In December, the Malaysian investors told the School Board they were interested in buying the district’s downtown property, which spans more than 10 acres of parking lots and office buildings on eight separate parcels.

But on Monday, the group said it is pursuing scaled-back plans for a luxury development — for now without a casino — on The Miami Herald’s bayfront property, which Genting purchased last year from the newspaper’s parent company.

“Though we initially indicated interest in the School Board properties, we have since decided to move forward developing Resorts World Miami on the nearby Miami Herald site, independent of the school bpard land,” said Jessica Hoppe, vice president and general counsel for Resorts World Miami.

Starting with its purchase of The Miami Herald property, the Genting Group has invested about $500 million in real estate in the Omni area. The group is moving ahead with a luxury complex on the bay after its bid to build the world’s largest casino faded in February in the Florida Legislature.

“We understand Genting’s decision, and the matter remains under the cone of silence,” John Schuster, spokesman for the school district, said in an email.

Last fall, the district issued a request for letters of interest in the property, the first step in selling or developing it, and got some proposals.

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has not recommended any option to board members, but released the letters in a Feb. 9 memo to the board for “informational purposes.”

“We have a structured process if we were to proceed,” said Jaime Torrens, the district’s chief facilities officer. “There’s no pricing at this point. It’s very conceptual.”

Among the proposals:

–One from 1550 The Chelsea to buy the district’s lot at 1535 NE Second Ave. The developers are working on a mixed-use tower near the Omni hotel. It owns the Brickell Flatiron, which includes the bar Baru, and has plans for a park and to build Park Lane Towers in a vacant area.

“We’re the natural purchasers,” said managing member Mallory Kauderer. “I’ll pay a good price because we’re on Biscayne Boulevard.”

–An offer to buy one of the district’s parcels, 1610 NE First Ct., for $908,440 in cash from Prince Albert, a company of the Kluger family, who own other properties in the area.

–A pitch to market and sell the district’s eight parcels separately by Ryan Shaw with Marcus & Millichap, a national real estate brokerage. In his letter, Shaw estimated the value of each of the district’s properties for a total of more than $40.7 million.

“It would be in the School Board’s best interest to bring these properties to market separately,” Shaw said. “They’re sitting on equity that could be better served in the school district by building more facilities more centrally located and getting out of downtown.”

–A conceptual plan from Town Square Neighborhood Development, a nonprofit focused on developing the area around the Adrienne Arsht Center. The group has no funds, but has a wish list to make over the performing arts area.

Any timeline to sell the district’s property would likely take at least a year, given the deal’s complexity and need to find a place for the district to relocate its headquarters, Torrens said. Atsthe nerve center of the fourth largest school district in the country, the district oversees more than 300 schools, 30,000-plus employees and nearly 350,000 students.

Torrens said the district could weigh other alternatives, too. “It isn’t just sell. There are different types of leases or developments,” he said.

Genting cools interest in buying Miami-Dade School District property
By Laura Isensee, Miami Herald

Opera Tower LLC will arrange to lease the unit for 3 years from the purchaser at closing. In addition to paying rent, Opera Tower LLC will also pay the following ownership expenses during the lease term:

Condominium Association Fees including any Special Assessments, if any.
Full Service Property Management
• All Administrative Cost involved with the Property Management
Leasing Cost
• Advertising
• Commissions
Any Repairs
• Painting
• Maintenance
• Refurbishments
• If any item cannot be repaired, it will be replaced.

Purchaser is only responsible for real estate property taxes and insurance of the unit.

In addition to the expenses paid as rent (above), the Purchaser will receive a GUARANTEED net rent equal to 6% of the purchase price annually for the full term of the 3 years lease. For example, if the purchase price is $400,000, the owner will receive $24,000 a year net in monthly installments for 3 years.

Prices start at $337/Square foot (approximately R$ 7,033/M2)

Studios
USD $170,000 – 220,000
503 – 508 SF (47m2)

1 Bedroom
USD $ 270,000 – 400,000
703 – 825 SF (65 – 76 M2)

2 Bedroom
USD $ 400,000 – 480,000
1048 SF (97 M2)

For more information about this opportunity, please visit http://investinmiami.com/opera-tower/

This offering is for a limited time only, the accuracy of this information is not guaranteed. Investinmiami.com, its affiliates or agents. Opera Tower LLC, its subsidiaries and affiliates, shall not be responsible for errors, misprints, omissions or any misinformation or expiration of this offering.

