It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, is ditching his multimillion-dollar equestrian estate on the outskirts of Atlanta and is poised to take a sizeable loss in the deal. The former wrestler turned actor has put his expansive home on the market for $9.7 million (US$7.5 million), a price tag that’s roughly $1.95 million less than the star paid for the place just over a year ago."

"Late-night talk show host Lilly Singh just sold her Hollywood home for $1.475 million — or $20,000 less than what she paid for it in 2016."

"The full-floor Fifth Avenue apartment of late Broadway producer James M. Nederlander is headed for auction next month without reserve, according to Platinum Luxury Auctions, which is handling the sale. The sprawling three-bedroom unit and accompanying one-bedroom staff apartment, which together once asked as much as $27.5 million in 2019, will sell to the highest bidder regardless of the final auction price. The Nederlanders purchased the condo 2000 for $13.47 million, according to property records, and the family has listed the home for sale on and off for more than a year. The condo was most recently asking $16.99 million."

"The Seaport no longer seems to be sizzling, some real estate agents say. It’s difficult to judge how COVID-19 and the shutdowns have affected sales. 'I don’t think the data helps figure out what is going on,' Tim Warren, CEO of The Warren Group, said. 'A new condo development opens and a raft of deeds come in the first month. Throws things out of whack. … A realtor friend of mine has told me he feels a decline in buyer interest in Boston condos.'"

"The company behind one of the highest-profile projects in the history of the Garden State is being taken to court over misrepresentations they supposedly made in marketing their building along with a slew of alleged defects and problems that have purportedly gone unaddressed at the property. One of the plaintiffs, Yujiao Zhang, claims in the lawsuit that she was only allowed one hour immediately before her scheduled closing to conduct an inspection of the unit she agreed to purchase. Zhang, who was set to purchase a $1.59 million condo in the building, also claims China Overseas indicated to her that 'she would not be allowed to delay closing even on discovery of substantive issues with the unit during her inspection.'"

"All the plaintiffs in the lawsuit agreed to buy units priced over $783,000 and claim to have repeatedly tried to cancel their contracts. Supposedly, their requests have been 'repeatedly delayed and ignored' and their deposit money is still being held in escrow."

"It turns out that buying a Toronto condo doesn't have to cost you millions. According to Zoocasa, some units are selling for cheaper prices than in 2019, thanks to a growing lack of demand."

"The company behind a £32m development, intended to help regenerate Kilburn High Street, has gone into administration after years of delays. It has left buyers, who put hefty deposits into apartments, in limbo after their move-in dates were repeatedly delayed. One first-time buyer put down his life savings – more than £25,000 – on an apartment in 2018. His move-in date was spring 2019 but Godfrey London sent emails throughout 2019 and 2020, repeatedly delaying it. He has still not moved in. 'I’m furious,' he said. 'I had worked hard to get a deposit together. It’s had a massive impact on my life. I imagined I would be moving in with my partner.'"

"Buyers who were allowed to move in last summer have complained. 'It’s been an absolute nightmare,' said one. 'If I had known then what I know now, about what I’m living with, I wouldn’t have bought into this. When I moved in, maybe half of the apartments were finished. The others had wires sticking out, kitchens weren’t properly installed. There was still construction going on. There are still construction crew on-site now, constantly in and out. We have been living in what I feel is a construction site.'"

"Turkey’s construction companies are facing higher costs and fewer buyers after the government stopped encouraging a borrowing boom and switched its focus to fighting inflation. The industry, hit hard by a currency crisis in 2018 which led to a slump in demand for new homes, enjoyed a brief reprieve last year as the government coerced banks into flooding the market with cheap loans to combat the economic impact of COVID-19."

"But sales of properties have dipped sharply in the past few months, with demand for mortgage loans slumping. Interest rates on borrowing have jumped after the central bank was forced to hike its benchmark rate to 17 percent from 8.25 percent in September to rein in inflation and defend the lira, which had dived against the dollar. 'We benefited from the loans … but it was short-lived,' said Ismail Kazanç, CFO of Turkish real estate firm Torunlar REIC. 'Plans for new projects are now hit by an increase in financing and construction costs, as well as fluctuating demand.'"

"Australians are being urged to avoid buying apartments in postcodes where the number of units is set to double and even triple within two years. Prices for units however could fall in some suburbs where there is already an oversupply of apartments and rental vacancies have surged. Rouse Hill in Sydney's north-west was considered most at risk with the number of apartments set to triple, or rise by 200.4 per cent, from 833 to 2,494."

"Gosford on the Central Coast, north of Sydney, was also considered a risk with the number of apartments forecast to rise by 72.9 per cent from 2,554 to 4,413. New developments in Darwin were expected to see the new of apartments surge by a third as a similar phenomenon caused unit stock at West End, in Brisbane's inner south, to climb by a quarter. The recommendation to avoid buying apartments in these suburbs was based, not just on planning approvals for new units, but also a forecast of weak rental demand."

"Mascot, near the airport, is expected to see a 13.3 per cent increase in new apartments within the next two years and this area of south-east Sydney is also home to a cracking apartment tower. 'High-profile issues about defect issues in high-rise apartment blocks has caused enormous reputational damage for the entire industry and has seen many investors lose interest in high-rise developments,' said Brett Warren, the Brisbane director of Metropole Property Strategists."