Globe Trotting: Five Megamansions in the Caribbean’s Most Famous Tax Haven

August 25th, 2011

The Cayman Islands have been a tax haven since the days of Weekend at Bernie’s and the original Wall Street. The curious thing is that once the tax dodgers are done with the dodging they go and splash out on an extravagant island getaway. We don’t even want to know what kind of tax savings are necessary to justify the purchase of this $60M beachfront behemoth, called Castillo Caribe. The 48,000-square-foot mega-mansion fronts on a spectacular white sand beach and boasts cavernous interior spaces that make this place seem more like a private resort than a home, for better or worse.

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Tags: Haven, Tax Haven

IIT acquires six-building portfolio from HSA and Bridge Development for $80.5M

July 27th, 2011

Industrial Income Trust Inc (IIT), a Denver-based REIT, completed the acquisition of six distribution centers for $80.5 million in the I-55 and I-88 corridors during the second quarter.

The properties, owned by HSA Commercial and Bridge Development Partners, total approximately 1.1 million-square-feet and are 86 percent leased to 18 tenants including Walgreens, Ace Hardware, Nestle Waters, and Goodyear.

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Tags: Iit, Iit Acquires

Rate Hike will Decrease Housing Demand: JLL

July 27th, 2011

The cost of construction in the country is set to go up, which in turn will adversely affect the demand for houses as a result of impending interest rate hikes by banks and finance companies after RBI hiked its key policy rates on Tuesday.

“The sentiments are low in the real estate sector and any more increase in rate will not boost the growth in this sector,” said Lalit Kumar Jain, national president, Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (Credai). Any rate hike is a double whammy for the real estate sector, which is already reeling under the pressure of high input costs. Increase in interest rate will add to the woes of the sector, he added.

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Tags: Demand, Rate Hike

Sofcoast, Inc. Names Scott Swanson Executive Vice President

July 27th, 2011

I look forward to furthering our efforts as a team to target and deliver world-class hybrid air vehicle solutions for key federal programs and government customers.

Sofcoast, Inc., designer and manufacturer of the ASAP XP MAKO hybrid air vehicle is pleased to announce that Mr. Scott Swanson has joined the Sofcoast team, as Executive Vice President, effective June 20, 2011. With in this role, Mr. Swanson will be leading Federal Sales.

Sofcoast Founding CEO, John Surmont, stated, “Sofcoast is focused on setting the standard as the world leader in developing and delivering hybrid air vehicles that solve real problems for real people. T

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Tags: Inc, Inc Names

Comparing the Requirements of FHA and VA Loans

July 26th, 2011

Buying a home means making a significant financial commitment over a long period of time. Many new buyers turn to government guaranteed home loans. FHA and VA requirements have some common features but the differences must be understood for a loan application to be considered.

Loan Guarantees vs. Loans

One of the first misconceptions that many people have about VA loans is that they are actually loans. In fact, VA and FHA programs are loan guarantee programs that help protect lenders with insurance in the event that the borrower defaults. While government agencies that guarantee loans typically have a formula for underwriting loans to obtain these guarantees, they do not make the final lending decision.

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Tags: Fha Va, Loans