In addition to the expenses paid as rent (above), the Purchaser will receive a GUARANTEED net rent equal to 6% of the purchase price annually for the full term of the 3 years lease. For example, if the purchase price is $400,000, the owner will receive $24,000 a year net in monthly installments for 3 years.

Great investment opportunity at Opera Tower

In true over-the-top Miami fashion, the BrickellHouse condo — which breaks ground this summer — will contain a $6.5 million automated parking garage with Roomba-like robot platforms moving vehicles up and down elevator lifts and into slotting parking spots.

Click here if the vídeo does not display properly.

The massive garage will hold more than 480 vehicles, to be moved and reorganized by 30 robots and 5 lifts as residents return cars for parking or order them for retrieval. The system promises users will have their vehicles within 3 minutes of issuing commands by smartphone, tablet or text messaging. (Sure beats setting off your car alarm in a cramped garage to find your vehicle — not that we’ve ever done such a thing).

“Just drive into the central loading area and park. There is no need to drive up and down ramps searching for a space, nor do you have to remember where you parked your car,” boasts a press release from Boomerang Projects, which has previously installed similar systems in garages in New Jersey, Mississippi, and Kansas.

Boomerang claims its robot valets are more green alternative to traditional parking since cars will remain powered down throughout the parking process, and garage lighting and ventilation requirements will be lessened since humans won’t need access to the space.

Presumably, with no Miami drivers behind the wheel, there’s even exponentially smaller chances of fender benders, dings, or birds being flipped before you even hit the street

The Huffington Post | By Christiana Lilly

Read more about this project and many more at http://investinmiami.com/Brickell House

Why? Because the way we played golf spoke volumes about the way we approached our professions.

This weekend, golf is once again on our minds as the Master’s—perhaps the premiere golf tournament in the country—enters its second round of play. The other day, in an interview with a national newspaper, 2011 US Open champ Rory McIllroy was briefly embarrassed when his phone rang, an awkward moment on a course where handheld devices are strictly forbidden. However, it’s a good reminder, for all of us weekend duffers who are taking our clubs out of the closet for the first time this year, how important etiquette and good manners are to the game.

It may be a canard that more deals are struck on the golf course than in any other venue. But if you want to be a walking cliché, I humbly offer a few pieces of advice.

1. Take Lessons

Face it: You stink. Luckily, it’s not necessarily a life sentence. Living in the Rockies, where golf is a seasonal pursuit, I need all the help I can get when the snow melts. Starting the season by hitting two thousand balls on the range will not improve a flawed swing. So take a couple of lessons, but avoid the Pro who gives you 87 things to remember on your backswing. Don’t combine golf and business until you’re playing competently. Otherwise, your clients will rightly assume you’re an idiot.

2. Follow the Rules

A couple of years ago, I read about pro golfer Camilio Villegas being accessed a penalty for removing some debris from around his ball before taking his shot. He seemed genuinely surprised at having broken the rules. What’s shocking is that he didn’t know the rules. You don’t have to be the rule-book Nazi in your foursome, but take some time to read it before the season starts. You’ll be amazed at what you’ve forgotten—or never knew.

3. Observe Dress Codes

One of the best things about business golf is getting invited to play at a client’s or colleague’s club for the first time. Don’t show up in cargo shorts and your vintage Beck tee shirt. Call ahead to the pro shop and ask about the dress code. Dustin Johnson or Bubba Watson are good golf fashion icons: conservative but with a little individual flair. Forget the lime green or cranberry red ensembles. It works for Rickie Fowler. It doesn’t work for you.

4. Play Fair

Golf is self-policing. There are no refs, umpires, or line judges. Just you and your conscience. If your client sees you kicking your ball out of the rough for a better lie, do you think he’ll consider you a go-getter who doesn’t let anything stand in his way—or a lying, self-deceiving sleaze? Mmm. I was playing with a retired chief operating officer a few years ago and I remember him saying, ‘It’s too bad the ethics of golf don’t apply to business.’ That’s just the kind of guy who is perplexed by the public’s attitude toward Wall Street.

5. Observe the Etiquette of the Game

Golf etiquette requires a couple of volumes to detail, from determining driving order to conceding a putt. It boils down to erring on the side of good manners. You don’t throw your briefcase across the boardroom when a deal goes sour (if you still have a briefcase, troglodyte), so throwing your clubs and cursing when you overshoot the green is going to tell your business golf partner that you’re a bad-tempered, tantrum-throwing moron—just the kind of business connection to avoid. Accept failures with grace and victories with humility.

