NBAs Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning raise foreclosure awareness in Miami

NBA stars present and past, Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning, recently joined the foreclosure fight in South Florida, taking part in a roundtable discussion and bus tour that highlighted the growing foreclosure issue and how it’s affecting Miami communities.

HOPE NOW Alliance sponsored the Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida (NHSSF) event, which was designed to raise awareness of the housing crisis that has gripped the region, as well as promote the free foreclosure assistance resources that are currently available to cash-strapped homeowners.

Here’s a snip from Wade via the Miami Herald:

“It hurts my heart. I know it hurts everyone’s heart in here. I’m here to help bring awareness to this and to let everyone know that there is an opportunity for them, and that there is hope.”

Wade plays professional basketball for the local Miami Heat and is currently among the top talents in the league. Mourning — who played for the Heat on-and-off for about 10 seasons — retired in 2008 and is the only player to have his number retired by the organization.

Their collective star power and celebrity undoubtedly helped garner much-needed attention for a problem that needs fixing fast to reduce the amount of residents in the area losing their homes.

In addition to the roundtable discussion, Wade and Mourning participated in a bus tour, visiting distressed homeowners and educating them about their options such as renegotiating the terms of their loans. The pair, naturally, also posed for photos and signed autographs for fans at each stop.

According to the report, “Miami was the third stop on HOPE NOW’s nationwide ‘Bringing Hope Home’ bus tour. Earlier this year, the caravan rolled through Newark, New Jersey, with Queen Latifah and Wyclef Jean, and Atlanta, featuring Mary J. Blige and Big Boi.”

Keep the wheels on that foreclosure bus turning round and round ….

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Classes meet every Thursday morning at the Palm Beach County Courthouse in West Palm Beach, Fla., at 9:30 a.m. ET. Call (866) 382-2439 today to reserve your spot!

Foreclosure squatters ‘take over’ distressed homes in Hollywood (Video)

Foreclosure vandalism prompts Palm Beach County response

Palm Beach County, Fla., has been hit hard with a wave of foreclosures, registering nearly 2,500 active foreclosures on its books in April 2009, according to our most recent statistics.

It’s naturally had a significant negative impact on several neighborhoods, which are already struggling to maintain the highest possible property values because of the massive collective dip in home prices that has gripped the entire South Florida region.

As if the growing foreclosure situation and declining home values weren’t enough to handle, vandals and squatters who are often drawn to vacant homes are exacerbating the situation. Indeed, broken windows and the like have forced the county commissioners to take matters into their own hands.

Here’s a snip from Barbara Alterman, head of the county’s planning, zoning and building department, according to a Palm Beach Post article:

“There is a lot of vandalism going on. It is maintaining the neighborhood by allowing them to board up when there is vandalism. It is helping the neighborhood by keeping vandals out.”

Boarded up and shuttered homes are certainly not going to help banks move their inventories any quicker — it’s not the most eye-catching/appealing marketing tactic. These properties also won’t help raise the values of the inhabited homes on the block.

However, it will help preserve the homes until new owners move in, and perhaps more important for you, it could help you get into a very nice home at a price that you can afford. In short, it’s not an ideal solution, but one that you could use to your advantage if you are in the market for a real steal.

To check out the latest foreclosure and other distressed real estate listings in the Palm Beach County, Fla., area visit Foreclosure.com today right here.

Ft. Myers Florida foreclosures attract Red Sox fans

New England-based retirees are flocking south to Ft. Myers, Fla., and gobbling up cheap bank-owned homes that range in price from $20,000 to $150,000, according to Boston.com.

The reason for the mass snowbird migration? Baseball.

Yep, the Fenway faithful are taking advantage of the unbelievable real estate market conditions (all-time low home prices and interest rates) to get a little closer to their favorite Major League Baseball (MLB) team, the Boston Red Sox.

A local broker neatly sums up the feeding frenzy:

“People from New England are buying like crazy here.”

The 2004 and 2007 World Champions currently play spring ball at City of Palms Park, which was built in 1992. And a new $100 million spring training stadium that is scheduled to open in 2012 is expected to keep the club there for years to come.

So if you’re in the market for a vacation home in the area you better act now before it’s too late! Search for foreclosure homes in Ft. Myers before the hardcore fans clean out the good inventory right here. It’s free for seven days.