The end of white picket fences
Wanda Rapp doesn't own her home, and doesn't want to. Her job makes her painfully aware of why she doesn't. Rapp manages repossessed and foreclosed assets for a bank in Los Angeles. Assets. Not...
How did we get here?
The answer undoubtedly depends upon one's definition of the Dream, and there are many from which to choose. John Winthrop envisioned a religious paradise in a "City upon a Hill." Martin Luther King, Jr....
Land of the free. Home of the brave.
It then describes the qualifications to become a member of our nation's military elite: "a focused, agile mind, astute awareness, physical toughness. That's what it takes to be part of the Army Special Forces." Within...
Asset swaps, sales and spruce-ups
UDR, Inc. and AvalonBay Communities recently completed a $500 million asset exchange that helps to realize the property allocation goals of both REITs. The transaction includes the swap of three AvalonBay apartment communities in...
Tempest-tossed in Tuscaloosa
"Not one square inch of the property was untouched," said Lane Company Regional VP Ashley Monroe, who traveled from her home in Atlanta on April 28, the day after a deadly tornado raged through,...
Should companies have a happiness index?
David Cameron probably isn't happy about the primary reason he's in the news these days. The British prime minister, who formerly employed News of the World ex-editor Andy Coulson, has had to explain his...
Ready for launch
"We think it's a great time to grow these enterprises," said UDR CEO Tom Toomey of the expansion in the apartment industry. "You can't sit there and look at the wall of demand that...
Fannie Mae focuses on affordable housing
While there are 15.2 million occupied multifamily rentals in the U.S., Fannie Mae reports that market conditions suggests that number will not meet the growing demand. Industry experts attribute the growing need to the...
What about apartments?
Parrell testified in May on behalf of the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) and the National Apartment Association (NAA) before the Senate Banking Committee's hearing on housing finance reform. Highlighting elements of the existing housing...
Rental market requires new housing policy
Speaking to more than 300 of the nation's leading apartment executives, observers from both sides of the political spectrum expressed the need for ongoing federal intervention in the housing market. Industry experts examined how...
5 reasons you can’t concentrate
For adults who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), chronic inattentiveness becomes debilitating. "We see an influx of adults being diagnosed around age 38," says Timothy Wilens, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard...
Fannie and Freddie: cool heads prevail warn regulators
The mortgage buyers, now controlled by the government, and their regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, are "facing challenging times," the agency's head Edward DeMarco told a congressional panel. Republican lawmakers are leading efforts to...
Renters growing in numbers
The trend away from home ownership to renting appears to reflect not only the weakening of personal finances, but a move away from long-held notions of home ownership. "There's the American dream, that owning a...
Come together right now
From the minute you meet Natalie, you know she is meant for greatness. She exudes poise and strength, well beyond her years. And she is determined. Jeff Stack, managing director of Sares-Regis, is a multifamily...
Getting the green light
In January, NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe told attendees at NAHB Builder's show in Orlando, Fla., that he expects 2011's selling season for single-family homes to beat out 2010, with job growth providing an...
