Foreign buyers snap up homes

Home buyers in the Greater Boston area increasingly are finding themselves competing with foreigners willing to pay top dollar in today's tight real estate market.

Michael DiMella, managing partner at Charlesgate Realty Group in Boston, said his firm has worked with nearly a dozen foreign investors in the past year.

"I think recently they've seen an opportunity to invest in the U.S. and Boston because of the strong market recovery following the recession, as well as favorable exchange rates for many of them and generally lower real estate costs than other major cities around the world," said DiMella, president of the Greater Boston Association of Realtors.

One French client is closing on his fifth condominium, DiMella said, while an Israeli couple has already scooped up three or four condos as investments.

At Keller Williams Realty in the Back Bay, Kathleen Alexander oversees a team of two Realtors, half of whose business comes from China. One of her Realtors, Charlotte Liu, speaks Mandarin and travels there every three or four months with Alexander to promote real estate investment in the Boston area.

Sixty to 70 percent of their clients are buying property to rent out and move into later if they decide to live here, 10 to 20 percent are investors, and the rest are clients looking for homes for themselves.

"In China, people can own their own house, but they have to lease the land from the government, so the idea of owning their own land here is very attractive to them," Alexander said. "And Boston has the cachet of having some of the best universities in the world."

In the past year, Paul Yorkis of Patriot Real Estate in Medway has sold a handful of new condominiums to buyers from China and India.

"Part of it is folks realize the purchase of real estate is a really good investment, and they're taking advantage of good interest rates," said Yorkis, Greater Boston regional vice president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. "The Boston area also is ethnically diverse and has some of the best cultural and educational institutions, which makes it attractive to international buyers."

Those same amenities also make Greater Boston attractive to U.S. buyers, but the inventory of single-family homes for sale here declined on an annual basis by nearly 16.3 percent in March, according to the Greater Boston Association of Realtors, while the median selling price rose for the 18th consecutive month, to $500,000.

None of that was a problem for Lisa Li, a Chinese lawyer who beat out another offer for a Wellesley home last month by paying 
$1.15 million in cash.

Although the house isn't as luxurious as her home in Shanghai, she wanted to be with her 15-year-old daughter, who attends a private school in Southboro, she said through a translator.

"She can get a much better education here," Li said.

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FAA: Jet nearly collided with drone over Florida

SAN FRANCISCO — Federal officials say a U.S. jet airliner nearly collided in March with an airborne drone in the sky over Tallahassee, Florida.

Jim Williams of the Federal Aviation Administration's unmanned aircraft systems office acknowledged the incident Thursday at a San Francisco drone conference, citing it as an example of the risks posed by integrating drones into U.S. airspace.

"The risk for a small UAS (unmanned aircraft system) to be ingested into a passenger airline engine is very real," Williams told the conference, pointing out that the famous 2009 "Miracle on the Hudson River" flight was forced to splash down in the water after a flock of geese went through its engines.

The near collision with the drone was reported to air traffic control on March 22 by the pilot of an American Airlines Group jet as the pilot approached the Tallahassee runway en route from Charlotte, North Carolina.

"The airline pilot said that the UAS was so close to his jet that he was sure he had collided with it," Williams said. "Thankfully, inspection of the airliner after landing found no damage."

The pilot of the 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-200 airliner said the camouflage-colored drone was at an altitude of about 2,300 feet, five miles northeast of the airport. FAA rules state that the aircraft should be kept below 400 feet above ground level and should be flown a sufficient distance from full-scale aircraft.

The agency "is working aggressively to ensure the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the national airspace," the FAA said in a statement Friday, adding: "Our challenge is to integrate unmanned aircraft into the busiest, most complex airspace in the world. Introduction of unmanned aircraft into America's airspace must take place incrementally and with the interest of safety first."

The FAA has investigated the incident, but said it had been unable to identify the drone's operator.

The law currently requires that private individuals flying model aircraft notify the airport operator and air traffic control facility when flying within five miles of an airport, it added.

American Airlines spokesman Paul Flaningan said the airline was aware of the alleged incident and that it was investigating the matter.

The use of drones has increased dramatically in the past few years as the devices have become cheaper and more accessible to the average consumer.

Last week, the National Park Service issued a statement reminding visitors that federal regulations ban the use of drones within Yosemite National Park.

Drone sightings there have become a nearly daily occurrence in the venerated national park, with the devices buzzing loudly near waterfalls, above meadows or over treetops as guests use them to capture otherwise impossible-to-get photographs of the breathtaking landscape.

