Real Estate Sifter

The case for pessimism might now be spreading to Wall Street after its
recent flirtation with the 10,000 highlands, since the Dow Jones
Industrial Average was down 104.22 points, or 1.05 percent, on Monday,
ending well below 9,900. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were also off,
1.17 percent and 0.59 percent respectively.

Good news in the commercial real estate world seems to be in short
supply these days. In a study released earlier this week by Fitch
Ratings, they’re indicating that losses will increase this year and
next for the U.S. CMBS.

In most sports, coaches use specialists to deal with pressure situations. In football, for example, they will bring in a slash-type runner on offense to cross the goal line or a pass rusher on defense to sack the quarterback. These specialists have specific skills and in many cases prove to be the difference between victory and defeat. For those in real estate, and particularly with Stan Johnson Co., specialization is the maxim for those that want to succeed in these trying times and get deals closed, no matter what the size or complexity. 

With the recession having taken a chunk out of consumers’ pocketbooks
around the world, the retail real estate market has been struggling for
quite some time, and the situation is no different in Germany. However,
the discount retail sub-sector is thriving in the country, and
Dallas-based commercial real estate firm Behringer Harvard has
positioned itself to capitalize on related development opportunities
with the recent formation of Behringer Harvard German Retail, a joint
venture with Hanover, Germany-based real estate investment and
management company Rahlfs Immobilien GmbH.

U.S. housing starts posted a gain in September, but only a modest one,pointing to a still-modest rate of recovery for the overall economy.According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the rate of new homestarted inched upward by 0.5 percent during the month to a seasonally adjustedrate of about 590,000 units. Ever-optimistic economists, it seems, wereexpecting more.

With the recession having taken a chunk out of consumers’ pocketbooks
around the world, the retail real estate market has been struggling for
quite some time, and the situation is no different in Germany. However,
the discount retail sub-sector is thriving in the country, and
Dallas-based commercial real estate firm Behringer Harvard has
positioned itself to capitalize on related development opportunities
with the recent formation of Behringer Harvard German Retail, a joint
venture with Hanover, Germany-based real estate investment and
management company Rahlfs Immobilien GmbH.

The graying of America may arguably be one of the single most dramatic demographic megatrends shaping our landscape. Although the U.S. population growth for individuals age 55 and over during the past nine years hasn’t been impressive—from 21.06 percent to 24.17 percent—growth for individuals age 55-64 increased by 30 percent over the same period. Given that the oldest Boomers turned 63 this year, maybe it’s time investors consider the opportunities this megatrend offers. 

Like moths to a flame, investors these days are forming around what
some believe could be the biggest distressed debt sales market since
the days of the U.S. savings and loan crisis, according to a recent
Ernst & Young survey.

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s forecast for 2010, the
good news is that the recession is over; the bad news is that the
country will continue to reel from the ramifications next year.

Is the federal effort to forestall residential foreclosures all the administration is cracking it up to be? As reported by CPE,
late last week the U.S. Treasury Department was trumpeting 500,000 as
the number of homeowners who have had their mortgage payments
(temporarily) lowered under the Making Home Affordable program, which
began earlier this year.