Good and Bad Locations for startups ...
Startups prosper in some places and not others. Silicon Valley dominates, then Boston, then Seattle, Austin, Denver, and New York. After that there's not much. Even in New York the number of startups per capita is probably a 20th of what it is in Silicon Valley. In towns like Houston and Chicago and Detroit it's too small to measure. [from 18 mistakes that kill startups]
posted by a Real Estate Friend@ 08:05PM EST [link]

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla.
IS A HOT MARKET AREA ... according to a 10 hottest city report by bizjournals
No major market has bounced back more impressively since 2001 than this coastal area in southwest Florida. Cape Coral-Fort Myers has added almost 1,000 jobs per month during the past five years, yielding a growth rate of 32.5 percent. No other area is above 27 percent.

Jobs as of mid-2006: 230,200
Unemployment rate as of mid-2006: 2.6%
Employment trend since mid-2001: Added 56,500 jobs
Five-year growth rate: 32.5%
Employment trend since mid-2005: Added 11,700 jobs
One-year growth rate: 5.4%

AMAZING ...

posted by a Real Estate Friend. @ 09:01 PM EST [more..]

Retirement Relocation Among College Graduates: A Survey of Virginia Tech Alumni
A Survey of Virginia Tech Alumni Retirement Relocation is very interesting. Conducted by Virginia Center for Housing Research - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1995 -- the study reveals many are interested in Blacksburg as a retirement location. they list their reasons for moving as:

1. Reduce living costs 37.6%
2. Want smaller house 34.4%
3. Prefer condo or other unit where not
responsible for a yard 25.7%
4. Move near children/relatives 23.0%
5. Health care 21.9%
6. Want better climate 20.3%
7. Better recreational/leisure opportunities 19.7%
8. Move to planned retirement community 17.0%
9. Companionship/socialization 14.8%

Low crime rate and proximity to children or other relatives is crucial ... and that a fifteen minute walk to the Grocery store / Pharmacy or drug store / Doctors' offices / and Cultural resources like libraries and theaters are very important .... and they could do without the yardwork ... INTERESTING...
posted by a Real Estate Friend@ 08:41PM EST [link]

Associated Press College Grad Relocation study
From the Philly Inquirer The Associated Press study finds that college graduates are increasingly relocating to America's big cities, but at different rates.

In Philadelphia, 20 percent of people 25 and older had at least a bachelor's degree in 2004, up from just 7 percent in 1970, the study found. ... of the 21 cities studied, only Detroit, Cleveland and Las Vegas had a smaller share.

Seattle was the best-educated city in 2004, with just over half the adults with bachelor's degrees. Following closely were San Francisco; Raleigh, N.C.; Washington; and Austin, Texas.

something to pay attention to ...
posted by a Real Estate Friend@ 07:12PM EST [link]

Fair Housing Act -- something to keep in mind

Fair Housing Act

HUD has played a lead role in administering the Fair Housing Act since its adoption in 1968. The 1988 amendments, however, have greatly increased the Department's enforcement role. First, the newly protected classes have proven significant sources of new complaints. Second, HUD's expanded enforcement role took the Department beyond investigation and conciliation into the area of mandatory enforcement.

Complaints filed with HUD are investigated by the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO). If the complaint is not successfully conciliated, FHEO determines whether reasonable cause exists to believe that a discriminatory housing practice has occurred. Where reasonable cause is found , the parties to the complaint are notified by HUD's issuance of a Determination, as well as a Charge of Discrimination, and a hearing is scheduled before a HUD administrative law judge. Either party - complainant or respondent - may cause the HUD-scheduled administrative proceeding to be terminated by electing instead to have the matter litigated in Federal court. Whenever a party has so elected, the Department of Justice takes over HUD's role as counsel seeking resolution of the charge on behalf of aggrieved persons, and the matter proceeds as a civil action. Either form of action - the ALJ proceeding or the civil action in Federal court - is subject to review in the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Significant Recent Changes

The Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995 (HOPA) makes several changes to the 55 and older exemption. Since the 1988 Amendments, the Fair Housing Act has exempted from its familial status provisions properties that satisfy the Act's 55 and older housing condition.

First, it eliminates the requirement that 55 and older housing have "significant facilities and services" designed for the elderly. Second, HOPA establishes a "good faith reliance" immunity from damages for persons who in good faith believe that the 55 and older exemption applies to a particular property, if they do not actually know that the property is not eligible for the exemption and if the property has formally stated in writing that it qualifies for the exemption.
HOPA retains the requirement that senior housing must have one person who is 55 years of age or older living in at least 80 percent of its occupied units. It also still requires that senior housing publish and follow policies and procedures that demonstrate an intent to be housing for persons 55 and older.

