Category Archives: New Development

Living Small

Posted on April 13, 2010 by grim

Not an econ or markets piece, but I have a soft spot for living small (and well)… From the Record: Web hed: On a tiny lot in Jersey City, architects create an affordable, sustainable house (click for pics) Hired to … Continue reading →

Posted in New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 460 Comments

Paying for Unemployment

Posted on April 5, 2010 by grim

From the APP: NJ unemployment fund: Short of cash Christopher Nagy, a carpenter from Bradley Beach, was called into his employer’s office on Christmas Eve 2009 and told that not only would he not receive a bonus this year, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, New Development, Politics | 342 Comments

What Recovery? New Home Sales Dive.

Posted on February 25, 2010 by grim

From the Wall Street Journal: New Home Sales Plunge to ’63 Levels Sales of new single-family homes plunged last month, underscoring the fragility in the housing market. Sales dropped 11.2% in January from a month earlier to a seasonally adjusted … Continue reading →

Posted in National Real Estate, New Development | 431 Comments

“Gutting” COAH

Posted on February 2, 2010 by grim

From the Philly Inquirer: Affordable-housing changes pushed in New Jersey A plan to eliminate the state Council on Affordable Housing and put towns in charge of their own housing obligations is necessary to streamline an unwieldy bureaucracy, supporters said yesterday. … Continue reading →

Posted in New Development, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics | 361 Comments

Party Like It’s 1945, FHA Drops The Hammer, Weekend Open Discussion

Posted on January 30, 2010 by grim

From the Star Ledger: N.J. home sales may be adversely affected by FHA guidelines Measures intended to protect government-backed loans from widespread defaults and foreclosures could have an adverse effect on the state’s housing sales, according to industry experts. Earlier … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 190 Comments

Housing starts give mixed signals about recovery

Posted on October 21, 2009 by grim

From the AP: Meltdown 101: Housing starts show industry’s woes Housing construction is crawling out of its very deep hole, but no one expects it to reach the heights hit before the housing bubble burst — at least not for … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing Bubble, National Real Estate, New Development | 146 Comments

Unprecedentedly Brutal

Posted on April 23, 2009 by grim

From the Record: N.J. builders feel the pain New Jersey builders used the words “brutal” and “unprecedented” repeatedly at a statewide trade show Tuesday to describe a housing market undermined by surging unemployment and tighter mortgage lending. Attendance at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Bubble, New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 275 Comments

Saving Paris Orange

Posted on April 20, 2009 by grim

From the NY Times: Dissecting the ‘Heart of Orange’ A GLOBAL economic crisis provides the perfect opportunity to rethink the design of an old city — be it Paris or Orange — said a French urbanist who has been engaged … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, New Development, North Jersey Real Estate | 365 Comments

Losing Glitter

Posted on March 17, 2009 by grim

From the WSJ Developments Blog: Hard Times for Hovnanian’s Jersey City Condo During the boom, home builder Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. launched its biggest tower, a 48-story condo showpiece in Jersey City, N.J., offering Big Apple views just feet from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing Bubble, New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 102 Comments

State seeks to eliminate age-restriction on new development

Posted on March 16, 2009 by grim

From the Trenton Times: State may lift age-restrictions on some housing As developers across the state hesitate to break ground on projects that looked more profitable in better economic times, experts say housing reserved for residents “55 and older” is … Continue reading →

Posted in New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 275 Comments

The End of Farmland Assessment?

Posted on February 9, 2009 by grim

From the Asbury Park Press: Plug farm tax loopholes A pair of bills being drafted by state Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth, that would revise farmland assessment laws would help keep New Jersey’s agriculture industry productive while preventing wealthy landowners from … Continue reading →

Posted in New Development, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics, Property Taxes | 302 Comments

S&P: New York Commutable Area Home Prices

Posted on January 27, 2009 by grim

Updated the S&P Case Shiller Home Price Index graphs with the November release data. These graphs show all indicies for the NY Metro Commutable Area. As the name implies, this price index covers regions that are within commutable distance to … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 69 Comments

“[N]o broad recovery until at least 2010”

Posted on January 21, 2009 by grim

From the WSJ: Builders Predict More Housing Pain REAL ESTATE JANUARY 21, 2009 By JIM CARLTON The worst U.S. housing downturn since World War II is likely to deepen further this year, with no broad recovery until at least 2010, … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Bubble, National Real Estate, New Development | 194 Comments

January Beige Book

Posted on January 14, 2009 by grim

From the Federal Reserve: January Beige Book – Second District–New York Construction and Real Estate Housing markets in the District have been mixed but generally weak since the last report. A New Jersey industry contact reports that the market for … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 158 Comments

S&P Case Shiller October Home Price Index

Posted on December 30, 2008 by grim

From the AP: Home prices post 18 percent annual drop in October A closely watched index shows home prices dropped by the sharpest annual rate on record in October. The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-city housing index released Tuesday fell by … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, National Real Estate, New Development, Risky Lending | 275 Comments