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 Edge Down
According to the National Association of Realtors, the Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings (but not closings), dropped to 107.7 in August from a downwardly revised 109.4 in July.
Meet the 2013 MHN Tech Choice Winners
Industry users have voted these firms as those that stand out among the rest.
CAF Capital Partners Buys Suburban Fort Worth Apartments
Dallas-based CAF Capital Partners has purchased Cross Creek at Grapevine Ranch in the Fort Worth suburb of Grapevine for an undisclosed sum from Irvine, Calif.-based Granite Investment Group. The 392-unit property is 95 percent leased.
Multifamily Living, Multiple Choices
To get a sense of how residents in the Northwest use energy in their multifamily homes and how units are constructed across the region, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) recently studied residents’ habits based on a random and representative sample of 230 buildings and 552 units in the Northwest.
NWP Introduces New Resident Web Services Portal
NWP Services Corporation (NWP), a provider of utility cost recovery and energy management solutions for the multifamily industry, has released a new portal experience for residents designed for ease of use and convenience when viewing bill information and remitting payments on www.nwpresident.com.
Centerline Facilitates a $44M, Nine-Property Multifamily Portfolio Sale in Houston & Dallas
Centerline Capital Group has provided nine conventional Freddie Mac loans, totaling approximately $44 million, to enable the acquisition of nine multifamily properties, totaling 2,150 units, located in Houston and Dallas.
Abu Dhabi’s Nation Towers Welcomes Hotel with World’s Highest Suspended Suite
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Inc., a member of St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, announced the opening of the 283-key St. Regis Abu Dhabi, following the location’s mid-August debut.
Economy Watch: New Home Sales Up in August
The Census Bureau and HUD reported that sales of new single-family houses in August 2013 were at an annualized rate of 421,000 units. That’s 7.9 percent higher than the revised July rate of 390,000 units and is 12.6 percent above the August 2012 total.
CPC Oversees $10M Construction Loan for Affordable Community
Westchester County real estate developer Ken Kearney and Rehabilitation Support Services Inc. have obtained a $10.5 million construction loan to build Highridge Gardens, a multifamily development in Poughkeepsie.
MHN Interview: Jeff Elowe of The Laramar Group
The Laramar Group announced a major acquisition in Southern California earlier this month. CEO Jeff Elowe, who was recently named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young for the Mountain Desert Region, took the time to speak with MHN about the company’s strategy and give us his take on the multifamily industry now.