6. Don’t Bet on It

My father imparted two pearls of wisdom when he introduced me to the game. First, never play against anyone, just yourself. Second, if you get frustrated, just enjoy the view. Tournaments are one thing, but putting too competitive an edge on a business golf game can get ugly. You really want to have to watch someone you’re hoping to do business with resentfully write out a check to you in the clubhouse? Conversely, are you willing to trash all sense of honor by five-putting the last hole so your client can walk away $105 richer? If your answers are yes, I suggest you take up trout fishing with dynamite.

7. Don’t Drink and Drive, Let Alone Putt

Until the final putt on the 18th, don’t even think about a cold one. My regular foursome includes a communications executive, an electrical contractor, and a chef. We don’t talk business; we talk smack. So a couple of tall boys in the cart is appropriate. But when you’re doing business on the course, the last thing you want is for things to get sloppy. The clubhouse after play is the appropriate venue—and if you’ve done your prep correctly for the last 18 holes, it’s the right place to close the deal.

8. Know When to Talk Business

One of the oldest maxims of the game is to never talk business the first time you play with a new colleague or client. Pushing your business agenda when you’re supposed to be enjoying leisure time is unseemly. When business does enter into things, observe these four nevers: First, never discuss business before the third hole; second, never after the 15th; third, never when someone is preparing to shoot; and fourth, never on the green. Personally, I like to walk a course—not just for the exercise, but for the stroll between shots that actually gives you and your partner time for a leisurely chat.

9. Play Charitable Tournaments

Yes, local tournaments for charity are possibly the best venue for networking ever devised. If run well, they’re also usually a hell of a lot of fun. Also, at the end of the weekend, you’ve helped raise money to help someone’s life other than your own.

10. Take Advantage of Reciprocals

No doubt you’ve gone to your club’s general manager or pro and asked for help with a reciprocal—the gentlemen’s agreement by which you’re allowed to play as a guest at another club. The problem with this is that if your club pro is not well respected—or your club is not at a certain tier—your request to play at Pine Valley, N.J., will probably be turned down. About eight years ago, a number of online ‘reciprocal clubs’ sprang up that offered a matchmaking service for private club members. You still might get turned down because your own club isn’t up to snuff, but the advantage is they come up with lots of clubs you’d never think of playing and they can reach out internationally to clubs at which your own would never have connections. If you travel abroad frequently, membership is a bargain, but they’d still never let you into Pine Valley.

The Ten Commandments of Business Golf
By Kent Black
Businessweek.com

“Latin Americans and Europeans are used to paying in cash for real estate. American’s are not. What we’re doing with our Brickell House property in Miami is telling people that they can pay us quarterly while the project is being built so that by the time it is done in two years, you have paid for almost 70% of your home,” says Harvey Hernandez, chairman of the Newgard Development Group, a luxury property developer in Miami.

“This is the best way to buy it. Or you can wait for the project to be complete, like Americans do, and pay about 40% more,” he says.

They pay-as-they-build sales model is popular in Latin America. It’s not unusual to see new residential high rises going up in São Paulo with floors being sold before the roof of the building is even in place. For Brazilians, in particular, Miami is their second or third home. Real estate prices in upscale beachfront property in Rio de Janeiro, for example, is more expensive than it is in Miami, a city in a developed country with all the bells and whistles.

Hernandez says that within just 90 days of trying to sell Brickell House’s 374 units, 190 of them have already gone, 90% of them to Brazilians, Venezuelans, Mexicans, Russians, Chinese and Europeans. One bedroom units cost around $300,000, chump change in Europe thanks to a favorable exchange rate.

The sales success at Brickell House is the result of the world’s rekindled love affair for South Beach and new, ultra-mod American luxury in a glam global city. South Florida is in the early stages of a new development wave to cater to the foreigners, with 22 newly-announced projects accounting for more than 4,000 units in a section of the city that’s basically sold out.

“The fact that Brickell House has reached the fifty percent sales mark in just four months is further proof that Miami’s condo market is back,” says Alicia Cervera Lamadrid, Managing Director of Cervera Real Estate.