An exempt property will not violate the Fair Housing Act if it includes families with children, but it does not have to do so. Of course, the property must meet the Act's requirements that at least 80 percent of its occupied units have at least one occupant who is 55 or older, and that it publish and follow policies and procedures that demonstrate an intent to be 55 and older housing.

A Department of Housing and Urban Development rule published in the April 2, 1999, Federal Register implements the Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995, and explains in detail those provisions of the Fair Housing Act that pertain to senior housing.


Changes were made to enhance law enforcement, including making amendments to criminal penalties in section 901 of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 for violating the Fair Housing Act.


Changes were made to provide incentives for self-testing by lenders for discrimination under the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. See Title II, subtitle D of the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997, P.L. 104 - 208 (9/30/96).
Basic Facts About the Fair Housing Act
What Housing Is Covered?

The Fair Housing Act covers most housing. In some circumstances, the Act exempts owner-occupied buildings with no more than four units, single-family housing sold or rented without the use of a broker, and housing operated by organizations and private clubs that limit occupancy to members.

What Is Prohibited?
In the Sale and Rental of Housing: No one may take any of the following actions based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap:

Refuse to rent or sell housing
Refuse to negotiate for housing
Make housing unavailable
Deny a dwelling
Set different terms, conditions or privileges for sale or rental of a dwelling
Provide different housing services or facilities
Falsely deny that housing is available for inspection, sale, or rental
For profit, persuade owners to sell or rent (blockbusting) or
Deny anyone access to or membership in a facility or service (such as a multiple listing service) related to the sale or rental of housing.
In Mortgage Lending: No one may take any of the following actions based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap (disability):

Refuse to make a mortgage loan
Refuse to provide information regarding loans
Impose different terms or conditions on a loan, such as different interest rates, points, or fees
Discriminate in appraising property
Refuse to purchase a loan or
Set different terms or conditions for purchasing a loan.
In Addition: It is illegal for anyone to:

Threaten, coerce, intimidate or interfere with anyone exercising a fair housing right or assisting others who exercise that right
Advertise or make any statement that indicates a limitation or preference based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or handicap. This prohibition against discriminatory advertising applies to single-family and owner-occupied housing that is otherwise exempt from the Fair Housing Act.
Additional Protection if You Have a Disability
If you or someone associated with you:

Have a physical or mental disability (including hearing, mobility and visual impairments, chronic alcoholism, chronic mental illness, AIDS, AIDS Related Complex and mental retardation) that substantially limits one or more major life activities
Have a record of such a disability or
Are regarded as having such a disability
your landlord may not:

Refuse to let you make reasonable modifications to your dwelling or common use areas, at your expense, if necessary for the disabled person to use the housing. (Where reasonable, the landlord may permit changes only if you agree to restore the property to its original condition when you move.)
Refuse to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services if necessary for the disabled person to use the housing.
Example: A building with a "no pets" policy must allow a visually impaired tenant to keep a guide dog.

Example: An apartment complex that offers tenants ample, unassigned parking must honor a request from a mobility-impaired tenant for a reserved space near her apartment if necessary to assure that she can have access to her apartment.

However, housing need not be made available to a person who is a direct threat to the health or safety of others or who currently uses illegal drugs.

Requirements for New Buildings
In buildings that are ready for first occupancy after March 13, 1991, and have an elevator and four or more units:

Public and common areas must be accessible to persons with disabilities
Doors and hallways must be wide enough for wheelchairs
All units must have:
An accessible route into and through the unit
Accessible light switches, electrical outlets, thermostats and other environmental controls
Reinforced bathroom walls to allow later installation of grab bars and
Kitchens and bathrooms that can be used by people in wheelchairs.
If a building with four or more units has no elevator and will be ready for first occupancy after March 13, 1991, these standards apply to ground floor units.

These requirements for new buildings do not replace any more stringent standards in State or local law.

Housing Opportunities for Families
Unless a building or community qualifies as housing for older persons, it may not discriminate based on familial status. That is, it may not discriminate against families in which one or more children under 18 live with:

A parent
A person who has legal custody of the child or children or
The designee of the parent or legal custodian, with the parent or custodian's written permission.
Familial status protection also applies to pregnant women and anyone securing legal custody of a child under 18.

Exemption: Housing for older persons is exempt from the prohibition against familial status discrimination if:

The HUD Secretary has determined that it is specifically designed for and occupied by elderly persons under a Federal, State or local government program or
It is occupied solely by persons who are 62 or older or
It houses at least one person who is 55 or older in at least 80 percent of the occupied units, and adheres to a policy that demonstrates an intent to house persons who are 55 or older.
A transition period permits residents on or before September 13, 1988, to continue living in the housing, regardless of their age, without interfering with the exemption.

