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Because the United States is producing an increasing number of high school graduates who go on to attend college, student housing apparently is recession-proof  real estate.  This is the finding of a recently released report from the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) that studied the recession’s impact on college enrollment and on-campus dormitory vacancy rates. […]

A report by India’s Economic Times indicates that up to 11 multinational firms including Wells Fargo, Standard Chartered and Ingersoll Rand set up back office facilities in India during the 3rd quarter of 2009. A research firm, Everest Group, says this bodes well for the overall business momentum in India picking up in 2010.  Two […]

Jason Sadler, a 26-year-old former marketing professional from Florida has resolved his unemployment woes  by founding his own company – I Wear Your Shirt.  The entrepreneurial concept is simple.  Sadler wears a T-shirt provided by any company for a day and uses social media tools to promote the firm.  And it’s earning Sadler nearly $85,000 […]

You can be President Barack Obama’s Chicago next-door neighbor for just $1.85 million. That’s the listing price for the 17-room 1906-vintage brick house at 5040 South Greenwood Avenue owned by Bill and Jacky Grimshaw since 1973. The house had been on the market for an unspecified sum since September, but a price had to be […]

The Federal Reserve is considering regulating banks’ pay policies to make certain they discourage employees from making the irresponsible gambles that led to 2008’s financial meltdown.  The Fed’s proposal would apply to thousands of banks, including some that did not receive bailouts. Under the Fed’s proposal, the central bank would review – and could say […]

The markets are keeping a close eye on a transaction that may jump start the commercial property debt market, even though the Federal Reserve has expressed some uneasiness with the deal.  If the transaction is successful, it could pave the way for the initial sale of commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) under the government Term Asset-Backed […]

Don’t waste a good crisis.  Right now is a great time to sit down and rethink and reinvent how we look at real estate and the workplace.  That’s the opinion of R. J. Brennan, Associate and Director of Workplace Strategies at IA Interior Architects in Chicago and former president of the Chicago Chapter of CoreNet […]

The Western European commercial real estate bright spot is the activity by German investors, according to the latest Global Capital Trends report from Real Capital Analytics (RCA).  “In April, the Germans raised a half billion Euros — approximately $690 million – for their open-ended funds.  That is in addition to the billion Euros raised in […]

Although the Great Recession has created hardships for millions of Americans, it has been the stimulus for a giant sale of consumer items.  Houses in some Detroit neighborhoods can be purchased for the price of a new car.  Everything from big-screen televisions to clothing are being sold at deep discounts.  Hotel rooms cost approximately 20 […]

The federal government’s program to help homeowners facing foreclosure has reached its target of 500,000 mortgage modifications by November 1.  “There is a lot of work left to do,” said Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.  “Today’s announcement is a good step forward, but we are nowhere near the finish line.”  The long-term […]