Today, fewer than 1,500 condos in the Brickell Financial District are on the market, according to a June 2011 market study by the Miami Downtown Development Authority. With the continuation of this sales velocity, the remaining unsold inventory could be sold-out in the next year leaving an inventory gap in Miami.

“Miami’s existing condo inventory has been absorbed at a faster rate than anyone could have predicted,” says Hernandez. “We are still seeing strong interest from international buyers who appreciate Miami’s status as a global business and entertainment hub and see value in the city’s Brickell Financial District. We see our sales momentum continuing through our groundbreaking this summer and we expect to be sold out by the end of 2012.”

For Miami Real Estate, Better To Be A Foreigner

How to Negotiate With the Credit Card Companies

If you are left high and dry by the sheer burden of debt, it is always advisable to go for a debt conciliation strategy. There is no use carrying such a wearisome weight of loan on your shoulders. It does nothing but adds to your worries and tensions. Therefore, you must ensure that you get rid of it as soon as possible.

The internet is the safest place to gather all information related to settlement and Debt Conciliation Strategies. Therefore, if you do not have a clear idea about how the various settlement programs work, you do not need to worry. The internet will load you with a wealth of options and an array of choice. They will give you a comprehensive account of how to negotiate with the credit card companies.

You can then start negotiating with the credit card company and express your idea of going for conciliation or settlement program. In the present economy, the credit card companies will be more than eager to go for such a program since it is always better for them to recover some amount of money than none at all. Here, you must ensure whether you want to pay in monthly installments or the whole amount at a time. Though it is the duty of the debt conciliation program to arrange everything for you, you must also take an active interest in it. If you have a huge amount to pay, it is advisable to settle all your dues at once instead of going for monthly payments.

Once you have settled on a particular amount, you should insist the credit manager for a written agreement. The concerned agreement should state everything right from the exact amount you are required to pay to the payment process. It should mention that you will owe no more money to your creditors once the process of settlement is complete. Once that is done, you can be rest assured that you have cleared all your dues and finally overcome your financial crunch.

Debt Settlement Programs – A Safer Option Than Filing Bankruptcy

Have you reached a decision regarding the method that you are going to employ in order to be debt free? If you are still in two minds, you need to seek advice from some reliable quarters so that this problem can be solved soon. In all probability, debt settlement programs would emerge as the common solution from all.

There are some pertinent reasons for that. The fact that you have fallen in the trap of dues is ample proof of the fact that your financial condition is at its worst. You are not in a financial state to repay the amount that is owed by you to others and that is why you have become a victim of dues. In such a state, you must be in search of a program that enables you to make minimum payments and yet help you to come out of the mess. This criterion is fulfilled by debt settlement programs.

You might be tempted to file bankruptcy because it apparently eliminates all you dues at one go. You might argue why would you agree to pay even half of the total balance when you are getting an opportunity to escape from the total amount of dues? However, there are some important reasons why you should think twice before treading this path. Bankruptcy is something that looks very convenient at the beginning but as you go deeper, you realize and discover the trappings that come with it.

To start with, filing bankruptcy itself is a Herculean task by itself. It is not at all easy like a settlement program where everything is taken care of by the professionals. Here, you have to make sure you select the right chapter so that your prospects of getting approved are increased.

Why do you need to get into so much trouble when debt settlement programs can easily solve your financial problems? It is true that your credit report can suffer a setback but it would not cause as much harm to it as bankruptcy. In bankruptcy, the damage is often permanent and that is why you need to stay away from it and go for the bankable option of negotiation programs.

By katherine S Young

(Reuters) – Half a decade into the deepest U.S. housing crisis since the 1930s, many Americans are hoping the crisis is finally nearing its end. House sales are picking up across most of the country, the plunge in prices is slowing and attempts by lenders to claim back properties from struggling borrowers dropped by more than a third in 2011, hitting a four-year low.

But a painful part two of the slump looks set to unfold: Many more U.S. homeowners face the prospect of losing their homes this year as banks pick up the pace of foreclosures.

“We are right back where we were two years ago. I would put money on 2012 being a bigger year for foreclosures than 2010,” said Mark Seifert, executive director of Empowering & Strengthening Ohio’s People (ESOP), a counseling group with 10 offices in Ohio.

“Last year was an anomaly, and not in a good way,” he said.

In 2011, the “robo-signing” scandal, in which foreclosure documents were signed without properly reviewing individual cases, prompted banks to hold back on new foreclosures pending a settlement.

