Realty Check

BY HORACE HINES Observer West reporter hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com Thursday, December 17, 2009 MONTEGO BAY, St James–Scores of squatters in Norwood Pen and Paradise Pen are fearful of being bulldozed out of their homes following last week’s serving of demolition notices– signed by the Housing Agency of Jamaica Limited on behalf of the Ministry of Housing– on [...]

Patrick Foster Thursday, December 17, 2009 GOVERNMENT is to replace Earl Samuels as managing director of the National Housing Trust (NHT) next January, in a major shake-up at the island’s premier housing organisation. Samuels’ contract expires on December 31, and according to NHT Chairman Howard Mitchell it will not be renewed as the organisation is [...]

Published: Friday | December 18, 2009 Sabrina Gordon, Business Reporter Barbican Estates Limited (BEL), a nascent company, has chosen as its first venture the development of new commercial space in the busy and often congested Barbican Square, where commerce, on the face, of it is thriving. On a 1.13-acre property, Barbican Estates will, within weeks, [...]

KINGSTON (JIS): Wednesday, December 16, 2009 Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding The House of Representatives yesterday (December 15) passed the Registration (Strata Titles) Amendment Act with the 29 changes made by the Senate. Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding, noted that the majority of the amendments involved the insertion of or changes to words, [...]

Ashtrom Building Systems Limited, the Israeli construction company in which Jamaica has a minority stake, has landed a $2.1-billion contract from National Housing Trust for a residential real estate project in St Catherine. The contract appears to have hurdled all but one approval – Cabinet sign-off. But the executive branch’s endorsement is expected, however, now [...]

Pan Jamaican Investment Trust, the Facey family-controlled conglomerate engaged in property development and investment, has secured prime real estate in New Kingston from the Jamaican government on which the listed firm is expected to develop a hotel and other commercial ventures. Pan Jam will pay J$454.5 million for the 161,610 square footage in an area [...]

NHT introduces new housing initiatives Thursday, September 10, 2009 PAID-UP contributors interested in owning a National Housing Trust (NHT) unit will no longer have to struggle to find a deposit, under one of five new initiatives that the institution rolled out yesterday aimed at making homeownership more affordable. Senior NHT officials, who made the announcement [...]

By Julian Richardson Friday, August 28, 2009 Principal and executive chairman of Gore Developments, Phillip Gore, called on Government to double the National Housing Trust (NHT) loan ceiling to $7 million. The NHT currently offers loans of up to $3.5 million at annual interest rates of between two and eight per cent to individuals who [...]

The Real Estate Board (REB) is getting tough on persons who break the law with the arrest of four last month and the removal of 18 names from the register of real-estate dealers and real-estate salesmen. Sandra Watson, REB general manager, told Sunday Business that the board has been in enforcement mode since April, when [...]

Published: Sunday | August 23, 2009 Apartment owners and other shared-space dwellers will be saddled with bigger monthly bills if the draft legislation as it is now crafted were to be passed by lawmakers, the Trafalgar Council is charging. The council, which represents the interests of residents in Seymour Lands, New Kingston, Trafalgar Park and [...]