Real Estate News
Owner neglected landmark Smith Tower, says receiver
Local business bits.
Chris Paul buys Avril Lavigne’s Bel-Air mansion for $8.495 million
L.A. Clipper Chris Paul may be quick down the court, but he moves pretty fast when it comes to buying multimillion-dollar real estate too.
What’s behind the rising cost of home appraisals?
The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is working on a real-estate issue that gets to the core of the agency’s purpose: Bringing…
Two Obama initiatives to address foreclosure crisis face hurdles
The president’s proposals include an expanded refinancing plan for struggling homeowners and a new, aggressive probe of financial firms’ mortgage practices. Two new initiatives from President Obama to address the foreclosure crisis — more help for struggling homeowners and aggressive investigations of financial firms — face significant hurdles as the nation’s real estate troubles linger [...]
No room for mistakes: Design perfectionists at home
The minimalist spaces where design perfectionists live — some so fastidious that they have no furniture at all.
Initial foreclosure filings fall 11.9% in fourth quarter
Fewer California borrowers entered foreclosure during the final three months of the year, according to new data. But the holiday respite, coming after a sharp summer increase in new defaults, may not last.
King County home sales rebound in 2011, but prices still falling
Last year was the best year for home sales in King County since 2007. Prices, however, have softened.
Luxury extended-stay hotel coming to Beverly Hills
Korman Communities plans to turn the Crescent Beverly Hills apartments into AKA Beverly Hills. Rent for the AKA’s 88 suites will start at about $400 a night. A Pennsylvania developer has spent $85 million on a Beverly Hills apartment complex it plans to turn into a luxurious extended-stay hotel.
State’s construction firms optimistic about 2012
Commercial construction companies here forecast more hiring and sooner resumption of growth than their peers nationally.
Less Scary in Tarzana
Singer Melanie Brown, once known as Scary Spice, and her husband, producer Stephen Belafonte, put their Tarzana compound on the market at $3.45 million. Singer Melanie Brown — Scary Spice from her days with the Spice Girls — and her husband, producer Stephen Belafonte, have put their Tarzana compound on the market at $3.45 million.