Free Republic

Longtime political strategist David Axelrod, who helped advise President Obama's presidential run in 2008 and is serving as communications director for Obama's re-election campaign, has paid $1.7 million for a four-bedroom, 3,320-square-foot condo unit in a high-rise condo along Michigan Avenue. Axelrod, 57, also worked as a senior advisor in the Obama White House from 2009 until 2011, when he departed to begin work on the president's re-election campaign. Despite his time in Washington, Axelrod always has kept a home base in Chicago.

Naked man accused of slamming truck into home SOUTH BERWICK, MAINE -- A man is under arrest, accused of taking a dangerous drive, slamming into a house and nearly hitting a child inside. “Basically my dining room and my kitchen are now in my living room,” said Wayne Landers. It’s bad enough that Wayne Landers' refrigerator and dishwasher are smashed and strewn in the middle of his home. “This structural piece is here…is where the dishwasher used to be,” said Landers. What's worse -- minutes after the crash, he was confronted by a naked man. “I'm thinking a bomb or...

A-Rod's Big, Fat, Upper West Side Condo Tax Break You know what rich people like? Staying rich! While it's unclear why exactly super-rich Yankees slugger and serial house hunter Alex Rodriguez finally decided to buy a $6 million place at the Rushmore condo, here's one factor that probably didn't hurt: The 421a tax break that will turn what could have been an annual $60,000+ tax bill into one that's just $1200 a year. Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez blasts the tax abatement program, "It grants as much as a 98% percent tax abatement for up to 25 years to condo...

Conservatives often look at government spending, shake their heads and say, “They wouldn’t spend their own money like that.” Turns out if you’re Barack Obama, you would. A new financial analysis indicates that he’s always spent far more than he made. Here’s how The New York Daily News reports it:

Dr. Doom's $5.5 M. Condo Purchase End of World As We Know It December 17, 2010 | 5:58 p.m Either the housing crisis is coming to an end or the apocalypse has arrived. The N.Y.U. economist who predicted the housing bubble's spectacular burst has bought a $5.5 million condo in the East Village. Nouriel Roubini (a.k.a. Dr. Doom) who only recently opined on a possible second crisis in the housing market and in 2006 sung the praises of the rental market, apparently has contradicted both pieces of advice, plunking his cash in the most expensive condo recently on the market...

WEST PALM BEACH, FL--A building damaged by two hurricanes turned into rubble just after 9 Sunday morning in West Palm Beach. The 1515 condo, a 30 story building, was packed with about 2 thousand pounds of dynamite and detonated. In a matter of minutes all that was left was a pile of debris. Thousands of spectators looked on from a safe distance. Many lined a nearby bridge and others were in boats sitting in the nearby Intracoastal Waterway. They heard a series of 18 explosions, and after a slight pause, the building fell down upon itself. VIDEO AT LINK

DENVER – He bought his first home, spent $30,000 fixing it up, and now, six months later, Jonathon Kyte has learned the home doesn't belong to him. According to the City and County of Denver, Jonathon owns the dump, next door. He found out about the mistake almost by accident when he received a map which showed the unit he's living is actually unit No. 4. "I froze. My wife and I were just speechless," Kyte said. Kyte owns the deed and title to unit No. 5. Jonathon blames the Coldwell Banker listing agent for the mistake. She marketed the...

A story and a little audio

A lemonade from lemons story, and a funny audio.

(IsraelNN.com) An American court of appeals has ruled in a split decision against the right of Jews to post the traditional mezuzah on the doorposts of a condominium apartment if the bylaws of the building prohibit signs and objects on outside doors. The mezuzah contains parchment with verses from the Torah and is an ancient tradition commanded by the Torah before the Exodus of Jews from Egypt. We cannot create an accommodation requirement for religion. In the 2-1 decision, the court stated, "The hallway rule ... is neutral with respect to religion. It bans photos of family vacations, political placards,...

Woman In Trouble For Flying American Flag In Neighborhood ROBINSON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A local member of the Air National Guard is in trouble with her condominium complex for what she says is a show of patriotism. Master Sgt. Denise James has been fighting her condo association over the right to fly an American flag. She lives in a condo complex on Kenzie Drive in Robinson Township. On Memorial Day, she put up small American flags in her yard to honor past and present veterans. As July 4 approaches, she is still flying the flags, but her condo association says...

Florida Taking Its Toll (Brothers) On Daughter's Condo You just can’t make this stuff up. Apparently even a big builder’s daughter can’t seem to keep faith in the Florida housing market. According to an SEC filing, Wendy Topkis, daughter of Toll Brothers co-founder and Vice-Chairman Bruce Toll, is walking away from a Florida condo, just like everyone else. A Toll Bros. condo!! The Palm Beach Post says it best: Et Tu Wendy? According to the home builder’s proxy statement: Prior to fiscal 2007, the Company entered into an agreement of sale to build and sell a condominium to Wendy Topkis,...

LOS ANGELES -- The City Council in Calabasas plans to discuss a proposal Wednesday on whether to extend its anti-smoking law to some homes. Council members may consider a law that would prohibit renters from lighting up inside apartments. Current resident smokers would be exempted from the ban as long as they stayed in the same apartment. The law would require all new buildings with at least 15 units to be smoke-free; the law would cover condominiums, as well as apartment buildings.