Five major banks eventually struck that settlement with 49 U.S. states in February. Signs are growing the pace of foreclosures is picking up again, something housing experts predict will again weigh on home prices before any sustained recovery can occur.

Mortgage servicing provider Lender Processing Services reported in early March that U.S. foreclosure starts jumped 28 percent in January.

More conclusive national data is not yet available. But watchdog group, 4closurefraud.org which helped uncover the “robo-signing” scandal, says it has turned up evidence of a large rise in new foreclosures between March 1 and 24 by three big banks in Palm Beach County in Florida, one of the states hit hardest by the housing crash

Although foreclosure starts were 50 percent or more lower than for the same period in 2010, those begun by Deutsche Bank were up 47 percent from 2011. Those of Wells Fargo’s rose 68 percent and Bank of America’s, including BAC Home Loans Servicing, jumped nearly seven-fold — 251 starts versus 37 in the same period in 2011. Bank of America said it does not comment on data provided by other sources. Wells Fargo and Deutsche Bank did not comment.

Housing experts say localized warning signs of a new wave of foreclosure are likely to be replicated across much of the United States.

Online foreclosure marketplace RealtyTrac estimated that while foreclosures dropped slightly nationwide in February from January and from February 2011, they rose in 21 states and jumped sharply in cities like Tampa (64 percent), Chicago (43 percent) and Miami (53 percent).

RealtyTrac CEO Brandon Moore said the “numbers point to a gradually rising foreclosure tide as some of the barriers that have been holding back foreclosures are removed.”

One big difference to the early years of the housing crisis, which was dominated by Americans saddled with the most toxic subprime products — with high interest rates where banks asked for no money down or no proof of income — is that today it’s mostly Americans with ordinary mortgages whose ability to meet payment have been hit by the hard economic times.

“The subprime stuff is long gone,” said Michael Redman, founder of 4closurefraud.org. “Now the folks being affected are hardworking, everyday Americans struggling because of the economy.”

“HARD TO CATCH UP”

Until December 2010, Daniel Burns, 52, had spent his working life in the trucking industry as a long-haul driver and manager. When daily loads at the small family business where he worked tailed off, he lost his job.

Unable to cover his mortgage, Burns received a grant from a government fund using money repaid from the 2008 bank bailout. That grant is due to expire in early 2013 and Burns is holding out on hopeful comments from his former employer that he might get his job back if the economy recovers.

“If things don’t pick up, I will be out on the street,” he said, staring from his living room window at two abandoned houses over the road in the middle-class Cleveland suburb of Garfield Heights, the noise of traffic from a nearby Interstate highway filling the street.

Underscoring the uncertainty of his situation, Burns’ cell phone rings and a pre-recorded message announces that his unemployment benefits are due to be cut off in April.

A bit further up the shore of Lake Erie, Cristal Fell, who works night shifts entering data for a trucking company in Toledo, has fallen behind on her mortgage a second time because her ex-husband lost his job and her overtime was cut.

“Once you get behind it’s so hard to catch up,” she said.

Fell, a mother of four, hopes the economy will gather enough speed to help her avoid any risk of losing her home. Her ex-husband has found a new job and she is getting more overtime, so she hopes she can catch up on her mortgage by the fall.

Burns and Fell are the new face of the U.S. housing crisis: Middle class, suburban or rural with a conventional 30-year fixed mortgage at a reasonable interest rate, but unemployed or underemployed. Although the national unemployment rate has fallen to 8.3 percent from its peak of 10 percent in October 2009, nearly 13 million Americans remain jobless, meaning many are struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments.

Real estate company Zillow Inc says more than one in four American homeowners were “under water” or owed more than their homes were worth in the fourth quarter of 2011. The crisis has wiped out some $7 trillion in U.S. household wealth.

“We’re seeing more people coming through who have good loans with reasonable interest rates,” said Ed Jacob, executive director of non-profit lender Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago Inc, which provides foreclosure counseling. “But in many households only one person works now instead of two, or they had their hours cut.”

“The answer to the housing crisis now is job creation.”

EARLY SIGNS OF UPTICK?

Zillow expects the resurgence in foreclosures this year, combined with excess inventory of unsold, bank-owned homes will contribute to a 3.7 percent national decline in prices before the market hits bottom in 2013 and stays there until 2016.

“The hangover from this crisis will far outlast the party of the boom years,” said Zillow chief economist Stan Humphries.

