Reaping a Profit, With the City’s Help [New York]

Reaping a Profit, With the City’s Help [New York]

Soon after Lovelynn Gwinn moved into her three-story town house in West Harlem six years ago, she received a call from the F.B.I. telling her that a woman had been thrown or had fallen from a nearby building. That wasn’t the only bad news about her new neighborhood. Rats ran rampant through her backyard and there were prostitutes and crack houses down the street.

But now, as the neighborhood has changed, at least in part because of her own efforts, Ms. Gwinn is getting her reward. She bought her newly renovated house on West 138th Street, just off Riverside Drive, for less than $250,000 through a city housing program. Now she has it on the market for $1.4 million.

‘Like Monopoly, but with real money’

‘Like Monopoly, but with real money’

A sluggish real estate market is bringing new life to an old transaction: the swap.

Paul Forsberg worried about selling his Punta Gorda waterfront investment house for what he thinks it is worth. He also was keenly interested in postponing a hefty capital gains tax he’d owe on the sale.

Sounds complicated but it is not — it operates on the same basic principal as trading baseball cards with your friends.

Hospitality’s Outlook Couldn’t Be Rosier – August 31, 2006 – The New York Sun

Hospitality’s Outlook Couldn’t Be Rosier

Over the next year and a half, thousands of individuals will be visiting New York and trying to find a hotel room. They’re in for some good news: During that time we can expect close to 5,000 new rooms in New York City — about 4,000 of those will come on line in Manhattan.

According to a research report from PricewaterhouseCoopers, international travelers to America increased by 6.7% in 2005. During 2004 and 2005 international travelers to America increased by 20.3%, the largest two year increase since 1996. Many of these international and domestic travelers will be seeking a room, probably paying the highest prices ever recorded for a room.

Project bucks condo trend to offer rentals [South Florida]

Project bucks condo trend to offer rentals [South Florida]

Kyle Riva is pretty confident about the market for Las Ventanas, a 15-acre retail and residential development his company plans to build at Woolbright Road and Federal Highway.

How can he be so sure in a market flush with high-profile mixed-use projects that have been repeatedly delayed or repriced in recent months?

Simple. Unlike those, the $100 million-plus Las Ventanas will offer its 494 residences as apartments for lease, not as condominiums for sale.

Rent with a view, style: Luxury buildings take off [Boston]

Rent with a view, style: Luxury buildings take off [Boston]

Boston has never been known as a mecca of stylish, contemporary high-rise apartment buildings – that is, until now.

While Boston’s condo market is in the midst of a downturn, the luxury-rental market is booming.

One thing driving luxury rentals is the softness in the real estate market, says agent Michael Coggin of Otis & Ahearn, a broker that specializes in high-end properties.

Fence dispute between 2 condo groups resolved [South Florida]

Fence dispute between 2 condo groups resolved [South Florida]

The work was delayed for several weeks, but now a wire fence has been relocated to separate Sunnyland Garden Apartments and The Courtyards of Golden Gate.

Installation along Sunnyland’s true property line took away several sidewalks and parking spaces.

Brian Elliott, one of three new owners of Sunnyland, said the previous fence had been installed illegally three years ago by the condominium homeowner association without a permit signed by county staff and it was in the wrong place.