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Breaking Ground: W Hollywood Hotel & Residences and Limoncito
An urban hotel and residences in Los Angeles, and a residential enclave in an existing beachfront community in Costa Rica.
Thrifty Ways to Upgrade a Building
There are plenty of opportunities for cut-rate quality-of-life enhancements for co-ops and condominiums.
Fannie, Freddie Expand in a Bright Spot
Fannie and Freddie are demanding higher returns from lenders in exchange for buying loans that help finance rental-apartment buildings, as the two mortgage-finance giants expand in the sector.
People Who Live in Glass Houses
Wall-to-wall windows have become a signature of chic urban living, from Minneapolis to Miami. But some residents say the reality can be less glamorous.
U.K.’s Housing Lures Rich Indians
The rapid increase in the number of wealthy Indians will have a “potentially huge” impact on the U.K.’s residential property market, according to a new report.
Habitats | Tudor City: The Well-Edited Nest
Rose Cirigliano has turned her 320-square-foot efficiency apartment into a survivors? camp where every item has a reason for being, or else.
The Ultimate Luxury: A Garage
It adds convenience, privacy and security. And the oversize door is handy for moving big objects in or out. One owner even turned his garage into a music room.
Your Second Home | Rules for Guests: When Friendships Are Tested
A few simple strategies will let you be a warm host to bad houseguests without losing control.
Upper West Side: Little Boxes, Far From the Hillside
Eight stories above Broadway and 97th Street, construction is near completion on three little houses that sit atop a turn-of-the-century apartment building.
Communities Become Home Buyers to Fight Decay
Several big cities are using tax dollars and private funds to buy and refurbish foreclosed properties to help declining neighborhoods survive.
Skyline Gets Facelift Ahead of Asian Games
Ultramodern skyscrapers, new stadiums and a 610-meter-high television and sightseeing structure are in the works in Guangzhou, China’s manufacturing hub, as it prepares to host the Asian Games in 2010.
Paulson Cuts Price of Hampton Home
John Paulson cuts the price on his Hamptons home; Manhattan's Spence School buys a townhouse; NBA's Ray Allen trims the price of his Washington home, while a few miles away MLB's Jay Buhner lists his house.
Neglected Bronx Landmark Is Getting a New Life, Again
The building at 614 Courtlandt Avenue, among the first buildings built during the Bronx?s transition to city from farmland, is being renovated and has just been put back on the market.
Mortgages: Check Credit Unions for Deals
Credit union mortgages are not typically marketed through brokers, yet they have grown increasingly attractive in recent months.
Havens | West Wildwood, N.J.: A ?Gated? Community Surrounded by Water
West Wildwood is so small that you wouldn?t know it was there unless someone told you. And that?s just how the people who live and vacation there want it.
High & Low | Aspen, Colo., Condominiums: Deep Pockets Required
Prices in Aspen range up to about $12 million for a five-bedroom town-house-style condominium.
Powering Up
The 3,800-acre Three Rivers Recreation Area in Oregon is home to more than 500 off-the-grid vacation homes.
Home Data in Spain Spell Gloomy News
Spanish home sales and new mortgage approvals fell sharply again in June. The data spell bad news for banks.
Living In | Norwood, the Bronx: Where the Spirit of Renewal Rises Again
Norwood, which suffered neglect in the 1980s and ?90s, is once again sprucing itself up. Its roads, with steep grades and closely packed wood-frame houses, almost recall San Francisco?s.
Streetscapes | The Diamond District: An Unshowy Setting for Gems
The diamond district seems so firmly a part of Manhattan that it is hard to imagine any other destination for shoppers seeking high-priced gems, but in fact there once was one.
Tycoon Finds Opportunity in China Property Slump
Hong Kong property tycoon Vincent Lo made his name and fortune riding China’s real-estate boom, and now he sees opportunity as the market stumbles.
With Republicans, It’s a Green State
Hotels in the Twin Cities are banking on John McCain and the Republican National Convention to lift a tourism market strained by a surge in rooms and increasingly budget-conscious travelers.
Hedge Funds Help Fill a Gap
More investors seeking financing to acquire office towers, retail stores and hotels are left with little choice but to turn to so-called hard-money lenders, lightly regulated businesses that charge high interest rates for short-term loans. Among the biggest players in the hard-money arena are hedge funds.
Centro Says Lenders May Refuse Extensions
Centro Properties Group warned it can’t give assurance that lenders will grant further extensions on its debt payments.
Fannie Names New CFO, Risk Chief
Fannie Mae shook up its top ranks, announcing its chief business officer and two others are leaving as it moves to save capital. Shares surged 15%.
