During the boom years, as big housing developments mushroomed throughout the country, developers worked with local governments to raise billions of dollars for roads, sewers and sidewalks through a municipal-debt security known as “dirt bonds.” Now, as those bonds get tested by the worst housing downturn since the Great Depression, dirt-bond investors are getting a …
Category Archives: Investment Tips
Risky retirement
Holly says she is done with work. She wants to retire and sell her $400,000 home, which is mortgage-free. Jeff, her husband, still has a lot of years before he wants to retire from his IT job. But here’s the real catch to their situation: They’re both in their late 30s, and Holly says she …
Diane Pearson, who fought North Port code fees, could now lose home to foreclosure
A single mother who was instrumental in reversing North Port’s harsh code-enforcement policies could now lose her home to foreclosure. Last year, North Port tried to collect $27,000 in fines from Diane Pearson because a car in her driveway did not have a license plate. Pearson’s court battle became a rallying cry in North Port …
Rent home, or sell and move on?
Q:I have been unemployed for about six months and have just secured a job in another city. I will reach retirement age in about six or seven years. I will most likely not retire in the new city I will be relocating. Should I try to sell my current home and purchase a home in …
Is there money to be made in home flips? [Southern California]
Home flipping follows an assembly-line process.Investors who work in teams scout for bargains, close quickly with cash, gut and beautify, and market the homes to agents — all while the timer’s ticking. If everything goes right, their money and muscle will yield enough profit to keep that machine churning.“It’s not for the weak of heart,” …
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Financial planners: Home no longer reliable tool to build personal wealth
Residents of Volusia and Flagler counties well know that in order to build wealth, they can no longer simply rely on buying a house. That ship sailed in 2007, with the housing collapse dislodging its anchor. Financial planners say their clients — who skew to upper-middle class — have realized this and begun focusing more …
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