Home resales jump more than 4% in January Sales of previously owned homes rose 4.3% in January and inventories fell to nearly seven-year lows as lower prices, unusually warm weather and an improving economy lifted demand.
Home builders are switching tactics and confronting head-on one of their biggest nemeses: foreclosed houses that not only lure buyers away with deeply discounted prices but simultaneously depress the appraisal values of newly built homes.
Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST Can board block use of drought-tolerant plants? When directors refuse to switch to more water-efficient landscaping, saying that they like the current look and that it adds to the value of the properties, what recourse does a homeowner have?
Question: Our homeowners association has what seems to be miles of greenbelts and landscaping that is not water-efficient. Our board of directors and their friends, who constitute the majority of owners, are of the same mind-set in that they refuse to use drought-tolerant plants and do not encourage more efficient water use by association gardeners. They say they like how grass and lush vegetation make our development look rich and add to the value of our properties. They pay no attention to rising water bills. One owner told me our governing documents cannot have provisions that discourage drought-tolerant plants and curtail water usage. What if our documents don't prohibit that, but the board does it anyway?
Set on a ridge in the Hollywood Hills, the Michael Gantert Residence takes full advantage of its dramatic viewpoint. The cantilevered steel-and-glass house, built in the early '80s, was one of the last designed by Case Study architect Pierre Koenig.
Realtors Slam Obama Foreclosure-Rental Plan The National Association of Realtors took a public shot at the Obama administration on Wednesday, criticizing an effort to alleviate some the housing marketÂ’s woes by renting out foreclosed properties.
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:28:01 +0000 Distressing Signs for Maryland Mall Since 2009, six of the largest U.S. mall owners have forfeited 20 struggling malls to their lenders or sold them under pressure from those lenders. Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersberg, Md., might soon be added to that list.
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:53:52 +0000 New Shot Clock for Zell’s Archstone Bid Apartment company Equity Residential struck a deal with Bank of America Corp. and Barclays PLC over the weekend to extend its purchase option to buy a stake in competitor Archstone by 60 days.
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:27:16 +0000
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Realtors Slam Obama Foreclosure-Rental Plan The National Association of Realtors took a public shot at the Obama administration on Wednesday, criticizing an effort to alleviate some the housing marketÂ’s woes by renting out foreclosed properties.
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:28:01 +0000 Distressing Signs for Maryland Mall Since 2009, six of the largest U.S. mall owners have forfeited 20 struggling malls to their lenders or sold them under pressure from those lenders. Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersberg, Md., might soon be added to that list.
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:53:52 +0000 New Shot Clock for Zell’s Archstone Bid Apartment company Equity Residential struck a deal with Bank of America Corp. and Barclays PLC over the weekend to extend its purchase option to buy a stake in competitor Archstone by 60 days.