Monthly Archives: November 2006

A lifetime of devalued earnings?

Posted on November 27, 2006 by grim
Posted in Housing Bubble | Comments Off

A little bit on the Australian bubble from On Line Opinion: Busting the boomers Economist Rory Robertson was recently quoted as saying “… there simply is no getting around the fact that the unexpectedly rapid increase in home (including land) … Continue reading →

Highlands Master Plan due Thursday

Posted on November 27, 2006 by grim
Posted in New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 8 Comments

From the Daily Record: All eyes on the Highlands Council So, what will the vision for regional planning in the Highlands look like on Thursday when a state council finally unveils its master plan? There will be protection zones, conservation … Continue reading →

Weekend Open Discussion (continued)

Posted on November 26, 2006 by grim
Posted in General | 125 Comments

This is the time and place to post observations about your local areas, comments on news stories or the New Jersey housing bubble, open house reports, etc. If you have any questions you wanted to ask earlier in the week … Continue reading →

A troubling predicament

Posted on November 26, 2006 by grim
Posted in Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 14 Comments

From Bankrate: In upcoming years, many homeowners will sink In the next couple of years, a combination of rising mortgage interest rates and falling home values could plunge thousands of homeowners underwater. Being underwater means owing more than the house … Continue reading →

Exxon site redevelopment

Posted on November 26, 2006 by grim
Posted in New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 1 Comment

From the Daily Record: Boundary shift looms in Madison, Florham Pk. It may have taken years, but a blueprint is in place appeasing parties associated with redeveloping the giant Exxon property. Hailing it as a historic approach to regional development, … Continue reading →

Why do property taxes vary so?

Posted on November 26, 2006 by grim
Posted in New Jersey Real Estate, Property Taxes | Comments Off

From the New York Times: Why Property Taxes Are All Over the Charts THE communities of Glen Ridge, [NJ], Fairfield, Conn., and Great Neck and Pelham in New York have several things in common: first-rate public schools, stately homes on … Continue reading →

Are transit villages the next big thing?

Posted on November 26, 2006 by grim
Posted in New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 1 Comment

From the Courier News: Is a transit village coming to your town? NJ TRANSIT began the Transit-Friendly Communities for New Jersey program in 1999 with a Federal Highway Administration grant of $535,000, with additional funding from NJ TRANSIT and the … Continue reading →

Who needs property tax relief?

Posted on November 25, 2006 by grim
Posted in New Jersey Real Estate, Property Taxes | 8 Comments

A very interesting tool from the New York Times: Property Taxes in the Region: Who Pays More, Who Pays Less Property taxes on single-family homes vary widely across the region. The highest tax rates are in middle- and upper-middle-class communities, … Continue reading →

Waiting for Spring

Posted on November 24, 2006 by grim
Posted in Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 91 Comments

From the Boston Herald: Facing housing’s winter chill: Pros and cons of listing your home after Thanksgiving Today marks the start of the holiday shopping season, but it’s also the end of the fall real estate season – leaving would-be … Continue reading →

Black Friday

Posted on November 24, 2006 by grim
Posted in General | 24 Comments

From the Daily Record: Black Friday A new book by author Bill Bryson refers to growing up in the 1950s and notes that at that time, the lives of children were “unsupervised, unregulated and robustly”physical. “Kids were always outdoors,” he … Continue reading →

Opposing school consolidation

Posted on November 24, 2006 by grim
Posted in Politics, Property Taxes | 7 Comments

From the Glen Ridge Paper: Educators start new funding call Paul Rooney is a lifelong Democrat, but after Wednesday’s Education Forum at the Women’s Club of Glen Ridge, he said he will vote for any Republican who opposes the recommendations … Continue reading →

Xanadu Delayed – Surprise!

Posted on November 24, 2006 by grim
Posted in New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 4 Comments

From the AP via the New York Post: XANADU IN OVERTIME The $2 billion Xanadu mall and entertainment complex at the Meadowlands is expected to open a year late. The huge project was originally scheduled to open in late 2007, … Continue reading →

(Long) Weekend Open Discussion

Posted on November 23, 2006 by grim
Posted in General | 156 Comments

Since it’s quiet on the news front and many are on holiday, I’m going to start the Open Discussion early this week. This is the time and place to post observations about your local areas, comments on news stories or … Continue reading →

Balking at consolidation

Posted on November 23, 2006 by grim
Posted in New Jersey Real Estate, Politics | Comments Off

From the Asbury Park Press: Push for town mergers faces uphill battle One of lawmakers’ key ideas to lower New Jersey’s property taxes calls for asking voters to approve merging their towns in a bid to cut the cost of … Continue reading →

A likely recession?

Posted on November 23, 2006 by grim
Posted in Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 3 Comments

From the Daily Reckoning: Will the US housing bubble mean a recession? The US housing bubble is in the midst of deflating. There is no doubt now that the halcyon days of this housing boom are over. New home construction … Continue reading →