The new boomtowns: Why more people are relocating to ‘secondary’ cities

As they began planning their future together, Ashley Brown and her fiance, Aaron Shuman, concluded that they could no longer remain in Los Angeles because it was getting much too expensive. “Our rent in L.A. was $1,500 for a tiny, 650-square-foot apartment with no amenities,” says Brown, 29, a native New Yorker, actress and New …

Renting vs. buying a home in Tampa. Here’s the lowdown on when you break even.

Buying versus renting a home is a conundrum many of us have faced. Do you want to spend your weekends fixing stuff and sweating about whether the insurance is paid up or would you rather leave that to a landlord? On the flip side, owning means not getting booted when the lease runs out. The …

Realty Mogul Returns Reach $100M in Cash Disbursements 

Crowdfunding firm Realty Mogul has reached $100 million in cash disbursements, a major milestone for the company, GlobeSt.com reports exclusively. The firm has two REITs, MogulREIT I and MogulREIT II as well as private placement opportunities, all of which contributed to the returns. The $100 million in cash disbursements includes cash flow, appreciation and return …

How to get results from insurance carriers

Q: Our condominium sustained significant damage from Hurricane Irma.  It has been a year and our insurance carrier is offering a settlement that is woefully inadequate to address our damages.  We have been advised that we have window damage and the roofs must be replaced.  The insurance carrier is ignoring our demands. What do we …

They spent $15,000 adding a driveway to their St. Pete House. Now the city says they can’t park on it

One day in January, Dana Cremo was on her front porch hanging a vintage screen door when two city employees walked up.”You can’t park on your driveway,” they said.”Why?” she asked. “Because somebody filed a complaint,” they said.Five days later, an investigator notified Dana and her husband, Larry, that they had violated city codes by …

Is Owning an Airbnb a Smart Investment? 

It’s easy to see the rise in popularity of Airbnb and other online vacation rental sites and think it’s a good idea to buy a property dedicated to short-term housing. But that strategy may not be as simple or lucrative as it seems, experts warn. The old adage “location, location, location” is true even more …