Just saw a piece on CNN about this. Guy from NJ retired there, closed
in November for about $400k.
The place is like a ghost town. It's called the Mirage.
He says the silence is driving him crazy.
Weird as hell.

--Vic

Vic Smith wrote:
Just saw a piece on CNN about this. Guy from NJ retired there, closed
in November for about $400k.
The place is like a ghost town. It's called the Mirage.
He says the silence is driving him crazy.
Weird as hell.

--Vic


One of my now-retired union buddies just bought and closed on a two
bedroom condo in a mid-rise building right on the beach in the Bal
Harbour-Ft. Lauderdale corridor. Brand new unit, building half-occupied.
"Well under $200,000." Underground parking, pool, all the usual
amenities of a first-class building. Part of the beach he is on is not
heavily visited, either...hard to beat that.

Vic Smith wrote:
Just saw a piece on CNN about this. Guy from NJ retired there, closed
in November for about $400k.
The place is like a ghost town. It's called the Mirage.
He says the silence is driving him crazy.
Weird as hell.

--Vic

I saw that a night or so ago, it is pretty weird!

On Aug 6, 1:50*pm, Vic Smith wrote:
Just saw a piece on CNN about this. *Guy from NJ retired there, closed
in November for about $400k.
The place is like a ghost town. *It's called the Mirage.
He says the silence is driving him crazy.
Weird as hell.

--Vic

You'd think he'd enjoy the peace and quiet.

On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 17:24:36 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

On Aug 6, 1:50*pm, Vic Smith wrote:
Just saw a piece on CNN about this. *Guy from NJ retired there, closed
in November for about $400k.
The place is like a ghost town. *It's called the Mirage.
He says the silence is driving him crazy.
Weird as hell.

--Vic

You'd think he'd enjoy the peace and quiet.

He's probably concerned about what happens next. It obviously can not
continue as it is for very long, and it's unlikely that services and
ammenities will be developed or maintained at expected levels.

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:46:45 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 17:24:36 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

On Aug 6, 1:50*pm, Vic Smith wrote:
Just saw a piece on CNN about this. *Guy from NJ retired there, closed
in November for about $400k.
The place is like a ghost town. *It's called the Mirage.
He says the silence is driving him crazy.
Weird as hell.

--Vic

You'd think he'd enjoy the peace and quiet.

He's probably concerned about what happens next. It obviously can not
continue as it is for very long, and it's unlikely that services and
ammenities will be developed or maintained at expected levels.

Actually, the story is even weirder than that.

He bought the condo, the company that built it essentially abandoned
it. However, there is an exact same condo complex next to it by the
same company which is selling units successfully and this guy want to
move from this building to that one in a condo swap. The bank that
financed the condo won't allow the swap and both the bank and the
company say there is nothing they can do about it.

wrote in message
...
On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:54:24 -0400, Wizard of Woodstock
wrote:

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:46:45 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 17:24:36 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

On Aug 6, 1:50 pm, Vic Smith wrote:
Just saw a piece on CNN about this. Guy from NJ retired there, closed
in November for about $400k.
The place is like a ghost town. It's called the Mirage.
He says the silence is driving him crazy.
Weird as hell.

--Vic

You'd think he'd enjoy the peace and quiet.

He's probably concerned about what happens next. It obviously can not
continue as it is for very long, and it's unlikely that services and
ammenities will be developed or maintained at expected levels.

Actually, the story is even weirder than that.

He bought the condo, the company that built it essentially abandoned
it. However, there is an exact same condo complex next to it by the
same company which is selling units successfully and this guy want to
move from this building to that one in a condo swap. The bank that
financed the condo won't allow the swap and both the bank and the
company say there is nothing they can do about it.


The scary thing for this owner is that each building is a separate
condo association so the guy living alone in that building is the only
member and he is responsible for maintaining the whole building.
I would elect myself president and start foreclosure proceedings on
all the other units for failure to pay dues. The problem is, he is
bleeding until that happens.

He said vagrants wander through the building, they get knocks on the door in
the middle of the night. Homeless use the swimming pool. Best is to get a
rich real estate investor to partner up and do the foreclosure thing. They
end up owning the building.

wrote in message
...
On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:54:24 -0400, Wizard of Woodstock
wrote:

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:46:45 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 17:24:36 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

On Aug 6, 1:50 pm, Vic Smith wrote:
Just saw a piece on CNN about this. Guy from NJ retired there, closed
in November for about $400k.
The place is like a ghost town. It's called the Mirage.
He says the silence is driving him crazy.
Weird as hell.

--Vic

You'd think he'd enjoy the peace and quiet.

He's probably concerned about what happens next. It obviously can not
continue as it is for very long, and it's unlikely that services and
ammenities will be developed or maintained at expected levels.

Actually, the story is even weirder than that.

He bought the condo, the company that built it essentially abandoned
it. However, there is an exact same condo complex next to it by the
same company which is selling units successfully and this guy want to
move from this building to that one in a condo swap. The bank that
financed the condo won't allow the swap and both the bank and the
company say there is nothing they can do about it.


The scary thing for this owner is that each building is a separate
condo association so the guy living alone in that building is the only
member and he is responsible for maintaining the whole building.
I would elect myself president and start foreclosure proceedings on
all the other units for failure to pay dues. The problem is, he is
bleeding until that happens.

That's not true. I build small subdivisions as townhomes, so I know a bit
about this. The developer is responsible for the HOA dues on any unit not
sold and closed. As a matter of fact, the developer *is* the HOA until a
majority of the units are sold and a vote can be taken to elect a board. Let
me just say that's the way it is in California. It's possible that it's
different in FL, but somehow I doubt it.

This dude is in the driver's seat and should enjoy the peace and quiet. If
the pool doesn't get cleaned, he needs to bitch to the developer, and sue
him if he doesn't perform.

--Mike

wrote in message
...
On Fri, 7 Aug 2009 22:26:46 -0700, "mgg" wrote:



I'm sure the developer will tell him to get in line.
If you built a 256 unit condo and have 255 unsold, you are broke..

Unfortunately, you are probably correct.

--Mike

On Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:25:33 -0400, wrote:

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:54:24 -0400, Wizard of Woodstock
wrote:

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:46:45 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 17:24:36 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

On Aug 6, 1:50*pm, Vic Smith wrote:
Just saw a piece on CNN about this. *Guy from NJ retired there, closed
in November for about $400k.
The place is like a ghost town. *It's called the Mirage.
He says the silence is driving him crazy.
Weird as hell.

--Vic

You'd think he'd enjoy the peace and quiet.

He's probably concerned about what happens next. It obviously can not
continue as it is for very long, and it's unlikely that services and
ammenities will be developed or maintained at expected levels.

Actually, the story is even weirder than that.

He bought the condo, the company that built it essentially abandoned
it. However, there is an exact same condo complex next to it by the
same company which is selling units successfully and this guy want to
move from this building to that one in a condo swap. The bank that
financed the condo won't allow the swap and both the bank and the
company say there is nothing they can do about it.


The scary thing for this owner is that each building is a separate
condo association so the guy living alone in that building is the only
member and he is responsible for maintaining the whole building.
I would elect myself president and start foreclosure proceedings on
all the other units for failure to pay dues. The problem is, he is
bleeding until that happens.

Breaking news. I had dinner tonight with people who are more familiar
with the situation. It is called "The Oasis Tower" or some such:

http://tinyurl.com/ll9e6m

It turns out that the developers bought out and closed one of the last
remaining full service shipyards in this area. No sympathy from me.
It was a good location for a shipyard, bad location for a condo.
Anyone who bought there could have easily seen that the neighborhood
left a lot to be desired.