Blog
Editor’s Note: Catch the Student Housing Wave
On March 31, just days after signing his controversial healthcare legislation, President Obama advanced another piece of his domestic agenda. In what he has called “one of the most significant investments in higher education since the G.I. Bill,” the President signed The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, which includes legislation to revamp the federal student loan program. “We will provide the support necessary for you to complete college and meet a new goal,” President Obama pledged to the American public. “By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.” The…
‘Foong on Finance’ with Keat Foong: Centerline’s Schnitzer to Head New Venture
As we know, prices for Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) have come down considerably. Marc Schnitzer is making a move to help players take advantage of what can be a great time to invest in LIHTC properties. Schnitzer, Centerline Capital Group’s CEO and president, is leaving Centerline to join an affiliate of Island Capital Group LLC. At his new company, Schnitzer will establish and lead a business venture to help investors take advantage of the favorable terms in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit market. “Tax credit market conditions have created unique opportunities for savvy investors to take advantage of historically…
‘Gimme Shelter’ with Daniel Gehman: Halftime
OK, so it’s like we’re all in the locker room, right, and, say, the other team has a lead of at least one, and maybe two touchdowns. We’ve just received some combination of dress down and build up by our fearless leader and mentor/coach, and we’re all chomping to get back on the field to see if we can’t rally to pull this one off. Our industry is such a mutually dependent thing. Though each of us on a development team may carry the ball for a different stretch of the field, no individual would really have a salient function…
‘The Essential Kitchen’ with Kevin Henry: Look Ma, No Wires
Imagine a kitchen where you will no longer have to wander about like a desert nomad with your blender or toaster in hand searching for an oasis of power or at least a clear space near a free outlet. The idea of wireless electricity was first conceived by legendary inventor, Nikola Tesla in the early 1900’s. His idea was to build giant transmission towers across the US that would emit an electrical frequency that your home appliance or light bulb would receive and be powered, much in the same way as a radio picks up a broadcast signal. After a…
‘The Essential Kitchen’ with Kevin Henry: For the Love of Cooking
I love to cook and enjoy the process of preparation, selecting the ingredients, laying out my tools, cooking my meal and then to finally serve it to my family and guests. As with most chefs, professional or amateur, I nibble my way throughout the undertaking and have little room to actually sit and eat with my guests, but to sit and talk, to eat and drink and just commune with one another is its own reward I am glad to say that there has been a renascence in kitchen design over the last few years, maybe it’s because of the…
‘Gimme Shelter’ with Daniel Gehman: Big Green Deal
Naturally, when I saw an article in my local paper extolling the advent of the first LEED Platinum rated building in Orange County, Calif., I was pretty darn excited. It was a single- family residence, which was a bit unusual, but a notable benchmark nonetheless. There was to be an open house that very afternoon, and, with a bit of time at my disposal, I decided to head on over there. A steady stream of Priuses, old and new, braked successfully and deposited their optimistic occupants curbside. (I parked mine around the corner.) With a curious but somewhat critical eye,…
‘The Essential Kitchen’ with Kevin Henry: THE FUTURE AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
More than 70 years ago, the “Futurist” predicted that our world would be awash in jet-packs, flying-cars, moving sidewalks, personal robot helpers, mile-high cities, and let us not forget the ambiguous vacation on the Moon, or better yet on Mars. Much like a feather on a string in front of a playful kitten, the kitchen of the future with all its time and labor saving gadgets and gizmo’s, has been dangled in front of the American consumer since the 1939 New York Worlds Fair, but for me the future became a reality one very hot summer day in 1960, while…
Guest Blog with Chris Thorman: Six Things Property Management Software Makes Easy
If you’re like most property managers, your work day is stuck in the 20th century. Rent checks are collected through a metal drop box. Brochures sit idly by outside of your office. Your web site consists of one page with a phone number, e-mail address and a few photos. Enough paperwork is collecting in your office to create a fire hazard. I want to point out six things that property managers can really master in the 21st century, thanks to the latest property management software systems. Managing Leads to New Tenants According to Apartment Internet Marketing, 46% of apartment prospects…
‘The Essential Kitchen’ with Kevin Henry: My Lunch with Arnold
I was invited to attend a luncheon last week with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Prime Minister Tony Blair and Author of “The World is Hot, Crowded and Flat” Thomas Friedman. I have been involved with environmental issues for over 30 years, ever since my first Earth Day rally in 1974, but this event was on an entirely different plane than I have ever been associated with before. I realized that the revolution had moved to a new level…it wasn’t about fighting the machine…this was the machine. The event was attended by Governors of other states, UN delegates, international media, scientists…
‘Editor’s Notebook’ with Diana Mosher: If You’re Listening to Residents, Shout it Out
At the end of August I joined a new demographic when we dropped my oldest son at college for Freshman Orientation. It’s been a difficult transition for his parents and younger brother; but, it’s also an exciting one that we’re all enjoying vicariously, as he experiences his first taste of living away from home. He likes his roommate, his instructors are brilliant, and the campus is just what he was looking for. We all agree the food is awful, but at least student feedback is encouraged. There’s a bulletin board in the dining hall where students can tack a note…