Scott Gediman, a park ranger for nearly two decades, said drones can interfere with emergency rescue operations and disrupt the activities of sensitive or endangered wildlife.

Gediman told the Associated Press that the noise of the devices can put a damper on the park experience for some visitors.

But, he added, "Most if not all of the people using these are simply unaware that they're illegal."

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Let the sun shine in _ on White House solar panels

WASHINGTON — Technicians have finished installing solar panels on the White House roof, capping a project that President Barack Obama hopes will send a signal that renewable energy is feasible and environmentally shrewd.

Obama said in 2010 that he would retrofit his family's new home with solar panels starting in 2011, then use the power generated to heat water for the first family and provide some electricity.

But the project remained dark until late 2013, when the installation finally started.

Citing security and other concerns, the White House won't say how many panels now encase the top of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. or how much they cost.

The panels are expected to generate 6.3 kilowatts of solar power whenever the sun shines, the White House said.

Obama wants to use his personal example to spur families and businesses to do more to reduce reliance on foreign energy and cut emissions blamed for global warming.

"Solar panels at the White House are a really important message that solar is here, we are doing it, we can do a lot more," Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said in a video released by the White House.

The project required technicians to first drill down to the concrete on the White House roof, then use epoxy glue and threaded rods to install a gridded subassembly onto which the solar panels could be secured.

The solar components, converters and the labor to install the panels were all domestic, according to the White House, which declined to name any of the companies involved in the project.

"Being at the White House, we do have some security concerns. We can't cover the entire roof, although that would be good from an energy savings standpoint," said James Doherty, the White House usher.

For some climate change activists, the years of delay underscored a lack of urgency. Bill McKibben of the environmental group 350.org said the project was symbolically significant, but also depressingly protracted.

"At this pace, we'll solve global warming right about the time that we're 30 feet under water," McKibben said in an interview.

Obama isn't the first president to deploy solar at the White House.

President Jimmy Carter spent $30,000 on a solar water-heating system for West Wing offices in the late 1970s, but his successor, Ronald Reagan, tossed the panels after he moved in.

President George W. Bush's solar systems powered a maintenance building and some of the mansion, plus provided heated water for the pool.

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Reach Josh Lederman at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

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Merkel defends Germany's early retirement plans

BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel is defending plans to allow some Germans to retire on full pensions at 63 and insisting they won't stop her advocating painful reforms in other countries.

Germany is raising the retirement age gradually to 67 from 65 but the government plans, at the insistence of Merkel's new center-left coalition partners, to allow people who've paid into the pension system for 45 years to retire at 63 without taking a financial hit.

Some in Merkel's conservative bloc fear Germany is sending the wrong signal to struggling European countries.

Merkel said in her weekly video message Saturday that Germany remains on track to raise the retirement age for most people and even the early-retirement age will increase gradually to 65, "so I can continue to advocate structural reforms elsewhere."

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White House to focus on road, bridge repair

WASHINGTON — With time running out, the White House was preparing to press Congress next week to keep money flowing into a federal fund for road and bridge repairs, warning of economic harm, lost aid to states and idled construction workers unless lawmakers act.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has said the federal Highway Trust Fund is expected run dry by late August. Without congressional action, transportation aid to states will be delayed and workers will be laid off at construction sites nationwide, Foxx said.

To that end, the White House will spend next week highlighting the issue and pressing for action. In contrast to President Barack Obama's 2014 goal to act without Congress wherever he can, the highway funding issue is not one he can solve on his own.

On Wednesday, Obama is scheduled to speak in front of the crumbling Tappan Zee Bridge, a major Hudson River crossing north of New York City, to press for action. A replacement is currently being built for the nearly 60-year-old, 3-mile span at a cost of $3.9 billion, largely financed by bonds that will be paid for through higher bridge tolls.

In New York, Obama will also highlight steps the administration has taken to cut red tape, modernize the federal permitting process and reduce the timelines for approving projects, assistant White House press secretary Matt Lehrich said Saturday.

On Friday, the president plans to discuss infrastructure with workers in the Washington area.

Vice President Joe Biden will also be involved. On Tuesday, he is to tour a project in St. Louis where a pedestrian bridge is being built over Interstate 70 to make it easier and safer for people to get to the Gateway Arch. Then on Wednesday he heads to Cleveland, where an obsolete transit station is being replaced with a new, more energy efficient building. Both projects are federally funded.

