Appraisers say cheaper valuations open door for short-sale abuses

Appraisers say cheaper valuations open door for short-sale abuses A run-up in housing prices contributed to the downfall of real estate, but now some appraisers fear low-ball valuations could lead to the next market muddle. They say a new federal rule to speed up short sales will increase banks’ reliance on broker price opinions — …

U.S. Probes Foreclosure-Data Provider

U.S. Probes Foreclosure-Data Provider A subsidiary of a company that is a top provider of the documentation used by banks in the foreclosure process is under investigation by federal prosecutors. The prosecutors are “reviewing the business processes” of the subsidiary of Lender Processing Services Inc., based in Jacksonville, Fla., according to the company’s annual securities …

Fall from grandeur: Recession, foreclosure shutter Grand Bay – Miami-Dade – MiamiHerald.com

Fall from grandeur: Recession, foreclosure shutter Grand Bay Pigeons live in the barren penthouse nightclub of the former Grand Bay, South Florida’s last five-star hotel. A vagrant recently went to the bathroom in the vacant lobby, where black graffiti colors the walls. The dining room hints of smoke, the remnant of a campfire built on …

Ask a real estate professional: Why can’t I get flood insurance?

Ask a real estate professional: Why can’t I get flood insurance? Q: My bank just informed me that my loan has been approved. But I can’t close because I don’t have flood insurance for the property, which happens to be in a flood zone. How can this be? Isn’t this something I can get later …

Hotel deep-six (The Deal Magazine)

Hotel deep-six (The Deal Magazine) he Noble Organization, a hotel real estate fund, management and development group, should be perfectly situated in today’s distressed commercial property environment. The number of hotel-related defaults has exploded in the past year or so and now reaches $32.3 billion, according to real estate research firm Real Capital Analytics Inc., …