Getting through the remaining foreclosures and dealing with the resulting flood of homes on the market in the wake of the bank settlement is a necessary part of the healing process for the U.S. housing market, he added.

According to leading broker dealer Amherst Securities, some 9.5 million homes are still at risk of default and in February it said it expected to see the uptick in foreclosures start to hit in March and April.

There is other evidence that many of the foreclosures that did not happen in 2011 will happen this year.

A January report by the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project in New York found that in the first half of 2011 the number of 90-day pre-foreclosure notices in New York City outnumbered court foreclosure actions by a ratio of 14 to one, indicating that while proceedings were initiated against many homeowners, they were left incomplete.

“Now the banks have a settlement, foreclosure numbers for 2012 are going to be high,” said NEDAP co-director Josh Zinner.

A recent survey by the California Reinvestment Coalition, an umbrella group of nearly 300 non-profit groups in the state, of member agencies found 75 percent of respondents expected increased demand for their foreclosure prevention services in 2012 but more than a third had to scale back services because of funding cuts.

“Funding is a major concern given what our members expect for this year,” said associate director Kevin Stein.

All this has non-profits intensifying calls for the Federal Housing Finance Agency to drop its opposition to allowing the government-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac it regulates to reduce principal for underwater homeowners.

Principal reduction involves reducing the amount borrowers owe in order to make a loan modification affordable for struggling homeowners. Republicans and the FHFA oppose principal reduction because of the risk of “moral hazard”- that homeowners who do not need help will seek to abuse largesse and have their mortgages reduced too.

ESOP in Ohio engages in “hits” on Chase branches — they say Chase is the least accommodating major bank when it comes to working with struggling homeowners — where they try to hand letters to bank mangers calling on chief executive Jamie Dimon to lobby FHFA head Edward DeMarco for principal reductions. A Chase spokeswoman said the bank has made “extensive efforts” to work with homeowners, helping 775,000 borrowers stay in their homes since early 2009, avoiding foreclosure “more than twice as often as we have had to foreclose.” Housing groups like ESOP maintain, as they have throughout the housing crisis, that unless the FHFA embraces widespread principal reduction, many more under water borrowers face losing their homes.

“Until banks engage in meaningful principal reduction as a matter of course,” ESOP’s Seifert said after a recent protest at a Chase branch in Cleveland, “this crisis will not end.”

(Reporting By Nick Carey; Editing by Martin Howell and William Schomberg; Desking by Andrew Hay)

By Nick Carey
GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio

How to keep quiet politeness from killing your sales, marketing and probably your business.

I’ll admit it. I’m not a particularly nice person. In fact some consider me brutal with my honesty. (Some just call me a New Yorker.) Either way they’re right. I don’t coddle. I don’t insult, but I call it like I see it and often I offend. I don’t do it to be mean. I do it out of integrity. I believe (often foolishly) that when people engage me in conversation that they are truly interested in my opinions and experiences. So I share, willingly.

A colleague of mine claims one can offer blatant truth, and still be nice. She says: “It’s not what you say, but how you say it.” I don’t buy it. I have often witnessed, when someone has invested their heart, soul and ego into a project, and you tell them has invested their heart, soul and ego into a project, and you tell them truthfully and nicely why it will never work, they still think you are cruel and non-supportive. Don’t take my word for it. Just watch Shark Tank, or American Idol. Except maybe Kevin O’Leary, most of the investors or judges aren’t actually rude or impolite. (Not since Simon left anyway.) They simply point out the errors in the unfounded beliefs of the contestants…dashing their dreams and crushing their spirits…thereby appearing to be cruel and non-supportive.

The alternative to us truth-sayers is people with discretion. They grew up under the rule: If you can’t say something nice, don’t say it at all.” They either lie and say something “supportive” when you bring them your hideous, doomed-to-fail idea, or worse they exhibit what I call Quiet-Politeness and simply say nothing. Most likely they’re not vested enough in your success to engage in conflict with you over your passion.

These nice people are not doing you any favors. In fact they are sabotaging you in three ways.

1. Nice People Waste Your Time.

This happens in sales all the time. You meet people at networking events. They’re polite. They never actually tell you they won’t do business with your company. So you optimistically think they’re worth keeping in your tickler file. You follow up every couple of months. You email them a birthday card. You tell yourself that someday they will come around. They won’t. They politely return your email or take your call, again omitting the fact that they’ll never buy and are generally annoyed with your persistence. In fact they would better serve you both, by stating that they already buy from their brother-in-law or that they hate your CEO, and just cut you loose. In sales, nice people suck up the majority of your time and resources. Just look at your conversion numbers.

