Like any business, real estate is subject to certain market forces that affect values. The life-blood of commercial real estate is affordable financing for the acquisition, development, redevelopment and refinancing of improved properties. The availability of financing is determined by the overall economy, overbuilding, interest rates, market perception (right or wrong), unemployment and, of course,…
Many investors have become disenchanted with recent stock market volatility, stories of corporate scandal and corruption. In addition to impacting retirement account values, these events have also strained investor confidence. It is no wonder then that more and more investors are pushing their advisers to offer Self-Directed IRAs (SDIRAs) that allow them to invest in…
2008 College applications surged. Nationally, more students than ever before—3.3 million—will graduate from high school this year, said David Hawkins of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Two-thirds of the graduates are expected to seek some form of higher education. The trend is expected to plateau next year, then decline slightly. State Colleges/Universities have…
Wherever your real estate investment is located—provided you bought it at the right price and terms—there are many ways to keep your property profitable. If you analyze your real estate, update and improve your investment team, review your long- and short-term investment plans and stay focused on the end result; your real estate portfolio will…
This is, by general consensus, about the worst time to be a broker since 1929 – and possibly since 1914 and the start of the First World War. Both retail brokerage and prime brokerage firms have been kicked around by the crisis of the past few months, and both will emerge changed, even ignoring the…
The fact that emerging markets in Asia, Africa and Middle East have managed to stave off the worst effects of the global credit crunch for over a year has impressed investors enough to rethink their fund strategies and shift large amounts of cash to countries which just five years ago they would have been reluctant…
This is, by general consensus, about the worst time to be a broker since 1929 – and possibly since 1914 and the start of the First World War. Both retail brokerage and prime brokerage firms have been kicked around by the crisis of the past few months, and both will emerge changed, even ignoring the…
For a brief moment in October it seemed as if the world’s financial systems were about to implode. What was once unthinkable, and if we are to believe many financial models, unimaginable, was actually happening. Rock solid corporations were crumbling, governments that had long espoused free market capitalism were rushing to bail out banks, in…
Investors are looking for scalps and insurers have warned that companies worldwide – not just in the US, where shareholder actions are more common – face potentially ruinous litigation claims for losses caused either as a direct result of their own actions and failure to manage risks effectively, or through their exposure to those companies…
The Florida Land Trust The Florida Land Trust is an easy and inexpensive method for buying and holding title to Florida real estate in order to own real estate confidentiality and privacy. It is authorized under the Florida Land Trust Act (Section 689.071 of the Florida Statutes) originally adopted by the State of Florida in 1963…