The White House plans to open the week by releasing an analysis on Monday on the need to pay for these types of repairs and upgrades.

Senior administration officials will also be sent out to help sound the alarm.

Last month, the Obama administration sent Congress a four-year, $302 billion transportation plan. A highlight includes pumping about $150 billion into transportation programs beyond the money raised through fuel taxes. The additional spending would be paid for by changes to business taxes, including closing corporate loopholes.

The White House push also comes as a bipartisan group of senators, led by California Democrat Barbara Boxer, prepares to unveil a surface transportation proposal.

Obama unveiled his transportation plan during a trip to St. Paul, Minnesota, earlier this year.

The White House would prefer to see Congress adopt the president's approach, but is most concerned about getting an acceptable, long-term bill that could earn the president's signature and provide the certainty that cities, states and businesses want to see before they commit to large projects that take years to complete.

Lawmakers in both parties have been reluctant to raise the 18.4-cent-a-gallon federal gasoline and 24.4-cent diesel taxes that are the main sources of revenue for the Highway Trust Fund. Neither tax has been raised since 1993. In the two decades since, inflation has driven up construction costs and the amount of revenue flowing into the fund has lagged because motorists are driving less and vehicles are more fuel efficient. The reluctance to hike the fuel taxes has left the fund constantly teetering on the edge of insolvency.

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Associated Press writer Joan Lowy contributed to this report.

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Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsuperville

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Startup something of a Mystery

A Boston startup is trying to bring a little mystery to people's lives, one package at a time.

"We're thinking about how can we shake up consumers' lives in a fun way that they're actually looking forward to" said Joe Breed, co-founder, president and CMO of Mystery Envelope. "We tend to get stuck in routines as individuals. Even your mail can get routine."

Mystery Envelope's solution to shaking up that routine is to send out envelopes with secret contents to subscribers.

"The mystery is not only which envelope you're going to get, but it's also what the product is going to be," said Ben Lewis, co-founder and COO. "You're going to be completely surprised by what you're getting, and delighted."

For the first envelope, subscribers received a letter opener and items such as a Flying Glider and
Chiclets.

Most envelopes will center on a theme — the letter opener was meant to get subscribers ready and excited for future envelopes — but will also vary from subscriber to subscriber.

"We want you to get a mystery envelope, we want your friend to get a mystery envelope, but we don't want them to be the same," Lewis said. "Being able to provide something awesome to our subscribers is our core."

Retail subscriptions services are nothing new — Birchbox, a monthly box of beauty product samples, recently raised $60 million in venture funding.

Mystery Envelope plans to partner with brands to include products in the envelopes, which could be a key source of revenue in the future.

"It's an authentic way to connect to excited and engaged consumers," Breed said.

Still, the envelopes are somewhat limited. Not only do items have to be low cost to make sense with a $4.99 subscription, but they have to physically fit in the envelope. That's an issue Breed and Lewis say they are working on.

"With products that won't fit in an envelope, we can work with partners to find something that is appropriate," Lewis said.

That could mean a coupon, or an exclusive discount for a product.

A MassChallenge semi-finalist, the company made a pitch to the accelerator Friday.

The company, which launched in March, was founded by Lewis, Breed and Jeb Breed, the company's CEO and Joe Breed's brother, the only employees.

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Ford Focus’ interior acts like it’s a haunted house

I have a 2004 Ford Focus. When my car sits in the garage for a couple of days some of the dash lights and dome lights will stay on and there's a beep, even with no key in the ignition. I start the car, the beep stops and the dome light goes out but the dash lights stay on. The next day everything is OK, then the cycle starts all over again. Any ideas?

Strange electrical gremlins like this often are hard to pinpoint, but in this case I think the ignition switch and/or lock cylinder are the likely suspects. My Alldata automotive database pulled up Ford bulletin No. 05-21-17 dated October 2005 that outlines service procedures for replacing the ignition lock cylinder if the ignition chime beeps with the key removed. There's also a troubleshooting guide for continuity testing of the ignition switch at its multi-terminal connector.

I'd suggest locating, disassembling and cleaning the multi-terminal switch connector under the dash to see if this restores proper switch function. If not, it's probably time for a replacement.

• • •

I own a 1996 Toyota Camry V6 with 300,000 miles. We have a problem with the car vibrating when I step on the brake as the speed slows from 25 to 15 mph. The harder I brake, the worse the vibration. If I shift into neutral the car will not shutter or vibrate. Two other interesting things occurred at the same time. The check engine light came on, and when I step on the brake both the "Reverse" and "Drive" indicator lights are on. The car has no trouble shifting. My guess is that the torque converter is failing. Your thoughts?

