Big lenders bidding to keep homes

As home prices in the region climb and inventory dries up, the nation’s largest mortgage lenders are gambling on the future of the housing recovery, a Herald-Tribune analysis shows. Banking giants from Wells Fargo to Fannie Mae are routinely paying top dollar on the auction steps to hold onto their own distressed properties, outbidding cash …

Can Toronto survive if its real estate boom goes bust?

This summer, the first residents are expected to move into Cinema Tower, a 44-storey condominium building under construction at Adelaide and John streets. Adam Vaughan, local city councillor for Ward 20 (Trinity-Spadina), takes pride in the amenities he managed to negotiate on behalf of the city and local residents. “It has a huge cultural space …

New Home Owner Association law approved; Sen. Hays fulfills promise

Some advocates for expanded homeowners’ rights are heartened by a new law that seeks to rein in some questionable, if not outright bad, practices by developers and homeowners associations. Gov. Rick Scott on June 14 signed a wide-ranging reform bill affecting how HOAs operate, including new provisions covering record keeping, elections, on-site management and homeowners’ …

A real estate explosion in Edgewater, Miami’s next trendy district

Driving the streets of Edgewater recently, Martin Melo eased the accelerator of his Porsche Panamera to point out large swaths of land his family-run firm has cobbled together for high-rise development in one of Miami’s most rapidly emerging neighborhoods. “This four-block area is ours,” said his brother Carlos, whose Melo Group has seven condominium and …