A pair of reports on condos. "Prominent Florida economist Henry H. Fishkind said referred to the controversy about whether a housing bubble exists in Florida as a given. 'There's definitely some over-building,' Fishkind said. 'But it's concentrated in condominiums and in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.'"

"Walchle Lear Multifamily Advisors expect apartment occupancy to reach 96 percent this year and the J. Turner Butler Boulevard corridor to see more new rental units as the per month cost for a two-bedroom apartment has dropped $600 lower than the $1,700 average mortgage payment for a condominium or townhome in that area of the Southside."

"'The Jacksonville area isn't exempt from a surplus of housing starts as compared to population increases, Fishkind said."

The Las Vegas Sun has this breaking news. "Sales have been suspended at another luxury condominium project in Las Vegas, as analysts said interest had dwindled in properties that were not close to the Strip. Letters were sent to nearly 100 buyers at the Curve project, located in southwest Las Vegas, offering to refund their deposits or extend their contracts by 150 days, said vice president Paula James."

"Developers had set a 180-day period to sell 75 percent of the units before beginning construction, but the first tower of the project sold only 53 percent, or 97 units, James said."

"'We're looking forward to building the project,' she said. 'We just need to regroup. We ran out of time .'"

"At least seven projects have now publicly folded or stalled in a little more than a year, a fraction of the more than 100 once proposed. Sheila and Bob Joseph, business owners from California, bought into the project soon after it was announced last year and canceled their contract in January when they didn't see construction beginning as scheduled at the 45-acre site."

"Construction of the $300 million first phase of the Curve, which would include two 18-story luxury condo towers and 12 commercial buildings, was supposed to start late last year. 'We were just reading a lot about real estate in that area and taking a look while we were there at what wasn't moving,' Sheila Joseph said. 'Not only reading, but the gut feeling we got about the project.'"

"(Realtor) Bruce Hiatt said his clients had little interest in the Curve because of its location. 'It was quite expensive. What could you sell it for later? My clients decided they'd have better appreciation on the Strip.'"

"Paul Murad, a condo developer and author of 'Manhattanizing Las Vegas,' said the city was not ready for a high-rise project in the suburbs. 'You can't blame it on construction, you can't blame it on architecture,' he said. 'We're finding that people who like the suburbs like the suburban lifestyle and that means a single-family home. A high-rise in a suburban family setting is a bit premature.'"

"It's much tougher to convince developers about projects in the suburban market, said (developer) Tim Sullivan. 'My thought is if we had the Curve developed, it would be highly successful,' he said. 'But they've got to prove it. Right now, there's a lot more hype than reality.'"