Riviera Beach marina face-lift on hold

Plans for a $500 million overhaul of Riviera Beach's marina and surrounding properties are being delayed by slumps in the economy and the real estate market.

Mortgage rates continue to fall

Mortgage rates dropped for a third straight week, reflecting the impact the weakening economy is having on financial markets. Rates on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.04 percent this week, down from 6.14 percent last week, Freddie Mac reported. For 15-year, fixed loans, rates dropped to 5.73 percent from 5.81 percent. Rates on five-year, adjustable-rate mortgages fell to 5.87 percent from 5.98, while one-year ARMs edged down to 5.29 percent from 5.33 percent.

REAL ESTATE

Test ahead for downtown condo market

Miami's latest building boom is creating 22,000 condominium units in the city's urban center, more than double the number built in the past 40 years.

South Florida home prices tumble 16.9 percent

The median sales price for South Florida single-family homes fell 16.9 percent from a year earlier in the third quarter, the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors said Tuesday.

• Dade 'lottery' to provide mortgages to home buyers
• PDF | Condo prices
• PDF | Single-family home prices

When couples split, the home is a hot potato

During the real-estate boom, couples who divorced would fight over who got the house, betting that the winner could get rich from rapidly escalating prices. Spouses plunked down thousands to buy out their partner. Disposing of the ''marital asset'' was easy, since homes were selling in a day or two for inflated prices.

Real estate listings from Michael Y. Cannon

Location: 3211-3231 W. Flagler St. Seller: Estate of Esther R. Pupo, represented by Gloria T. Moises, personal representative. Buyer: 3211, LLC, represented by Henry Salum, managing member.

CONDO LINE

Roof assessment wasn't used up so why wasn't excess returned?

Q: I own a condominium with garden-style buildings. The board decided we needed to replace the roof on one of the buildings and created a special assessment of $40,000. Instead of replacing the roof they ended up only doing a patch job for much less, less than $3,000. I was outraged that we would have to pay for such a large assessment when not needed. I think the overage of the assessment should be returned to the owners. The president says they will keep the funds in an account. I do not trust...

WASHINGTON REPORT

How about a mortgage at a 2.99% fixed rate?

What will it take to get consumers off the sidelines to buy more houses and help stimulate the economy? How about a mortgage at a 2.99 percent fixed rate for 30 years for anyone who purchases a home before next July 1? Or how about a non-repayable federal tax credit of 10 percent of the home price up to $22,000?

WATCH IT GROW

Scarlet vine boldly climbs to the top

Name: Red jade-vine; mucuna vine Botanical name: Mucuna bennetti (syn: Mucuna novoguineensis ) Description: There aren't many vines that can compare with this scarlet beauty for sheer voluptuous shape and searing color. A vine in the bean family, this New Guinea native can be just as aggressive as the jade vine, Strongylodon macrobotrys, whose flower shapes these resemble. The hanging bunches of flowers, called racemes, are not as long as those on the jade, but that hardly matters. They will hang...

Dania shop specializes in treasures from the sea

The official name of this store is Alex's Flamingo Groves and Gift Shop, but some regulars simply refer to it as the shell shop. Indeed, it is a shop with lots of shells. Bins and bins highlight the twisty, speckled, smooth, prickly and rippled assortment of treasures from the sea. Teeny apple blossom shells are pink and white. Lion's paws are fan shaped. A Japanese slit looks like a generous dollop of whipped cream. More than 700 varieties are in stock, and most come from the Philippines, according...