Real Estate News

Storm Clouds Gathering For Real Estate Investors
Written By: Bryan Ellis
What does this have to do with real estate investing? A lot, actually. There are some big storms on the horizon that will effect all real estate investors - and without a bit of forward vision, the proverbial floods resulting from these storms could realistically overcome all of the planning, preparation and work you’re doing right now to be successful in real estate.

This article can be found at: http://realestate.****/promo/4-great-real-estate-deals-that-wont-last

Purchasing a home is one of the biggest decisions that a person makes. Because of the serious financial commitment involved, most buyers are interested in securing the best deal possible when purchasing a home. As the economy continues to wreak havoc on our jobs and plans for retirement, many people are wondering when will be the best time to purchase a house.

Much like timing a move in the stock market, potential home buyers are waiting for the time when they can maximize their investment. Lower home prices, low interest rates and federal subsidies have all led to better deals in real estate, but these perks may not last much longer.

Lower Home Prices

Apartment Rents Rise as Sector Stabilizes
By Nick Timiraos
The Wall Street Journal
April 6, 2010

Apartment rents rose during the first quarter, ending five straight quarters of declines and signaling the worst may be over for the hard-hit sector.

Nationally, the apartment vacancy rate stayed flat at 8%, the highest level since Reis Inc., a New York research firm, began its tally in 1980.

Reis tracks vacancies and rents in the top 79 U.S. markets, and rents rose in 60 of them, led by Miami, Seattle and New York—all cities that have notched big rental declines in the past year.

Manhattan housing market: Signs are positive
By Les Christie
CNN Money
April 2, 2010

Homebuyers have flocked back to Manhattan after sitting on the sidelines for much of last year, according to three reports issued Friday. The demand has helped stabilize prices in the nation's most expensive large market.

"Sales are back in a big way," said Greg Heym, an economist who prepares a market report for two of New York's big brokers.

The total sales made during the first three months of 2010 hit 2,384, nearly double the number sold during the same period last year, according to Prudential Douglas Elliman, one of New York's largest real estate brokers.

I just checked my email on Yahoo, How come I wasn't notified that a seminar was coming to my area in Atlanta in a few days.
I happen to see an ad on Yahoo while checking my email.
We should have been informed someone is slipping hmmm.

Ishak
P.S.
I signed for the seminar and will be bring some friends

This article can be found at: http://www.cnbc.com/id/36098637

Anyone thinking housing prices have reached a bottom had better do some recalculating. Despite Tuesday's Case Schiller report showing smaller declines in January, housing prices may already be in another free fall.

Newly revised numbers are pointing to the decline.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) adjusted figures show a housing price decline of 2 percent in December and 0.6 percent decline in January—reversing some regional price increases in 2009.

And more pricing dips are predicted.

Downtown office vacancy highest in 4 years
By: Thomas A. Corfman
Crain's Chicago Business
March 29, 2010

The downtown vacancy rate has made its biggest leap in seven years, as a sharp drop in demand was compounded by the completion of yet another office project.

The vacancy rate spiked to 14.9% during the first quarter, compared to 13.8% during the fourth quarter and 11.5% during the first quarter of 2009, according to a report by the Chicago office of real estate firm CB Richard Ellis Inc.

The jump of 1.1 percentage points is the largest single-quarter increase since the fourth quarter of 2002, when the vacancy rate climbed 2.1 percentage points, to 12.9%, in the wake of another recession.

Behind Lehman's Faith in Real-Estate Riches
Bankruptcy Report Finds Property Group's Chief Focused on Reward as Firm Ignored Risk Control
By Anton Troianovski
The Wall Street Journal
March 24, 2010

On May 7, 2007, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s real-estate chief sent a memo to the bank's executive committee on the ill-fated deal to acquire apartment developer Archstone-Smith Trust. The possible profit, according to the memo: $1.3 billion over 10 years.

To Buy, or Rent?
The answer, if you're moving in retirement, can be tricky. A look at some top markets.
By Anna Prior
The Wall Street Journal
March 27, 2010

People who think about moving to a new home in retirement invariably plan on buying that home. In some cases, though, renting might be a better option.

Real-estate markets remain volatile. Even though home prices appear to be stabilizing in some areas, there's still a chance that the house you buy today could fall in value tomorrow.

For anyone weighing a move, one of the easiest ways to approach the buy-versus-rent question is to use the "price-to-rent ratio," says Dean Baker, co-director at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C.

Cash Dwindling For No-Money Down Home Loan Program
By Dawn Wotapka
The Wall Street Journal
March 25, 2010

At the Canyon Crossing community in southwest San Antonio, buyers can still get into a $135,000 four-bedroom home for no money down.

It’s possible thanks to a program from the Department of Agriculture’s rural development division, which offers no-money-down loans in certain parts of the country for low- and middle-income borrowers. The Single-Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program is likely to run out of funding next month, just as a surge of buyers are expected to ink deals before the federal tax-credit expires April 30.