National

TODAY’S DEALS: GDC Breaks Ground on Luxury Rental in Orlando

GDC breaks ground on a six-story luxury rental development; Baron Properties picks up a 380-asset in Houston; and HFF closes on the $39.3 million sale of an East Orange, N.J. apartment property to SDK Apartments.

Economy Watch: Home Prices Continue Upward

According to the latest S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indexes residential property prices are still on the rise.

TODAY’S DEALS: Ares Commercial Co-Originates $50.5M Acquisition Loan

Ares Commercial co-originates an acquisition loan; Ariel Property Advisors sells six buildings in Manhattan and the Bronx; and NorthMarq Capital funds a $13.7 million Freddie Mac financing at 80 percent of purchase price.

AvalonBay, Equity Residential Commit to Archstone Buy

AvalonBay Communities and Equity Residential have entered into an agreement with Lehman Brothers Holdings to acquire a respective 40 percent and 60 percent stake of Archstone Enterprise LP, a transaction that involves 66 communities across the country.

Mortgage Borrowers May Be Leaving Money on the Table by Using Less Effective Mortgage Shopping Strategies

A new study from Fannie Mae finds that many Americans do not adequately investigate or fail to understand fully the choices available to them when shopping for a mortgage.

CoStar Predicts Housing Shortages and Construction Boom

A new report by the CoStar Group shows that those worrying about housing shortages are justified, and an increase in construction should begin within the next year or two.

Economy Watch: Greece, Sandy to Cost Many Billions

At the conclusion of the latest round of marathon meetings in Brussels, euro-zone finance ministers optimistically asserted that they’ve hit on a formula for putting the Greek economy on a more sound footing.

TODAY’S DEALS: St. Anton Partners Lands $52M in Construction Financing

U.S. Bank provides $52M for a San Jose development; Boston Capital provides financing for two affordable communities; and NorthMarq Capital arranges a $17.7M mortgage.

PROFILE: Meet Trump International Realty, The New Residential Brokerage Division

To some fanfare—indeed, on the same day he announced a proposal addressed to President Obama—Donald Trump recently launched Trump International Realty, the residential brokerage division of The Trump Organization.

Economy Watch: Black Friday Sales Up; Most States See Unemployment Drop

According to the National Federation of Retailers, U.S. shoppers made a record 247 million visits to physical stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 226 million last year (the number of unique shoppers making those visits was 139.4 million adults).