2. Nice People Encourage Low Standards.

Most people ask for opinions in hopes they are on the right path with a project. A marketer who has passionately invested months in a new campaign runs it by a nice colleague for her feedback. The nice colleague thinks it’s a six on a scale of 10. The nice colleague supportively says: “ Looks good. Keep it up.” Why create unnecessary conflict in the cubicle next door? She thinks. The marketer feeling reassured, continues on his path of mediocrity. The campaign has lackluster results.

3. Nice People Enable Failure.

When an achiever is passionately driving down a fatal path, nice people tend to clear out of the way. Some are simply avoiding conflict. Others don’t want to appear non-supportive as the achiever reaches the point of no return. The nice people demonstrate their own brand of silent cruelty by not sharing their knowledge that can avert the disaster.

I’m not suggesting we round up all the nice people and ship them to parts unknown. Neither should we abandon all rules of polite society. But if you are an achiever in the business world, nice people will create unnecessary obstacles without some precautionary steps.

1. Defend against the “Golden Rule”

State clearly you do not want to be treated by nice people the way they want to be treated. Tell them instead to openly share their honest opinions and experiences or don’t engage. Tell them you intend to do the same.

2. Reward Bluntness

It doesn’t matter if you are an entrepreneur, manager or employee. When you seek feedback, show that you appreciate truth and constructive criticism no matter how harsh and painful. Show you can apply input so people are encouraged to provide more of it.

3. Give Nice People a Safe Path to Disengage

Most nice people can’t help themselves. Help them form nice people cliques and let them sabotage each other en masse. Perhaps you can identify them with an embroidered N on their lapels so they can find each other easily. This way you can avoid them and come hang out with those of us who will be brutally honest and give you the necessary feedback for success and achievement. We’ll be supportive by helping you overcome your real obstacles and we’ll encourage you to do the same for us. Come on over anytime. (You can find many of us at the Bull and Bear.)

It may not be a nice time, but it will certainly be refreshing.

I look forward to reading all your comments both good and bad. Of course I don’t expect the nice people will say anything.

By Kevin Daum
Inc.com

BY ELAINE WALKER
EWALKER@MIAMIHERALD.COM

Even without casino gambling, Genting Group said Tuesday it is moving ahead with a dramatically scaled down mixed-use plan for Resorts World Miami.

The five acres where The Miami Herald currently sits would become the site for a five-star luxury hotel, luxury condominiums, waterfront restaurants, some limited retail and an 800-foot long promenade along Biscayne Bay.

It’s still too early to tell exactly what it would look like because the project is being designed by Miami’s Arquitectonica. There are no renderings available, no specifics about the size of any of the elements or any idea what would happen to the rest of the 13.9 acres on the Herald site.

“With more and more people traveling to downtown Miami and a growing number of residents calling the area home, we are going to seize the opportunity to convert this prime piece of bayfront land into the centerpiece of a thriving neighborhood.” Bernardo Fort-Brescia, co-founder and principal of Miami-based Arquitectonica, said in a statement released by Resorts World Miami.

Early indications are that this version of Resorts World Miami will be a far cry from the original $3.8 billion project with 5,200 hotel rooms, the world’s largest casino, more than 50 restaurants and bars and a retail shopping mall. That plan drew the ire of many community leaders for the being out of scale with the neighborhood surrounding the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and having the potential to create a traffic nightmare.

“It sounds more modest and more reasonable; somebody is listening,” said Jack Lowell, a Miami commercial broker who was a Genting advocate in the business community. “I think it is also reflective of the current market and seems to make some sense.”

The first inkling of Genting’s latest plan comes about six weeks after the Florida Legislature shut down efforts to approve destination resorts in South Florida. A proposal can be revived next year.

Miami City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, whose district includes the site, said he has been told renderings will be available in 30 to 60 days. During meetings with Genting, Sarnoff was told the project would include a pedestal with two or three towers on top. But the design would not include the futuristic look of the original project with irregular shapes designed to resemble a coral reef.

