Housing hotspots and rampant speculation could lead to another crush

By Dan S. Barnabic, June 09, 2016

The prices of real estate in major selected urban centers are still going up. But job growth and wages cannot keep up the pace, in fact, they lag behind very badly. The minimum salary needed to afford the rent in many major cities is way too low, even for the rapidly eroding middle class.

“Another Condo Bust Looms in Miami”

The real estate bubble may be brewing in Miami due to depletion of foreign investors especially from bankrupt countries such as Brazil and Argentina. This article should be a fair notice to steer off condos as they will be the first to fall by the wayside. The same can be said for the rest of the country if Chinese investors, whose economy is in deep trouble, start losing financial wherewithal to purchase the condos in US.

Continue to Wall Street Journal article by Laura Kusisto: “Another Condo Bust Looms in Miami”

The danger of foreign buyers gobbling up American homes

By Dan S. Barnabic, October 09, 2015

In the wake of market recovery from the last real estate crash of 2007/08, developers have been once again trying to lure low-earning Americans into buying homes and condos facilitated by very small (in some cases 3%) down payments, with the idea to increase domestic demand.

6 needed rules to keep condo units viable

By Dan S. Barnabic, July 17, 2015

After extensive research, it is evident to me that 15 years after construction, condo complexes enter a phase where major elements start giving up. In many cases, they will require expenditures that might not be covered by their fiscal budgets or reserve funds.

Foreign investors pose threat to residential real estate

By Dan S. Barnabic, June 15, 2015

The negative impact of foreign investments in American residential real estate might have been badly overlooked by some U.S. government officials — and the potential harm it might cause is largely unknown to the average American.

Before buying a condo unit, fully investigate the complex

By Dan S. Barnabic, May 4, 2015

Check your prospective unit carefully but even more important, check the well-being of its condominium complex.

Too many renters are a bad sign in a condo complex

By Dan S. Barnabic, April 27, 2015

Back in the mid-1960s, when condominiums were born, they were meant to become an affordable housing alternative to traditional homes. Because of their low prices, many renters aspired for better quality living arrangements and bought a condo unit.

Buying a preconstruction condo unit is a dicey move

By Dan S. Barnabic, April 20, 2015

Buying a condo unit during the preconstruction phase might seem to be a straightforward proposition. Future unit is bought from the architectural drawings at the developer’s sales site. However, in real life, buying a unit before it’s constructed may work out to be anything but straightforward.

For condos, make sure you can afford the carrying costs

By Dan S. Barnabic, April 3, 2015

Before buying a condominium, consider that, aside from mortgage payments, you’ll be responsible for condo association maintenance fees, real estate taxes and special assessments.

Buying a condo? Always make a low offer

By Dan S. Barnabic, March 30, 2015

Before making an offer on any condominium, check with other local realtors to find out how much the unit would fetch on the open market if offered for sale.

Beware of condo bargains with high fees

By Dan S. Barnabic, March 24, 2015

If you come across a condo unit that’s selling at a rock bottom price, but with an unusually high maintenance fees, think twice before signing the contract.

How to know when to buy a condo

By Dan S. Barnabic, March 16, 2015

To understand how important it is to buy at the right time, just think of condominium units that, only a few years ago, sold at very high prices but lost their value — many of them as much as 50% or more — as a result of the real estate collapse of 2007.

10 rules for condo buying

By Dan S. Barnabic, March 09, 2015

The overall prices of real estate are still 16% down from their peak in 2006. What the future may bring to the U.S. real-estate market is still debatable given its slow recovery and uncertainty about consumer confidence.

Why condos can be a poor trade-off to traditional homes

By Dan S. Barnabic, November 26, 2014

To many buyers and unit owners, condominium ownership may still be ambiguous and convoluted. Since condos aren’t based on the same ownership structure as street-level traditional (freehold) homes, comparing condos to traditional homes is like comparing apples with oranges.

Enjoy the condo lifestyle and keep the home investment

By Dan S. Barnabic, October 31, 2014

The allure of the carefree condo lifestyle has attracted many. Among them, retirees who became tired of the everyday chores of maintaining their traditional homes.

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