Real Estate News Blog March Archive

USC Lusk Center Experts Discuss How Shifts in Real Estate Lendin

By Art C Ryter at 03/07/07 13:23

Discusses the effects of shifts in real estate lending practices will affect commercial and residential properties in the United States. The list of questions posed hints at the opportunities to be had under diverse real estate market circumstances. Property values in California, Texas and Florida are projected to remain stable, if not grow, due to population growth over the next few decades.

Original source: Forbes.com. [404 Check: was link to http:/ / www. forbes. com/ businesswire/ feeds/ businesswire/ 2007/ 03/ 07/ businesswire20070307005369r1. html, anchor: USC Lusk Center Experts Discuss How Shifts in Real Estate Lending Will Affect Commercial and Residential Markets]

U.S.-Mexican border is a blurry one

Highlights the subtle division between San Diego, California, U.S.A., and Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Rising prices in San Diego have also increased property values in Tijuana, though housing on the Mexican side of the border is less expensive. Over 88,000 people cross the border daily, many U.S. citizens that have businesses and relations in Mexico. The main divisions are primarily political, but exploiting them can be profitable.

Original source: International Herald Tribune. U.S.-Mexican border is a blurry one

Corn Farms Replace New York Lofts as Hottest Property (Update1)

The rising demand in corn futures for ethanol production is leading a surge in farmland prices from Iowa to Argentina. Farmland in Uruguay, Argentina, and Australia is inexpensive relative to prices in other more developed markets. Increases in property values in the U.S. increased by 11% whereas in Argentina the gain was over 27%. As fuels and energy consumption diversifies into renewable sources, farmland makes good real estate investment sense.

Original source: Bloomberg News. Corn Farms Replace New York Lofts as Hottest Property (Update1)

Sotheby’s International Realty® Expansion Reaches Uruguay

Sotheby’s International Realty expands into offering real estate investment and property acquisition services in Uruguay. The new division’s headquarters will be in Punta del Este, Uruguay, which is synonymous with luxury. Real estate services will focus on properties in southern Uruguay and along the Atlantic coast. Main attractions are a high quality of life including extensive holidays, warm summer weather, and a lot of room for expansion.

Original source: Business Wire. Sotheby’s International Realty® Expansion Reaches Uruguay

US Housing Market Crash to result in the Second Great Depression

Suggests that the impending crash of the real estate bubble in the United States will result a second Great Depression. The article is quite ideologically driven, but the data presented seems to forecast trouble for homeowners with Adjustable Rate Mortgages due to reset in 2007. Many real estate investors, however, have been taking profits and purchasing international real estate.

Original source: The Market Oracle. US Housing Market Crash to result in the Second Great Depression

For many, buying a home is still out of reach

Doubts abound for many first-time homebuyers in Whatcom County, Washington. The Housing Affordability Index created by Washington State University’s Washington Center for Real Estate Research suggests that real estate prices exceed the reach of median incomes. The steep rise in unaffordable real estate in Whatcom County occurred during the four year period, 2002-2006.

Original source: Bellingham Herald. [404 Check: was link to http:/ / www. bellinghamherald. com/ 102/ story/ 49640. html, anchor: For many, buying a home is still out of reach]

Countrywide Financial's Delinquencies Rise

Countrywide Financial Corp., the biggest U.S. mortgage lender experienced an increase in delinquent, or late, payments in the final quarter of 2006. The subprime market has been the worst hit with delinquencies of over 20%. This could lead to rising concern of damage to the larger real estate market.

Original source: SeekingAlpha. Countrywide Financial's Delinquencies Rise

Real Estate: Argentina Growth Continues

Real estate investment opportunities are expected to rise in Argentina during 2007 as the economy improves and exchange rates remain steady. The quality of life in Argentina, for those with dollars or Euros, is exceptional.

Original source: Latin Business Chronicle. Real Estate: Argentina Growth Continues

A new yardstick for judging quality of life: the airport

Suggests that you can tell much about a city by the airport’s layout and “feel.” This evaluation is predominant in places like Singapore, Japan, and others where organization and efficiency are important. The theory also relates to how real estate valuation and “livability” is also reflected in the basis of the infrastructure. A brief three stop survey found Tokyo, Japan to have a higher quality of life than New York or London. Makes you think about shorthand valuations of cities in Central or South America.

Original source: International Herald Tribune. A new yardstick for judging quality of life: the airport

Europeans' new real estate mantra: Go west

Exchange rates at a ten year high make international real estate properties denominated in U.S. dollars very attractive. Europeans, particularly Britons, are able to invest in real estate in the Caribbean and throughout the Americas at favorable prices. Investors are also drawn to other parts of the Americas due to the increase of security and screening measures in place in the United States.

Original source: International Herald Tribune. Europeans' new real estate mantra: Go west