Joshua Bahoff bought a three- bedroom luxury condominium in Naples, Florida, in December for $235,000, about one-third of the price that the seller paid near the height of the U.S. housing boom. “It was a great deal,” said Bahoff, 59, a Philadelphia dentist who plans to spend one week a month every winter in the 2,700-square-foot [...]

Even with their retirement nest eggs diminished by the tough economy, some retirees aren’t giving up on their dreams of living in beautiful spots. Instead, they are searching for similar but cheaper alternatives. SmartMoney calls these locales “doppelgangers” — more affordable twins with similar climate, culture, and amenities than their better-known other half. Here are [...]

Freddie Mac reports that the average interest on 30-year fixed mortgages slipped to an all-time low, for the third consecutive week, to 4.19 percent. At the same time, 15-year fixed-rate loans and the five-year adjustable-mortgage rate both also hit record lows. Rates on the former were 3.62 percent, while the latter averaged just 3.47 percent. [...]

Much of the west coast of Florida has a low Probability{20 percent down to less than 1 percent)of oiling…NOAA has used modeling of historiacl wind and currents to project the likehood that surface oil from the Deepwater Horizon?/Bp oil spill will impact additional U.S. coastline. Much of the west coast of Florida has a low [...]