If the torque converter were failing to disengage when the brakes are applied, you would experience a shuddering as the vehicle slowed to a stop. In fact, the engine would stall as you came to a complete stop, just as if you'd left a manual transmission vehicle in gear and braked to a stop.

Since the shudder/vibration is occurring in a higher speed range, my first thought is that the transmission has failed to downshift as the car slows. Try driving with the transmission's overdrive switch off to prevent the overdrive from engaging. Then try manually downshifting through each gear, matching the gear to the road speed as the vehicle slows. You also could try downshifting to third or even second as you're experiencing the shudder in that 25-15 mph range. If any of these tests stop the vibration, the problem is most likely in the transmission itself.

Have a scan tool read the DTC fault code that triggered the check engine light, but with 300,000 miles on the vehicle, the only transmission "repair" I'd suggest would be adding half a can of SeaFoam Trans-Tune to the fluid to clean any sticky solenoids or valves in the valve body.

• • •

The maintenance schedule for my 2003 Toyota Avalon has me replacing my iridium spark plugs at 120,000 miles. At 130,000 miles, the car runs fine and this plug replacement is expensive. Is it necessary?

Why does this question remind me of doing my taxes or making a doctor or dentist appointment? All of them are no fun at all, but necessary if one wants to stay law-abiding and healthy.

So yes, you should follow the manufacturer's recommended spark plug replacement interval, particularly if you're going to keep the vehicle for several more years.

With that said, I'd be more concerned about one or more spark plugs ending up seized in the cylinder head as they are removed. I've always been a fan of removing the original spark plugs at 10,000 to 30,000 miles, coating the threads with anti-seize compound and reinstalling them for the remainder of their full service life.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paulbrand@startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number.

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Rep. Rogers hopes for 'smart debate' on radio show

WASHINGTON — Come January, you'll find Mike Rogers on the radio dial rather than on Capitol Hill.

The House Intelligence Committee chairman and ex-FBI agent is quitting Congress to host a daily radio show.

The Michigan Republican says he'll work on being a "productive conservative" on the airwaves.

Rogers might not be done with politics — he foresees being back in government service in some capacity in the future.

So there's unquestioned value for those future prospects from the three hours each day that he will spend fielding questions and reasoning with listeners.

Cumulus Radio Group is betting that listeners and advertisers will find Rogers' hearty voice, contempt for right-wing ideologues and expertise in national security inviting.

Rogers' hope is to "move the needle" toward the political center on radio.

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Lure of London makes Britain a billionaire haven

LONDON — A new study of the super-rich finds that London has become the capital of the world's wealthiest, with more billionaires than any other city.

The Sunday Times, which published the list, says London has 72 residents whose fortunes exceed 1 billion pounds ($1.6 billion). That's well ahead of Moscow, at 48, New York, at 43, San Francisco at 42, Los Angeles at 38 or Hong Kong at 34.

The newspaper reports that Britain also has more billionaires per head than any other country, with one in billionaire for every 607,000 Britons versus one for every 1 million or so Americans.

The newspaper has long published an annual list of the Britain's richest people, but this was the first time it took the additional step of seeing how the country's overall standing compared to that of other countries.

Indian-born brothers Srichand and Gopichand Hinduja top the British list, with a 11.9-billion pound fortune. The two run the Hinduja Group, a global conglomerate.

The brothers replace last year's richest man, Alisher Usmanov, who has seen his fortune drop by 2.65 billion pounds to 10.65 billion — largely because of the decline of the ruble.

Other notables on the list are steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, in third place, and Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich, who dropped from fifth to ninth.

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Pasta maker settles false-advertising lawsuit

FARGO, N.D. — A company accused of falsely advertising the health benefits of its nationally distributed Dreamfields Pasta has agreed to pay $5 million to consumers as part of a class-action settlement.

The complaint accuses Carrington, North Dakota-based Dakota Growers Pasta and its parent company of bogus claims that the product was a low-carbohydrate alternative to traditional pasta.

The plaintiffs say the pasta was more expensive than most brands and they wouldn't have shelled out the money if they knew the pitch about low cars was false.

A federal judge in New Jersey on Friday signed a preliminary approval order for the settlement. A hearing to finalize the deal is scheduled for Sept. 24.

Dakota Growers vice president and general manager Ed Irion (EAR'-ee-on) says he cannot comment on the case.

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