Malibu, Encino at top of the real estate market [Southern California]

Malibu, Encino at top of the real estate market [Southern California] For Travis and Leryn Davis, the moment couldn’t be better for moving up. The Davises — with two kids crowding their 1,100-square-foot house — have the good fortune to live in one of the region’s hottest neighborhoods. As other real estate markets in Southern …

Facing huge debts, investors ponder next steps

Facing huge debts, investors ponder next steps As lenders begin to seize houses that were purchased in an unusual series of transactions two years ago, investors are attempting to arrange complicated sales and several are beginning to struggle with difficult decisions on whether to file for bankruptcy. Nurses and other middle-class investors bought more than …

Panama’s new prosperity

Panama’s new prosperity My passport says I’m writing this column from Panama, the country, not the city in the Florida panhandle. A quick auto trip to the old Panama Canal Zone to see the boats crossing the isthmus confirms I’m in the right country. Yet, I get confused when I look all across the city. …