Archives: November 2009

Monopoly Game Has A New Look

Posted by: Chris Palmeri on November 24

I suspect many a real estate mogul got their start playing the board game classic Monopoly. It has a new look this year. This time rather than just houses...

Green Buildings: Fewer Sick Days, Higher Rents

Posted by: Chris Palmeri on November 19

Environmentally-friendly construction practices have gotten a lot of hype over the past few years but do they really pay off as an investment? A new study found that tenants...

Trump Cuts A Casino Deal

Posted by: Chris Palmeri on November 17

He’s back. After seeing his New Jersey casino empire slide into bankruptcy for a third time, real estate baron Donald J. Trump has returned to the table. As part of...

Hooter's Las Vegas in Default

Posted by: Chris Palmeri on November 16

I once told my colleague Dean Foust, who was writing an article about the Hooter’s restaurant chain, that a planned Hooter’s casino in Vegas was a sure thing. “I’d...

Milken Institute Ranks the Best Cities for Jobs

Posted by: Chris Palmeri on November 13

The Milken Institute came out with its annual list of cities that are best able to create jobs. The top ten were culled from a list of the nation’s...

Vegas Condo Buyers Offered Partial Money Back

Posted by: Chris Palmeri on November 12

Bloomberg is reporting that condo owners of the still underconstruction Cosmopolitan Resort on the Vegas strip have sued the owner, Deutsche Bank, to get their deposit money back. The...

Americans More Unhappy With Feds' Housing Fixes

Posted by: Chris Palmeri on November 11

Trillions spent on propping up banks, buying mortgages, tax credits and new programs designed to lower payments and prevent foreclosures. And yet a new survey from Move Inc., the...

Where Home Prices Are Suddenly Hot

Posted by: Chris Palmeri on November 10

The real estate market continues to send mixed signals. Home sales are rising. They were up 11% in the third quarter from the same period last year to a...

Q & A on New Home Buyer Tax Credit

Posted by: Prashant Gopal on November 06

The National Association of Realtors Web site has a nice Question & Answer section about the new credit The Realtors' spokesman tells me that the new credit will start tomorrow,...

Who Qualifies for New Homebuyer Tax Credit?

Posted by: Prashant Gopal on November 06

Update: Just spoke with somebody at Sen. Chris Dodd's office. According to the senator's banking committee staff, you can qualify for the credit even if you signed a purchase contract...

Home Buyers Doing More Shopping Than Buying

Posted by: Chris Palmeri on November 06

Move Inc., parent of Realtor.com, the online listing service for the National Association of Realtors, came out with its third quarter earnings yesterday. Sales were down 11% to $53 million....

Sorry Readers: Homebuyer Credit Not Retroactive

Posted by: Prashant Gopal on November 05

Update: Just heard from White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki. The start date for the new $6,500 credit for existing homeowners will take effect as soon as Obama signs the bill...

Immigrants Still See Real Estate As A Path To Wealth

Posted by: Chris Palmeri on November 05

Waiting for a bus on my way to work I picked up a copy of the real estate sections of The Korea Times, a local newspaper serving the Korean...

Latest Homebuyer Tax Credit: Pay More, Get Less

Posted by: Prashant Gopal on November 04

President Obama could sign the $10.8 billion homebuyer tax credit extension and expansion plan into law as soon as next week. The Senate this evening voted 98-0 in favor of...

Commercial Real Estate Investors Turn More Gloomy

Posted by: Chris Palmeri on November 03

LoopNet.com, a Web site for commercial real estate listings, took a poll of 1,000 its members in the last two weeks of October. LoopNet members include real estate investors,...

Homebuyer's Tax Credit Applies to Higher Income, Move-up Buyers

Posted by: Chris Palmeri on November 02

The Senate is expected this week to pass an extension of the credit that was originally going to expire Nov. 30. Buyers who sign a purchase agreement by April can...