Category Archives: Condo Hotels

The Extend & Pretend Conference: IMN Distressed Real Estate

February 27, 2010 – 3:16 pm

No it isn’t some conference of sex coaching, it was a group of bankers (including Fannie Mae) and real estate investors who gathered this week in Miami for the IMN Distressed Real Estate Conference, and frankly, it was a little depressing.
The debate seemed to revolve around lender’s decisions to ‘extend loans and pretend that the […]

By bwaun | Also posted in Vacant Land, Fractional Ownership, Developments, Personal Experience, Baby Boomers, Second Homes, Reverse Mortgage, Mortgage, Uncategorized | Comments (0)

HOA before EGO

February 14, 2010 – 5:15 pm

I spent the weekend in N. Michigan at our condo hotel, in between skiing, I caught up on a flurry of nasty-gram letters between the hotel management company and the new HOA board President, and assorted angry, emotionally charged condo consumer owners.
I’m reminded of the saying: “in tough times you should pull together instead of […]

By bwaun | Also posted in Personal Experience, Developments, Second Homes | Comments (0)

Go Green & Save $

February 8, 2010 – 7:01 pm

Too many ‘eco-freindly’ business ideas require tax incentives to justify the expense. America will struggle to meet the upcoming carbon rules without fundamental changes in our country’s energy infrastructure. One way is as easy as changing a light bulb.  
Go green, and save 80% a year on your lighting costs. Vacation Finance is working […]

By bwaun | Also posted in Developments, Timeshares, Second Homes | Comments (0)

New Mortgage Modification Rules offer only HOPE…

November 30, 2009 – 6:58 pm

Impotence… Bulls, Banks, Beggars seek Loan Modifications.
HOPE, an inactive verb. HOPE is some you need in an absence of ACTION and RESULTS.
Tonight there are thousands of call center employees fielding phone calls from home owners. The home owners are begging for loan modifications, fully expecting that the new Obama Modification Regulations will save them money, […]

By bwaun | Also posted in Developments, Personal Experience, Fractional Ownership, Baby Boomers, International Finance, Mortgage | Comments (0)

Last Year in Dubai

November 28, 2009 – 6:29 pm

Last year this week, I spent the day driving around the construction site called Dubai.
Riding around town with my friend there, our tour was interrupted by a cell phone call. My host had learned that Nakeel (one of the Emirate’s 2 development companies) was offering 90% of consumer buyer’s earnest money deposits in refund if […]

By bwaun | Also posted in Fractional Ownership, Developments, Personal Experience, Baby Boomers, International Finance, Mortgage, Second Homes | Comments (0)