Monthly Archives: October 2006

Should the housing market be fair?

Posted on October 15, 2006 by grim

From the Home News Tribune: Market just doesn’t seem fair when you can’t find a place to call home By Rick Malwitz John and Florence Rubanick did something quite extraordinary in their half of a duplex house in the Port … Continue reading →

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate | Comments Off on Should the housing market be fair?

Nice house, terrible quality of life.

Posted on October 14, 2006 by grim

From the Herald News: Dream house, commute disaster By HEATHER HADDON It was the four-bedroom, picket fence dream that became a three-hour commute nightmare. Luis Delgado moved to the northern fringes of Morris County in 2003, snapping up a whole … Continue reading →

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate | 16 Comments

Trading taxes for redevelopment

Posted on October 14, 2006 by grim

From the Jersey Journal: Lengthy tax deals OK’d by council By KEN THORBOURNE The Jersey City City Council granted three tax abatements Wednesday that went beyond the usual 20-year timeframe. Two 25-year abatements were related to a project by brothers … Continue reading →

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate | 6 Comments

Monmouth MLS opens to discount brokers

Posted on October 14, 2006 by grim

From the Daily Record: Monmouth MLS open to discount brokers The Federal Trade Commission has settled a complaint against the Monmouth County Association of Realtors that said the group’s anti-competitive actions drove up costs and reduced choices for consumers, officials … Continue reading →

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate | Comments Off on Monmouth MLS opens to discount brokers

Back to [mortgage] basics

Posted on October 13, 2006 by grim

From the New York Times: New Rules for ‘Exotic’ Loans By BOB TEDESCHI IS the era of the “exotic” mortgage near an end? Some analysts say the answer is yes, thanks to a new set of lending guidelines set forth … Continue reading →

Posted in Risky Lending | 22 Comments

Making space for art

Posted on October 13, 2006 by grim

From the New York Times: Orange Gets Creative FIVE years in the making, the plan to create an arts district in a section of Orange where empty factory buildings now predominate has been refined and readied to go, with construction … Continue reading →

Posted in North Jersey Real Estate | 26 Comments

Cross off 2007?

Posted on October 13, 2006 by grim

From Inman News: Fitch says recession would stretch housing downturn into 2008 The downturn in the housing market could extend into 2008 if a recession develops before the housing market bottoms out, according to analysts at Fitch Ratings who track … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 59 Comments

FTC Challenges MLS Systems

Posted on October 13, 2006 by grim

From the Federal Trade Commission: FTC Charges Real Estate Groups with Anticompetitive Conduct in Limiting Consumers’ Choice in Real Estate Services The Federal Trade Commission today charged two real estate groups operating multiple listing services in the Detroit, Michigan, area … Continue reading →

Posted in National Real Estate | 3 Comments

Buyers aware of home price trends

Posted on October 12, 2006 by grim

From Reuters: U.S. home buyers grow more cautious, survey says Americans are stretching their budgets a little less to buy homes, a new survey shows. About 78 percent of people who bought homes in the last three years said they … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 24 Comments

NJ 48th Worst Business Tax Climate

Posted on October 12, 2006 by grim

From the Tax Foundation: 2007 State Business Tax Climate Index (Summary, PDF) The Tax Foundation presents the 2007 version of the State Business Tax Climate Index (SBTCI) as a tool for lawmakers, the media, and individuals alike to gauge how … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | 70 Comments

What happened to Pennsauken Park?

Posted on October 12, 2006 by grim

From the Courier Post Online: Deadline passes for Mart deal The Camden County Improvement Authority has been unable to seal a redevelopment deal with a national developer for 10 months to transform the nearly vacant Pennsauken Mart site into a … Continue reading →

Posted in Shore Real Estate | 3 Comments

Fix it or lose it

Posted on October 12, 2006 by grim

From the Montclair Times: Township officials: Planners could start the eminent domain process A nearly 110-year-old house at the corner of Orange Road and Irving Street could be on its way to becoming municipal property after township officials’ attempts to … Continue reading →

Posted in North Jersey Real Estate, Politics | 17 Comments

Rockland County Home Prices Drop

Posted on October 11, 2006 by grim

From the Journal News: County housing market cooling More homes for sale as market cools down Single-family home prices slip to $510K If there is a housing bubble, fresh data suggest that in parts of the Lower Hudson Valley, at … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 86 Comments

NAR: New Home Prices to Fall

Posted on October 11, 2006 by grim

From Bloomberg: New-House Prices Will Fall for First Time in 15 Years U.S. new-house prices will fall this year for the first time since 1991 and existing homes will have the smallest gain ever as a glut of properties forces … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 7 Comments

Northern New Jersey Weekly Inventory Update

Posted on October 11, 2006 by grim

GSMLS – http://www.gsmls.com (Garden State Multiple Listing Service) Single Family Homes, Condo, Coop (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, Warren Counties) 9/27 – 19,108 10/11 – 19,084 (0.1% Decrease) NJMLS – http://www.njmls.com (New Jersey Multiple Listing Service) Single … Continue reading →

Posted in North Jersey Real Estate | 23 Comments