The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "real estate development" ...
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Gilbert's Pricey Land Deal
In early 2009, Gilbert paid $300,000 per acre for 142.5 acres of undeveloped farmland intended for the development of two municipal parks. The transaction cause local real-estate experts to scratch their heads at the above-market price that Gilbert paid for the land. Leavitt's investigation found that the town bought the land without first seeking an appraisal to help determine its value.
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Land Flips Sting Taxpayers
The Gwinett County school district is not only Georgia's largest, but arguably its most highly regarded after winning a prestigious award as the nation's top urban district. However, while the district celebrated its national acclaim, the Journal-Constitution began scrutinizing its unusually secretive land-purchasing program. After analyzing all the district's land purchases over the past 12 years, the Journal-Constitution focused on 11 mullti-million dollar transactions, many of them involving prominent and politically connected real estate developers.
Tags: Gwinett County; Georgia; School District; Land Purchasing; Sweetheart Deals
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The Puddingstone Group
The Puddingstone Group is a real estate investment company started in 1999 by a judge, a banker, and a real estate developer, which has become involved in dozens of lawsuits arising from alleged predatory practices, breaches of legal ethics, campaign contributions, and collusion with businesses, banks, and politicians.
Tags: Real Estate; Legal Ethics
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Lost Lake, Lost Dreams
A story focused on how a Tacoma developer's bankruptcy and real estate practices at a site marketed as a luxury RV park affected ordinary buyers, some of whom were unable to get deeds for RV lots that they had purchased, even after placing large sum's of cash in the developer's hands.
Tags: Real Estate; Bankruptcy
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Fast and Loose
Stories told how millionaire real estate developer Rusty Hyneman and partner Michael Bourne benefited from sweetheart bank loans. The stories illustrated wide-open bank practices that helped trigger the housing crisis and the Great Repression.
Tags: Recession; housing crisis; banks; loans; developer
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Broken Homes, Broken System
The investigation examines the regulatory system that is meant to protect homeowners in Kansas. The system missed critical inspections, failed to take problem buildings to task, and ignored residents complaints.
Tags: homeowner; home; real estate; building codes; developer
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Maxwell Street: The New Moneymakers
This series spotlights the redevelopment of Chicago’s Maxwell Street Market and found a number of surprising details. These details reveal that the housing available for the poor, the poor are unable to afford and most of the housing goes to those who are well-connected and well-off. Also, with help from City Hall, the developers with political connections end up making large profits.
Tags: Mayor Daley; property tax; condos; real estate; homes; University Village; property; city officials; taxpayers; market
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Moldy Metropolis: Homeowners Struggle with Leaky Concrete
Poorly built condominiums and the homeowners are now seeing the consequences of the poor construction. The condominiums have severe mold problems, which is a result from using a material called split-free concrete block. The story reveals the lack of building inspection since the blocks should be built without leaks and inspected for leaks. Furthermore, if the homeowners complain to the city, they are held accountable for the code violation.
Tags: masonry; developer; real estate; market; condos; water; housing boom; ordinance; city council
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section 8: Subsidizing Surburbia
"Thousands of poor people have moved out of Cincinnati's inner-city ghettos and settled into homes on middle-class, suburban streets- exactly the result a federal housing program intended. But that victory comes at a cost: Poor families with government subsidies that help pay the rent are creating new pockets of low-income housing in formerly stable, middle-class neighborhoods."
Tags: clustering; relocation; township; housing; property; real estate; urban development;
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The Real Estate Meltdown
"Did Appraisers Juice the Market?" showed how appraisers overstated home values. Using disciplinary records and interviews, Shanklin and McClure found appraisers who exaggerated condo sizes, appraised homes without seeing them and stated that condos were worth the $240,000 sales price even though the price was padded with $40,000 of incentives. The "Subprime Mess" package was based on more than 2 million records and showed how unconventional loans moved from low-income, inner city neighborhoods to the burgeoning suburbs. "How Investors Helped Overheat the Market" explored the role of investors in Central Florida's real estate meltdown by analyzing hundreds of data records and found that sales of non owner-occupied homes grew from 25 percent of all local residential sales in 2002 to 70 percent in 2006.
Tags: real estate; investors; lenders; purchase prices; subprime loans; adjustable-rate loans; high-interest loans; housing scam; vacant housing; condo conversion; development; property values