If You Think Your Rights Have Been Violated
HUD is ready to help with any problem of housing discrimination. If you think your rights have been violated, the Housing Discrimination Complaint Form is available for you to download, complete and return, or complete online and submit, or you may write HUD a letter, or telephone the HUD Office nearest you. You have one year after an alleged violation to file a complaint with HUD, but you should file it as soon as possible.

What to Tell HUD:
Your name and address
The name and address of the person your complaint is against (the respondent)
The address or other identification to the housing involved
A short description to the alleged violation (the event that caused you to believe your rights were violated)
The date(s) to the alleged violation
Where to Write or Call:
Send the Housing Discrimination Complaint Form or a letter to the HUD Office nearest you or you may call that office directly.

If You Are Disabled:
HUD also provides:

A toll-free TTY phone for the hearing impaired: 1-800-927-9275.
Interpreters
Tapes and braille materials
Assistance in reading and completing forms
What Happens when You File a Complaint?
HUD will notify you when it receives your complaint. Normally, HUD also will:

Notify the alleged violator of your complaint and permit that person to submit an answer
Investigate your complaint and determine whether there is reasonable cause to believe the Fair Housing Act has been violated
Notify you if it cannot complete an investigation within 100 days of receiving your complaint
Conciliation
HUD will try to reach an agreement with the person your complaint is against (the respondent). A conciliation agreement must protect both you and the public interest. If an agreement is signed, HUD will take no further action on your complaint. However, if HUD has reasonable cause to believe that a conciliation agreement is breached, HUD will recommend that the Attorney General file suit.

Complaint Referrals
If HUD has determined that your State or local agency has the same fair housing powers as HUD, HUD will refer your complaint to that agency for investigation and notify you of the referral. That agency must begin work on your complaint within 30 days or HUD may take it back.

What if You Need Help Quickly?
If you need immediate help to stop a serious problem that is being caused by a Fair Housing Act violation, HUD may be able to assist you as soon as you file a complaint. HUD may authorize the Attorney General to go to court to seek temporary or preliminary relief, pending the outcome of your complaint, if:

Irreparable harm is likely to occur without HUD's intervention
There is substantial evidence that a violation of the Fair Housing Act occurred
Example: A builder agrees to sell a house but, after learning the buyer is black, fails to keep the agreement. The buyer files a complaint with HUD. HUD may authorize the Attorney General to go to court to prevent a sale to any other buyer until HUD investigates the complaint.

What Happens after a Complaint Investigation?
If, after investigating your complaint, HUD finds reasonable cause to believe that discrimination occurred, it will inform you. Your case will be heard in an administrative hearing within 120 days, unless you or the respondent want the case to be heard in Federal district court. Either way, there is no cost to you.

The Administrative Hearing:
If your case goes to an administrative hearing HUD attorneys will litigate the case on your behalf. You may intervene in the case and be represented by your own attorney if you wish. An Administrative Law Judge (ALA) will consider evidence from you and the respondent. If the ALA decides that discrimination occurred, the respondent can be ordered:

To compensate you for actual damages, including humiliation, pain and suffering.
To provide injunctive or other equitable relief, for example, to make the housing available to you.
To pay the Federal Government a civil penalty to vindicate the public interest. The maximum penalties are $10,000 for a first violation and $50,000 for a third violation within seven years.
To pay reasonable attorney's fees and costs.
Federal District Court
If you or the respondent choose to have your case decided in Federal District Court, the Attorney General will file a suit and litigate it on your behalf. Like the ALA, the District Court can order relief, and award actual damages, attorney's fees and costs. In addition, the court can award punitive damages.

In Addition
You May File Suit: You may file suit, at your expense, in Federal District Court or State Court within two years of an alleged violation. If you cannot afford an attorney, the Court may appoint one for you. You may bring suit even after filing a complaint, if you have not signed a conciliation agreement and an Administrative Law Judge has not started a hearing. A court may award actual and punitive damages and attorney's fees and costs.

Other Tools to Combat Housing Discrimination:
If there is noncompliance with the order of an Administrative Law Judge, HUD may seek temporary relief, enforcement of the order or a restraining order in a United States Court of Appeals.

The Attorney General may file a suit in a Federal District Court if there is reasonable cause to believe a pattern or practice of housing discrimination is occurring.

