Friday’s blog touched on commercial real estate and the shopping center conundrum: Too many new stores and too little consumer spending. But, as it turns out, malls aren’t the only commercial buildings suffering from the economic slowdown. Enter: The waning workplace. Yes, that’s right, the office has become more than just a clever NBC comedy–it’s a commercial real estate crisis, according to some sources. Retail centers in areas that saw some of the largest housing boom price and property increases–and some of the decline’s biggest drops–have fallen on particularly hard times. Office space isn’t fairing any better. California Dreamin’ (Of…

Speaking today for the first time since the Fed’s last meeting, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke implied a further rate cut might be en route. U.S. stocks bounced up midday Thursday on anticipation Bernanke’s comments would suggest more rate cuts–but stocks faltered after the actual remarks were made as investors struggled to interpret what they meant, according to MarketWatch. To be fair, Bernanke’s comments were–as usual–a little vague. In a speech to the Women in Housing and Finance and Exchequer Club in Washington, D.C., he basically said the Fed was concerned about oil prices, housing issues and other threats to…

Las Vegas may still be reeling from the housing slump, but its economy is growing–and so is its pool of renters, according to the Las Vegas Business Press. The Business Press‘ recent article about the rental market indicates the tighter mortgage atmosphere, which has made buying less of an option for many residents, is giving multifamily rental properties a push. The Bentley Group, a Vegas-based real estate advisory firm, says the city can thank its healthy tourism trade. "Nearly 40,000 hotel rooms are coming on line over the next four years, creating more than 285,000 new jobs," Bentley Group President…

The nation’s high foreclosure rate–Irvine, Calif-based Realty Trac said in November that foreclosures were up nearly 68 percent from the same month in 2006–has led to an interesting phenomenon: Banks who are anxious to unload many of their foreclosed upon items. Some likely don’t want to invest in the properties’ upkeep; other banks possibly are acting out of fear the housing market will in fact continue downward next year, further reducing the homes’ value. That’s good news for investors who are eager to buy foreclosed properties and land and reduced homes. However, those deals might not be as much of…

Will the Fed cut rates at its January meeting? There is reason to think so. Yesterday, we analyzed new data about a decline in manufacturing last month–and today, we’re bringing it into focus along with the rest of the foggy economic factors. Yes, manufacturing dropped. But it’s important to remember yesterday’s news came from a private source–the Institute for Supply Management–and the government tends to favor its own data much more. And, luckily, there is some fresh government information, released today, that said new orders for manufactured goods increased unexpectedly in November, which bodes well for the economy. We’re not…

It’s New Year’s Eve–almost–and that means it’s time for reflections–and resolutions. We have so many memories from this year. Remember when, in September, residential building hit its lowest spending point since 2003? Or when the mortgage-related credit crisis rocked the world’s banks over the course of a few months? Or how about when the dollar became weak–and then weaker? OK, so maybe 2007 wasn’t exactly a collection of warm, fuzzy financial housing moments. But New Year’s resolutions are all about turning things around. I’m about to make mine; and I’ve drawn up five resolutions for the multifamily housing industry. Feel…

Anticipation about the Commerce Department’s housing figures–released today–ran high all week. Some had hoped the data would show the housing decline was turning around; most expected it wouldn’t. Investors were so confident the home sales results would be bad that the dollar fell Thursday against the euro for the fifth consecutive day–its longest period of decline since October, Bloomberg reported. And sadly, the naysayers were correct. According to the Commerce Department, new home sales not only fell from last month but hit their lowest point in 12 years (12 years!). New home sales have plummeted 34.4 percent over the last…

Homeowners across the country are finding a new way to combat sinking home values–voluntary reassessments. According to The New York Times, homeowners can request downward assessments, which seem to be most pronounced in areas where the housing decline has had the greatest affect. Take, for example, Arizona. The state’s home market was one of the first to peak, with the Arizona Republic reporting building industry layoffs as early as May 2006. Housing prices in Phoenix dropped 8.8 percent in 2007, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller index. As a result, in the state’s largest county, Maricopa County, a large amount of the…

It’s Christmas Eve and, as such, I’m home in the suburb where I grew up–fresh off a conversation with a few of my oldest friends (since 5th grade and counting) about buying property. Lea, who lives in Washington, D.C., is toying with the idea of buying a condo. I just refinanced mine in Chicago. Colleen is resigning herself to the fact she will never be able to afford San Francisco property. We used to talk about boys; now it’s mortgage brokers. But–despite numerous reports in recent months of the housing market slumping downward for what seems like an endless period–they…

As the year draws to a close, many members of the housing industry–developers, brokers, real estate agents–are crafting their budgets for 2008. Property managers are no exception. And, according to U.S. Census Bureau information, keeping costs down might soon be even more of a pressing concern for residential property managers. Rent appears to be contributing less to new apartment budgets: The median asking price for all new privately financed, nonsubsidized, unfurnished rental units in buildings with five units or more in the first quarter of the year was roughly $102 lower than the asking price in the previous quarter, the…