‘Short sales’ help Hawaii homeowners get rid of their houses to avoid bankruptcy

‘Short sales’ help Hawaii homeowners get rid of their houses to avoid bankruptcy When Aloha Airlines shut down a year ago, Ron Verderame knew he had to escape the weight of a hefty year-old mortgage. The pilot faced a slumping real estate market and bleak job prospects, but finally, after trying for seven months to …

Foreclosure Program Moves Forward

Foreclosure Program Moves Forward With hundreds of homes currently in foreclosure in Hernando County, it didn’t take much impetus for county commissioners to green-light a program designed to help alleviate the situation. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward with a Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) that allows the county to access federal money that …

Condos forced to revert to apartments to survive [North Florida]

Condos forced to revert to apartments to survive [North Florida] When a developer converts a building into condominiums, it’s taken as a sign of prosperity and success. And when the wheels fall off the real estate market and condominiums languish back into apartments, it’s the opposite. Those condominiums are “fractured.” In Jacksonville, more condominium owners …

At least four South Florida home builders are finding ways to buck the downturn [South Florida]

At least four South Florida home builders are finding ways to buck the downturn [South Florida] Home-building success stories are rare these days but not unheard of. Several builders in South Florida are attracting buyers by focusing on first-time homeowners, Baby Boomers and people who want a village where they can live, work and play. …

Miami Condo Colossus Is Monument to Excess

Miami Condo Colossus Is Monument to Excess Icon Brickell, a new condominium complex in downtown Miami, was intended to be Jorge Perez’s answer to the Time Warner Center, the massive mixed-use building developed in Manhattan by his longtime business associate, Stephen M. Ross. Mr. Perez, the chairman of the Related Group (an affiliate of Mr. …

Florida county may declare itself an economic disaster

Florida county may declare itself an economic disaster Just five years ago, Port St. Lucie was America’s fastest-growing large city. Then the foreclosure crisis slammed it like a hurricane. Today it sits in one of the hardest-hit counties in the nation. Thousands of houses are empty or unfinished. Neighborhoods are littered with for-sale and foreclosure …