“I’m expecting to see a lot of rectangles with some architectural nuance to it,” Sarnoff said. “You could build the fish with casino gambling, because gambling allows you to do anything. It covers up all your mistakes. I like to see people build efficient buildings. These buildings will work across the board. They’re coming back with a footprint that is more germane for the way things get built in Miami.”

The new vision is also good news to Arsht Center leaders, who had been among the biggest critics of the original Genting plan because of the potential impact it would have on their facility.

“I think the Arsht Center and the neighborhood would benefit from that kind of development,” said Armando Codina, chairman of the Town Square Neighborhood Development Corp, the nonprofit created to protect the interests of the Arsht Center and the surrounding area. “It would be a very welcome addition. I just hope that the addition to the tax base will be used by the CRA to meaningfully improve the rest of the neighborhood.”

This time around Genting seems to be taking a go-slow approach. The company has been quietly discussing its new plans with select city leaders and distributing only a three-paragraph press release with limited specifics.

Last time around, Genting unveiled its ambitious proposal with a slick video and cocktail party for community leaders at the Four Seasons Hotel.

The new proposal would take up only a fraction of Genting’s 30 acres in the Omni neighborhood. Since purchasing the Herald land last May, Genting has invested about $500 million in real estate, including the Omni Center and other parcels. Genting is expected to continue operating the existing hotel at the Omni Center and leasing the remainder of the vacant office space on the site.

Genting Chairman K.T. Lim had always said that if gambling didn’t get approved, development of the Herald site could take up to 20 years.

“They said from Day One they would bring a project to market that meets market demand, and that’s what they’re doing,” said Tadd Schwartz, Genting’s South Florida spokesman. “They want to let the public know they are committed to Miami. This project will be within the scale of what currently exists in downtown Miami’s luxury hotel and condo market.”

The Herald, which has an agreement to remain on the property rent free for two years, is scheduled to move to a Doral site by May 2013.

Genting’s development plans, as they exist now, call for demolishing the Herald building and removing what has for decades been a barrier to public access of the waterfront. The idea is to create a gathering place where people can stroll or dine overlooking Biscayne Bay. Plans call for a waterfront promenade 50 feet wide that spans 800 feet. The design will also maintain 100-foot corridors on either side of the development with landscaped green space to allow a view of Biscayne Bay.

“The new design for Resorts World Miami will bring to life one of Miami’s most underutilized pieces of waterfront land after decades of inactivity,” Fort-Brescia said.

The Genting project also seeks to capitalize on what is quickly becoming a limited supply of luxury condominiums downtown. A recent study by the Downtown Development Authority found 93 percent of the nearly 23,000 condominiums built after 2002 are occupied. Of that, only about a third are occupied full-time by owners, with the majority serving as rental apartments.

“If we’re going to keep up with our growth, we have to get some projects in place,” said Alicia Cervera Lamadrid, managing partner of Cervera Real Estate. “There are not that many sites left. I don’t think there’s anything else being planned directly on the waterfront.”

Read more at Miami Herald

Why renewed downward pressure?

Any item’s price is determined by ‘supply and demand’. In many parts of the country, existing housing inventory has dropped to historic norms in the last few months. However, an inventory of distressed properties (foreclosures and short sales) will be coming to market this year. This inventory has been delayed for over a year as the Federal and state governments crafted an agreement with the five largest banks and mortgage servicers to establish a roadmap for how a foreclosure must be properly completed. That agreement, the National Mortgage Settlement, was reached two weeks ago.

What Impact Will the Agreement Have on Foreclosures?

Brandon Moore, chief executive of RealtyTrac, explains:

“The settlement sets forth clear guidelines for lenders and servicers to follow when foreclosing, which should allow them to push through some of the delayed foreclosures from last year.”

How Many Foreclosures Could We Be Talking About?

Mark Vitner, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities tells us:

“The settlement helps the housing market in the long run because it allows banks to proceed with millions of foreclosures that have been stalled.”

What will this mean to home prices?

As this inventory comes to market, it will impact prices in two ways:

1) It will bring to market discounted competition for buyers
2) It will impact the appraisal values of all homes in the area

Which States Will Be Impacted the Most?

The states that have the largest backlog of properties currently in the foreclosure process will be the states that will see the greatest price depreciation.

Bottom Line

There is a window of opportunity currently which sellers should take advantage of. Waiting until later this year will not guarantee a higher sales price. If anything, in many regions of the country, it probably guarantees the exact opposite.

House Prices: Window of Opportunity Beginning to Close
by THE KCM CREW