CHULA VISTA - At least 60 illegal immigrants found in a two-story condominium were turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol, an agent said Saturday. Arrests were made in connection with the raid, said Wendi Lee, a senior Border Patrol agent. Lee said she did not know how many were arrested, or their names. Authorities found the illegal immigrants sometime Friday at the complex, on the 200 block of Rancho Court, Lee said. It was part of a "drop-house" raid, authorities said. The illegal immigrants were taken to the Border Patrol's processing facility in Chula Vista, Lee said. Those found...

By VIKAS BAJAJ WASHINGTON — David Franco’s illuminated model of a proposed 10-story condominium tower dominates a sales center that, in spite of the “Now Selling” banner still fluttering outside, is conspicuously closed for business. “We could have waited it out and kept pushing and pushing,” Mr. Franco said about the decision to abandon plans to sell 180 luxury condominiums with floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the Washington Monument and Capitol Hill. “But it would have taken significantly longer.” After six weeks of failing to lure more than a couple of dozen buyers, Mr. Franco and his partner, Jeff Blum,...

On a sandy bluff overlooking the Pacific, surfer Mark Massara sees a developing threat to a California amenity: guaranteed beach access for average families. Luxury hotel builders are hovering over the coastline, hoping to expand to California's shores the nationwide trend of developments split between high-priced hotel rooms and privately owned condominiums. Where developers see opportunity in "condo hotels," Massara and others see a legal loophole that lets private buyers snap up parts of the coast which are supposed to remain public. And that, he fears, will make getting to the beach harder. In this low-key northern San Diego County...

You know the old saying about having a hammer and everything looking like nails? I was reading an article in the Journal of Law and Economics about why housing prices in Manhattan are so high, and I thought, "Omigosh! The answer to the demographic implosion." Since my hammer happens to be sex and marriage, even an economics article reminds me of sex. So bear with me. I’ll explain what the article had to say about housing prices. Then I’ll tell you what it has to do with sex...

A joint venture pays $77.5 million for the high-rise Portland Center Apartments and will sell units as early as next spring A team of Portland developers plans to announce today that it has bought the high-rise Portland Center Apartments for $77.5 million in a deal that will convert the three massive towers into condominiums. The purchase of 537 units is believed to be the largest condominium conversion in the Portland area, which has seen a flurry of apartment buildings converted to for-sale units in recent years. It also marks one of the highest Portland-area prices ever paid for an apartment...

In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the number of condos for sale in North Texas has jumped by about 26 percent this year and while pre-owned home prices are flat, condo prices are up 6 percent. The median price of condos in Massachusetts hit a record $269,000 in July this year, up 14.7 percent from July 2003 levels -- and sales are slow. And in Hawaii, depending on which island you hop to, condo prices are up from 18 percent to 50 percent. East, West, North and South, condo prices are booming. Once considered affordable housing for first-time home buyers, some...

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - A lawmaker from Thailand's ruling party fell to his death Wednesday from his 10th floor apartment, followed a few hours later by a woman with whom he had been quarreling, police said. The body of Attapol Sanitwongchai, a 39-year-old member of the Thai Rak Thai Party, was found on the ground outside his Bangkok condominium, police Lt. Col. Sompatara Thongkomol said. Police are investigating whether Attapol jumped or was pushed, he said. The lawmaker from northeastern Udon Thani province had quarreled with a woman in the apartment before plunging to his death, police said. After Attapol's...

The Veterans Benefits Act of 2004, was signed by the President on December 10, 2004. This new law makes some significant changes to the Veterans Home Loan Guaranty Program. The Veteran's Benefit Act of 2004 includes the following changes to the VA Home Loan Program: Increases the maximum loan amount to $359,650 Expands the eligibility for Specially Adapted Housing Grants. Re-instates the Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) Program Expands the eligibility for waiving the VA Funding Fee Increased Maximum Guaranty Amount The law changes the maximum guaranty amount of $240,000 to a new limit for a single family residence of $359,650....

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) - A grand jury indicted a former city councilwoman and seven other people Wednesday for an alleged real estate scheme that involved converting apartments into higher-priced condominiums without the required permits for the changes. Pamela Houchen, who resigned from the City Council in September, also was charged with corruption for allegedly concealing her ownership of an apartment building in a redevelopment district where she was prohibited from owning property under conflict-of-interest laws. The former councilwoman, a real estate broker who also has served as mayor, is charged with 11 counts of mail fraud and seven counts...

For millions of Floridians, it's life's happy ending: Retire, buy a condo and spend afternoons by the pool with a burger, fries and a cold one. But residents at Turnberry Isle condominium's North Tower are angry because their golden sunset has a cloud. Snacks are now forbidden by the pool, and the clubhouse restaurant's menu has been wiped clean of parmesan chicken and pasta and replaced with eggplant salad and brown rice. The reason: the Pritikin Longevity Center -- a wellness spa -- moved in and needed the restaurant to serve a health-oriented cuisine for its guests. The poolside snack...