News from The Birmingham News – al.com

Birmingham banks going to great lengths to rid books of bad loans and real estate When Regions Bank has bad loans — and it has a lot of unpaid and delinquent ones right now — they get turned to Cash. Jeff Cash, that is. He is Birmingham-based Regions’ point man on clearing out bad debt. …

Missing Miami Beach developer may face arrest [South Florida]

Missing Miami Beach developer may face arrest [South Florida] Developer Michael Stern — the chief witness in a Miami Beach City Hall bribery probe — has repeatedly refused to return from Uruguay for hearings in his bankruptcy case, prompting a judge to threaten him with arrest. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Mark found Stern in contempt …

Condo developer wears two hats [South Florida]

Condo developer wears two hats [South Florida] Q: I am a condominium owner in a complex that has approximately 200 units, of which approximately half are rental units waiting to be bought. The owner of the property owns these units and calls all the shots. We have one meeting per year, which means nothing, since …

Vacation home market heats up

Vacation home market heats up Homebuyers looking for bargains are finding the time is right to make an offer on a second home. Plentiful choices, attractive interest rates and low prices are spurring activity in the vacation-home sector, industry members say. Another factor: uncertain returns elsewhere. “People are telling me they’re pulling their money out …