For Further Information:
The Fair Housing Act and HUD's regulations contain more detail and technical information. If you need a copy of the law or regulations, contact the HUD Office nearest you.

posted by a Real Estate Friend@ 09:51PM EST [link]

Beyond the Bubble: Estates in Land and Future Interests
IF you want to go beyond the bubbles .... and really understand how to allow your kids and grankids to hang unto what you have .... this is for you: Estates in Land and Future Interests: Problems and Answers (Problems and Answers Series) by John Makdisi and Daniel B. Bogart - some claim that this allowed them to pass property - first year at law school" -- topics include: executory interest, executory limitation, vested present interest, fee tail subject, life estate pur autre vie, vested remainder, pur autre vie subject, present interest subject, valid special power, fee simple subject, life estate subject, pres statute, fee tail determinable, intervening contingent remainder, fee simple absolute, life estate determinable, contingent remainder for life, perpetuities period, alternative contingent remainders, life estates, general testamentary power, preceding estates, attempted conveyance, and more

posted by a Real Estate Friend. @ 07:35 PM EST [more..]

New home sales fell by the biggest amount in almost nine years
What do you make of this New York Times article today "WASHINGTON (AP) -- New home sales fell by the biggest amount in almost nine years in February while home prices declined for a fourth straight month, raising concerns that the once high-flying housing market could be in for a rougher-than-expected landing.

The Commerce Department reported Friday that sales of new single-family homes dropped by 10.5 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 1.08 million homes.

It was the second straight monthly decline, following a 5.3 percent fall in January, and marked the biggest one-month drop since April 1997."?


doesn't look like a booming market yet ....

posted by a Real Estate Friend. @ 05:31 PM EST [more..]

The 50 Best Small Southern Towns
by Gerald W. Sweitzer, Kathy M. Fields is getting a lot of press recently ... worth checking out ...

check also America's Most Charming Towns & Villages by Larry Brown

posted by a Real Estate Friend. @ 12:48 AM EST [more..]

First Suburbs
An interesting piece in the New York Times urges us to "Remember these words: "First Suburbs." The term refers to places known variously as "inner-ring" suburbs or pioneer suburbs or Cheever country or Levittown or places where ideals of white picket-fence perfection coexist with madness and alienation and dysfunction and despair. Around here, we know them as Westchester and Nassau, but they exist across the country, on the outskirts of cities that saw an exodus of young families in boom years after World War II."

interesting side topics 20th century, Urbanism and Suburbs

The aging topic is certainly something to keep an eyeon ... what WILL happen when the boomers move on? In fact FannieMae says this and more about Boomburbs ... "A new type of large, rapidly growing suburban city (or "Boomburb") emerged in the latter part of the 20th century along with the Sunbelt and the suburban-dominated metropolis. When late 19th and early 20th century satellite cities reached a large scale, they developed as dense urban cores. But as Boomburbs grow into big "cities," most remain essentially suburban in character. Just as satellite cities reflected the dominant urban pattern of their time, Boomburbs may be the ultimate symbol of the sprawling postwar metropolitan form." [see also Boomburbs: The Rise of America's Accidental Cities -- by Robert E. Lang, Jennifer Lefurgy]

posted by a Real Estate Friend. @ 09:19 PM EST [more..]

Looking for a place to retire?
there are many options ... and resources like:

Making Your Move to One of America's Best Small Towns : How to Find a Great Little Place as Your Next Home Base by Norman Crampton

America's 100 Best Places to Retire (all new third edition) (America's 100 Best Places to Retire) by Elizabeth Armstrong

America's Most Charming Towns & Villages : 5th Edition (Open Road Travel Guides Americas Most Charming Towns and Villages) by Larry Brown


Retirement Places Rated: What You Need to Know to Plan the Retirement You Deserve, Sixth Edition by David Savageau


Cities Ranked and Rated: More than 400 Metropolitan Areas Evaluated in the U.S. and Canada, 1st Edition by Bert Sperling


other resources are located here

posted by a Real Estate Friend. @ 08:27 PM EST [more..]

Urban Movement and Urban Music
... some's located here ... while some useful Urban Housing references are:

Front to Back : A design agenda for urban housing by Sally Lewis

Urban Housing Forms by Jingmin Zhou and Ian Colquhoun

Introduction to Urban Housing Design : At Home in the City by Graham Towers


posted by a Real Estate Friend. @ 11:53 PM EST [more..]

The Ultimate Guide to Buying and Selling Coops and Condos in New York City
is one of the first stops .... another one dealing with sublet fees, flip taxes, your subtenant, condo bylaws, your fellow owners, sublet rules, your sublease, your fellow shareholders, shareholder couple, unsold apartments, shareholder sentiment, penthouse owners, condo boards, steam riser, illegal sublet, board consent, apartment the board, without board approval, most condos, can charge you, condo owners, terrace owners, cash reserve fund, legal warfare, underlying mortgages and more is The Co-Op Bible : Everything You Need to Know About Co-ops and Condos; Getting in, Staying in, Surviving, Thriving by Sylvia Shapiro

posted by a Real Estate Friend. @ 11:48 PM EST [more..]