Simon, Westfield Buy Into U.K. REIT
Liberty International’s shares rose 5.3% in London trading as the property company appears to be the target of a looming takeover bid.
In the Region | Connecticut: Turning Distress Sales to Advantage
Now, at the most unlikely of times, a neighborhood organization in Hartford is taking advantage of the current spike in foreclosures to buy up deteriorating bank-owned properties.
Hochfelder Accused of Larceny in Deals
New York real-estate investor Adam Hochfelder has been arrested for allegedly “stealing more than $17 million from a panoply of banks and individuals.”
The Hunt: As Priorities Change, Perseverance Pays Off
When Nick Kravitz and his wife, Hongyu Adella Lin-Kravitz, decided they wanted to move to a bigger home, they took months shopping for homes and neighborhoods.
Mortgage Rates Fell in Week
Rates on fixed-rate home mortgages fell this week, following reports of weakness in the economy. But rates on adjustable-rate mortgages rose slightly.
New York’s 9/11 Site Needed a Logue
Rebuilding Ground Zero is arguably the greatest political and bureaucratic fiasco in the history of the world. Planner Edward J. Logue would have provided the leadership that the 9/11 site needed desperately and never had.
In Corfu, a Two-Villa Retreat
A hilltop studded with olive trees in Corfu, one of Greece?s most popular islands, inspired a restless foreign correspondent to create a haven.
Westfield Group’s Net Slides
Westfield Group said its interim net profit fell 35% as gains from property revaluations dropped.
International Real Estate: For Sale in … Cuernavaca, Mexico
A Colonial-style house with a tennis court and a pool is on the market for $2,500,000.
Posting: Toxic Tidbits, via the Web
A free Web site enables anyone ? including prospective buyers and sellers, brokers and neighbors ? to check a location for health hazards lurking underground.
Learning to Embrace the Change Order
Nancy Keates discovers that the human desire to re-think decisions inevitably leads to changes in homebuilding plans. Those changes often mean big cost overruns – but sometimes, they can also translate to big savings.
Fresh Powder for Ski Towns
Related has built signature buildings that helped to transform neighborhoods in Manhattan, Phoenix and South Florida. Now, the big-market developer is attempting a $3 billion redevelopment to transform Snowmass, Colo.
Property Values: What You Get for … $900,000
A two-bedroom house in Alpine, Tex.; a four-bedroom house in Pittsboro, N.C.; and a five-bedroom house in Asbury Park, N.J.
Centro Sees a Net Loss, Sells Assets
Centro Properties Group posted a net loss of $1.77 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, reflecting a decline in property values and investments.
Away: A Floating Investment
A boat can be a place to ride out the market while giving a developing second-home destination a long-term test run.
Citigroup Veteran Takes Apollo Job
Apollo Management LP has hired a senior Citigroup Inc. executive to build its real-estate business.
Housing Market Still Under Pressure
Home prices are improving in some parts of the country but still falling sharply in hard-hit places like Phoenix, as the weak housing market and shaky consumer confidence continue to weigh on the battered U.S. economy.
Fannie, Freddie Impact on Banks Downplayed
Federal bank regulators said they believe a plunge in the preferred shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would have limited impact through the banking system.
Tropicana to Put Up Casino for Auction
Tropicana decided to put one of its riverboat casinos on the auction block after delaying for months a proposed $220 million sale.
From a Doorman to Dorm Rooms
Columbia recently bought 127 high-end condos and has converted the building into housing for graduate students and faculty … Two decrepit Texas malls are headed for foreclosure and auction unless the owner principal owner Thomas E. Morris can once again forestall the process or pay off his lender.
State at Crossroads Over Turnpike
Governments and firms are awaiting a state vote, which would lease the 537-mile Pennsylvania Turnpike to a group of private investors. A green light could bolster the political will of officials in other states trying to hash out similar deals.
The Backyard in New York City: An Urban Oasis
Screened from all but the envious eyes of aerial neighbors, the backyard is the most counterintuitive of New York spaces.
Lavish Condo Project Struggles
The struggle of 100 Eleventh Avenue, a glitzy condominium development on Manhattan’s west side targeting well-heeled buyers, shows there’s no such thing as a sure thing in the current wretched credit climate.
Japan Developers’ Woes Grow
Japan has seen a raft of property developers go to the wall this year as banks have refused to refinance their loans. Analysts say the bankruptcy filings are likely to set off a vicious cycle that will weigh on the sector’s shares in the coming months.
Retailers Take a Slower Road in India
Retail sales in India were expected to double in the next seven years, but growth has been disappointing. As a result, companies large and small are rethinking their expansion plans in the country.