Taiwan Real Estate Is Becoming Hot Property on Nationalist Win

Taiwan Real Estate Is Becoming Hot Property on Nationalist Win

Anticipation that a wave of cash from mainland China will eventually reach Taiwan is helping to turn its real estate into a hot property.

Markets in Taiwan, one of Asia’s worst laggards as an investment destination in recent years, were livened up by the Nationalist Party’s victory in the March 22 presidential election. On May 20, winner Ma Ying-jeou will be inaugurated, succeeding Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party.

During Mr. Chen’s eight-year tenure, Taiwan’s benchmark stock index barely budged, even as Hong Kong’s shot up 75% and Shanghai’s doubled. Right after Mr. Ma’s victory, Taiwan’s index shot up nearly 10% above where it was shortly before the vote, but after some cooling it’s now 4.6% higher than on election day.

That’s nothing compared with property prices.

Boom & Bust, Part 1 [South Florida]

Boom & Bust, Part 1 [South Florida]

They peeked in the closets. They sniffed the kitchen and breezed through the Spanish-style three-bedroom on San Lorenzo Avenue in Coral Gables, which was going for $653,900. Minutes later, they retreated to the cool air of the black limousine minibus waiting at the curb.

The nine potential buyers were trailed and outnumbered by a gaggle of hungry real estate folks.

As the group settled into cushy seats and sipped bottled water, Luis Barrenechea, a dapper loan consultant in his late thirties sporting an Italian suit and a Bluetooth, asked, “What was the first impression when you saw the house?”

Silence followed. This was the fifth home they’d seen that Saturday in April. It was after noon. Some were hungry. The breakfast spread of Krispy Kremes, bagels, and champagne was wearing off.

Investors eye Southeast Texas rental business

Investors eye Southeast Texas rental business

Earning $100 profit a month from one house, or breaking even, can be cause for celebration for first-time rental property owners.

From an outsider’s perspective, renting property might seem almost like a turnkey operation – allowing landlords to sit back and reap the rewards of their investments with little or no effort.

But while rental properties can be a sound investment, it’s not as simple as it might seem and the cash isn’t always rolling in.

Only 35 percent of single-family rental property owners participating in the Census Bureau’s Property Owners and Managers Survey reported a profit. The survey, which was conducted inthe mid-1990s, found almost 17 percent reported breaking even, 28 percent reported a loss and the remainder were unsure or did not respond.

Homeowners groups are in a fix

Homeowners groups are in a fix

John Rankin remembers the day the owner at 2214 Sonoma Drive skipped town.

“He packed up his truck one day, and drove away,” said Rankin, president of the Mission Estates homeowners association in Venice. “Then he just never came back.”

That was nearly a year ago.

As weeks and then months went by, the property fell into disrepair — with the pool turning green and grass growing wildly. Rankin said the homeowners association eventually took matters into its own hands, as its residents took pride in their neighborhood and did not want one house out of 93 negatively affecting the image, and property values, of the larger community.

Seattle luxury-condo complex Escala will raise prices

Seattle luxury-condo complex Escala will raise prices

The market for new downtown condos has cooled. Many potential buyers are backing off, fearful of recession and wary of the national real-estate downturn.

So Escala, the 31-story luxury complex under construction at Fourth Avenue and Virginia Street, is raising its prices?

Developer Lexas Cos. said this week that on June 5 it will raise the asking prices 3 to 7 percent for about 70 unsold units that have been on the market since last spring.

Another 22 units that will be released for sale May 1 also will have higher price tags.

Condo seller employs new strategy: pay back buyers [South Florida]

Condo seller employs new strategy: pay back buyers [South Florida]

Selling condos in South Florida has become such a difficult task that some sellers are actually paying buyers to acquire their units.

The Villas at Emerald Dunes, a recently finished condo development in West Palm Beach, is offering buyers a deal where the seller would pay buyers monthly, the equivalent of an annual return of 8 percent of the purchase price for two years after the closing. For instance, investors paying $325,000 for a unit would receive an income of $2,167 per month. The seller also would pay property taxes, association fees, maintenance and property and management fees.

The guaranteed return strategy was used in the early 1990s by commercial real estate owners who tried to cope with an oversupply in the commercial market, said David Dabby, president of Coral Gables-based real estate research firm Dabby Group.