Property deals lead to bank foreclosures [South Florida]

Property deals lead to bank foreclosures [South Florida] By now most Southwest Floridians have heard of Neil Mohamad Husani, Michael Tringali and their series of multimillion-dollar real estate deals that are now imploding. But few know anything about James Russell Crain, a Sarasota real estate agent and investor who used similar methods to buy seven …

Homing in on Housing

Finding paradise in home ownership Down payment key to getting into higher-priced homes Erin and Lane Forsloff may have been living in Hawaii within the past couple years, but their home certainly didn’t feel like paradise. The young married couple, both attending Brigham Young University-Hawaii, shared a cramped student housing apartment — a one-bedroom, 400-square-foot …

Cape agency, condo owners to discuss buyout [South Florida]

Cape agency, condo owners to discuss buyout [South Florida] A price can be put on land and buildings, but residents of Cape Coral’s Hurricane Charley-mauled Sunset Towers will be asked to put a price on their hopes today. The Cape’s Community Redevelopment Agency plans to discuss offering the residents a minimum of $11 million from …

The Year the Bubble Didn’t Burst in Manhattan

The Year the Bubble Didn’t Burst in Manhattan Pity the poor Manhattan housing market in 2006; it missed out on so many adjectives. As markets around it melted—Miami, Phoenix, Boston, pretty much the whole of flyover country—Manhattan’s remained utterly, stubbornly successful. You’ll have heard another story: that Manhattan’s housing market was red-hot in 2005 and …

A tale of two renters: Apartment hopper

A tale of two renters: Apartment hopper Although I’ve been a serial renter over the years, my housing experience in Los Angeles is similar to that of many homeowners. We’re all building. The problem is they’re building equity. I’m building debt. Since 9-11, I have moved five times. For the most part, the rent hasedged …

Avalon leaves homes unbuilt [South Florida]

Avalon leaves homes unbuilt [South Florida] Another Southwest Florida home builder has exited, leaving dozens of customers with unfinished homes and regulators dealing with a third-party contractor who qualified the company’s permits. Sarasota-based Avalon Homes left its offices at 379 Interstate Blvd. unfurnished, unlocked and deserted several weeks ago, its former landlord says. Meanwhile, the …