News About Properties

Wellington uses federal grant to help homeowners get keys to foreclosed homes [South Florida]

Despite steep drops in real estate prices and the nation’s recent first-time homebuyer incentives, Danillia Williams never thought she could purchase a place of her own.

That didn’t feel tragic to the 42-year-old single mother, but she certainly thought it would be worthwhile to hunker down permanently in Wellington, where she’s rented a house for years.

A co-worker and the village’s Safe Neighborhoods office led her toward that possibility.

Early this year Wellington joined a national program that gives state and local governments money to buy and fix up abandoned and foreclosed homes, in order to sell them to low- and moderate-income buyers.

Lonely places see new faces [Tampa Florida]

Sharon Cardwell’s family was one of the first to move into Brandon’s new Kings Gate neighborhood in fall 2007.

The subdivision was abuzz with construction, the sales center was busy and Cardwell eagerly awaited new neighbors.

But to her dismay, only a handful more houses went up before the builder packed up and left.

“We were stunned,” she said.
Cardwell lives in one of the Tampa Bay area’s dozens of ghost subdivisions – neighborhoods with roads, streetlights and seas of empty, weed-choked home sites. Some homeowners live on streets by themselves, and others are tucked away in a completed section of an unfinished development.

Frisco soldier who lost house to foreclosure over homeowners dues gets it back

The Frisco soldier and his family who lost their home to foreclosure while he was serving in Iraq will get the house back.

Army National Guard Capt. Michael Clauer and his wife, May, lost their $315,000 southwest Frisco home in May 2008 after falling behind on Heritage Lakes Homeowners Association dues.

The Clauers sued the association and subsequent buyers in federal court. A court-ordered settlement conference led to an agreement this week that gives the house back to the Clauers.

A gag order prevents those involved from sharing details. But the bottom line is that the Clauers once again will own the home in the Heritage Lakes subdivision.

Second homes: All the joys of Florida in one spot

Florida is a huge second-home destination. It seems to have something for everyone: secluded beaches and urban buzz, golf communities and marinas, high-rises and bungalows at prices from ultra-luxury to shockingly affordable. It’s also diverse. The mansions of Palm Beach are far removed from the beach towns of the Panhandle and theme parks of Orlando.

But if everything that Florida offers came together in one place, it would be on the coast of Pinellas County. This includes Clearwater and St. Petersburg, just outside Tampa. It’s known by other names, including the Tampa Bay Area.

“We call it the ‘Nature Coast,’ ” says Debra Nobile of Innisbrook Real Estate Services. “The east coast (of Florida) is all big buildings and parking lots. Here, everything is nestled among the trees. There’s more beach. It’s more laid-back.”

Anthony Jaquinto, a longtime Realtor with Re/Max Realtec Group, says the area has great appeal to part-timers.

Lots to buy for Tampa parking kings after real estate bust [Central Florida]

In the wake of the real estate collapse, the most marketable use these days for some land in downtown Tampa may be – parking.

Two brothers who became the kings of downtown Tampa parking are becoming downtown land barons as well, snapping up property at a fraction of its peak price.

Hillsborough County land records show that entities controlled by Jason and John Accardi have paid at least $10 million for four pieces of land in the downtown core and the Channel District since fall 2007. And, they don’t appear to be letting up.

A few years ago, developers dreamed of luxury condos or office towers on seemingly every corner in downtown. But these sky-high dreams fell in the real estate bust, the properties were foreclosed upon and now are just distressed bank assets.

Limits on pursuing delinquent condo owners

Q. Are there any restrictions on a management company or board on performing ongoing collection activity on a delinquent unit owner’s account? If the unit owner is in bankruptcy, does this have any affect on collection activity?

A. While a board of directors must be diligent in pursing delinquent accounts, restrictions on the means of communication are governed by the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure.

Federal law requires that delinquency notices comply with certain requirements, including an explanation of the calculation of the delinquent amount. The demand for possession required by Illinois law states that an owner must be given 30 days to pay the delinquency.

The proper format of a delinquency assessment notice is to state the amount of the claim, including legal fees, by attaching an account ledger with an itemization of all charges.