From today's LAT: re-fi turns foreclosure nightmare

L.A. Times columnist David Lazarus has written an excellent article today about Lana Ashford, who attempted to re-finance her home with BofA and, through no fault of her own, ended up getting foreclosed instead.  Click here for the link, the title should work too.  I promise that you'll be even more scared to deal with the big banks after reading this.

If you've read this blog before, you'll remember my BofA refinance saga.  My husband and I tried to do a simple home refinance in January 2009.  We were immediately approved, but somehow it still inexplicably took six months to go through.

Here's my question, as a bank customer and also a Realtor who deals with short sales: why, two years into the lending crisis, haven't the banks ramped up enough to service their own loans in a timely, correct manner?  Have they just not hired enough people?  Are they stalling? What's going on?

Too cute for real estate - animals singing deck the halls

Okay, it's precious and twee, but it will lighten you up.

I see that the Adminstration's deal on taxes is being characterized as a "compromise"

It is not a compromise.  It is a capitulation.

The Residences at LA Live may become LA's icon

After the Hollywood sign, of course.  I heard Victor McFarlane give a talk last night; MacFarlane Partners did the Residences at LA Live:

The picture comes from the LA Architecture Awards web site.  I drive by this building every day, and enjoy it every day.  The place still needs to stand the test of time, but I love the fact that the building is distinctive and doesn't relay on mass or extreme height to be striking.