Jessica Fiur is the editor-in-chief at Multi-Housing News and Commercial Property Executive and writes the award-winning blog What Renters Want.
Jessica has been with the company since 2011 and previously was with Weekly Reader and IQPC. Contact Jessica at jessica.fiur@cpe-mhn.com, on Twitter @jfiur or on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicafiur/.
Economy Watch: Pending Home Sales Dip
Ahead of housing permit numbers from the government, which is a forward-looking indicator for the housing market, the National Association of Realtors reported that its forward-looking Pending Home Sales Index, which is based on contracts signed but not closed, dropped.
Barrett Development Begins Auburn Student Housing Development
Work has started on 319 Bragg, a student-housing property at Auburn University. The community is being developed by Barrett Development Group, a student-housing specialist based in Athens, Ga.
Data Shows Americans Moving Less; What This Means for Multifamily
Americans are on the move, though not as much as in recent years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 35.9 million U.S. residents (or 11.7 percent) moved between 2012 and 2013. This shows a decline from the 12 percent of Americans who moved in 2012.
‘What Renters Want’ with Jessica Fiur: How to [Not] Silence Negative Reviewers
A recent article on Businessweek.com defended threatening people who wrote false reviews about a company. Should property managers use the same tactics?
Ground Broken on Affordable Family Housing in The Bronx
Ground has been broken on Soundview Family Housing, immediately adjacent to Soundview Park in the Bronx. The eight-story building will house 120 low-income families, and is the first in a multi-phase development.
Economy Watch: Majority of States See Unemployment Rate Drops
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 28 states had unemployment rate decreases in October compared with September, while 11 states and the District of Columbia saw increases and 11 states experienced no change.
Mack-Cali Buys NJ Apartment Property for $46M
Mack-Cali Realty Corp. has acquired Park Square, a two-building, 159-unit multifamily property in Rahway, N.J. The community, which includes a parking garage and about 6,000 square feet of retail space, traded hands for about $46.5 million.
WinnCompanies adds Worcester City Manager O’Brien as Executive VP
WinnCompanies, a real estate development and property management company, announced that Michael O’Brien has been hired as executive vice president.
Greenbuild Special Report: Creating a Healthier Built Environment
A ‘master speaker’ session and subsequent panel of physicians and industry exports tackled the issue of building healthy spaces at Greenbuild in Philadelphia. While creating healthy space does cost money, it will lead to a more productive workforce with less sick days and greater collaboration.
Campus Advantage Acquires Housing Near University of Missouri
Student housing company Campus Advantage has acquired The Domain at Columbia, enabling the company to expand its presence within the fast-growing University of Missouri-Columbia student-housing market.