Pumped Up Prices, Rising Rates, and Mortgages on Steroids
House Poor : Pumped Up Prices, Rising Rates, and Mortgages on Steroids: How to Survive the Coming Housing Crisis by June Fletcher is getting some serious attention ... of June it is said "... been writing about real estate and home-related matters for 20 years. For the past 10 years, she's been "Home Front" feature reporter for the Wall Street Journal; prior to that, she was editor of Homes Today, a monthly newspaper on real estate based in Washington, D.C., and senior editor of BUILDER magazine, a trade publication. She has won writing awards from the American Society of Business Publications Editors, the New York Business Press Editors, and the National Association of Real Estate Editors. " ... of the book ... "House Poor identifies the key issues consumers need to know to survive the current volatile housing market"




posted by a Real Estate Friend. @ 07:12 PM EST [more..]

John R. Talbott says Sell Now! -The End of the Housing Bubble
Thats the claim in his new Sell Now! : The End of the Housing Bubble ... credentials he claims "bestselling author and a visiting scholar at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. He formerly serves as an investment banker for Goldman Sachs. His previous book, The Coming Crash in the Housing Market, was an amazon.com and Business Week bestseller that accurately predicted the financial and management problems that developed at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, our largest mortgage providers." ... does he have something there ... or this just another panic call ...

posted by a Real Estate Friend. @ 07:09 PM EST [more..]

customer-supplier partnership
is one of the emerging trends .... Brokering the customer-supplier partnership in product design and realization over the World Wide Web. : An article from: IIE Transactions by G.Q. Huang, K.L. Mak discusses the possibilities [in the authors' words This research is concerned with the application of the World Wide Web (WWW or web) technology to facilitate the early supplier involvement in new product development. The paper focuses on two parts of the resulting web-based system. The first part is the Bid Explorer underpinned by a bid model which is based on design specification. The bid model consists of inquiries which in turn have values of different types. Inquiries are represented in a hierarchical tree. The bid model is collaboratively established by, and thereafter commonly shared between, the customer and all the interested suppliers. From the point of view of the customer, the inquiries are their requirements. In contrast, from the supplier's viewpoint the inquiries are their capabilities. The second part of the system is the Partnership Explorer which is underpinned by a partnership model. This partnership model uses four types of numeric partnership indices, namely satisfaction index (SI), flexibility index (FI) risk index (RI), and confidence index
posted by a Real Estate Friend. @ 03:37 PM EST [more..]

Abstract Market Niches and Emerging Trends ... the food of search engines
Abstract Market Niches and Emerging Trends go beyond real estate ... first stop here

posted by a Real Estate Friend. @ 07:21 PM EST [more..]

Econometrics ...
has a role in this somewhere ... there's more to it

posted by a Real Estate Friend. @ 12:08 AM EST [more..]

Manhattan: ""cooling" or "melting down?" Will there be a "pause?" A "soft landing?" A "slow leak?""
What's the story with Manhattan Real Estate? Well does this New York Times article clip foresshadow anything in particular?

HOW best to describe the condition of the New York City real estate market? Is it "cooling" or "melting down?" Will there be a "pause?" A "soft landing?" A "slow leak?" Are you a "bubble" believer or of the "frothy" faith?

[a great book to read here is The Sky's the Limit : Passion and Property in Manhattan by Steven Gaines -- Dunkelman says of it "the real heart and sole of this book is a history of some of the most famous streets and buildings in New York- and its a much better story than those of the brokers."]

posted by a Real Estate Friend. @ 10:22 PM EST [more..]

Real wages
Some places are just better than others ... especially if you're looking for a real wage increase. CNN MONEY lists some of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data:

THE BEST:
County State Real Change (2003-3005 adjusted for inflation)
Collin TX 9.62%
Arlington VA 8.70%
Collier FL 8.42%
Lee FL 8.03%
Clark NV 7.84%
Alachua FL 7.75%
Fairfax VA 6.46%

AT THE BOTTOM:


Saginaw MI -3.86%
Lake OH -3.89%
Kent RI -4.03%
Olmsted MN -4.84%
Chester PA -5.57%
King WA -7.26%
Clayton GA -9.69

one wonders how the real estate market tracks over there ...

posted by a Real Estate Friend. @ 08:34 PM EST [more..]