January, 2009

Proposals Re Bankruptcy Laws »

The new Administration is seriously considering a revision to the bankruptcy law that will allow Judges to "cram down" mortgages on residential properties. Actually bankruptcy judges already have the power to modify mortgages on vacation homes - just not primary residences. Consumer advocates argue that by giving bankruptcy courts the power

A New Closing Dynamic »

In the real estate transactions world, we are operating in new territory. Buyers are nervous ("are we overpaying?"). Lenders are skittish ("are we overfinancing?"). Appraisers are ultra-conservative. And so on. It is for this reason that I have been suggesting to my clients for more than a year that the period between contract and closing --

Cap Rate Decompression »

It seems like just a year ago I was speaking with a buddy of mine who specialized in investment sales of large real estate properties. As I was performing due diligence on some of these properties for an acquisition group I represented, I was very familiar with the numbers. When I heard the seller's asking price, and subsequently was stunned by

Housing Predictions »

Notwithstanding a lot of negative information about housing prices, I believe we will see stabilization in the markets by mid-year. Here is my thinking: The speed in which our economy crashed (housing and stock prices) is unprecedented. There were no economic models to predict what happened. Once the decline started, the fuel