While catching up on March’s reading, I spied an encouraging article by Eric Young in the SF Business Times’ 3-6-09 issue. It talks about the stimulus money for CA. It is estimated that CA will be receiving $45 billion from the federal stimulus cash. In addition to the money earmarked for education, infrastructure, unemployment and [...]

A excellent synopsis of the East Bay economic picture can be found in the East Bay Monthly Analysis prepared by the East Bay Development Alliance – February 2009. It includes such information as payroll figures by metropolitan area, unemployment statistics and construction employment. A snapshot of the East Bay for January 2009 shows unemployment went [...]

Erika Schnitzer at the MultiHousing News 3-18-09 online magazine writes on a compelling article on the apartment industry in Sacramento area. While fewer than 2,000 apartments are in the pipeline, only 100 new units will be delivered this year. Why? Job losses along with the land’s geography and supply constraint generates “an oversupply of market-rate [...]

Just saw some encouraging investment information in the Multi-Housing News online 3-18-09 issue in the form of an article written by Anuradha Kher. Basically, there are optimistic views out there about housing recovery, from – among others – The Northern New Jersey District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI-NNJ. “This crisis is an opportunity [...]

Browsing through the March/April issue of Apartment Finance Today, an article written by Jerry Ascierto seemed worth passing on to you. Multifamily lenders, going through mass consolidation, have left borrowers looking for safety and have found Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae to be their safe havens. GSE’s (government sponsored agencies) are providing liquidity while lenders [...]

In looking over the Affordable Housing News magazine recently, I spied an article written by Jerry Ascierto in the Housing Finance News section on Cap and Trade Programs. Many countries already use such systems (from the Kyoto Treaty days). What they do is give credits or permits depending how much carbon emissions are emitted in [...]

My husband and I were trying to determine which 4 family house to purchase in the spring of 2009. Pete was referred to us as a consultant only- as he is not licensed in NJ.  Pete did a masterful job of explaining cap rates, net operating income and cash on cash calculations. As we reviewed [...]

“I met Pete when assisting a client in his desire to purchase one of Pete’s listings as part of the client’s overall investment plan. While the deal did not materialize, I came to get to know Pete’s approach and was exposed to the breadth of his knowledge in the commercial real estate industry. I leaned [...]

Jennifer Popovec from the November 1, 2008 Multifamily Executive Magazine once again has delivered an interesting and informative article, this time on rooftop choices.  Depending on your budget and style preferences, you have some new and fascinating picks, such as EnergySmart Roof membranes from Sika Sarnafil which help reduce the heat island effect for buildings [...]

Still leafing though magazines from earlier this year, I found a article I felt was worthy of sharing with you. This just in from Chris Wood in the Multifamily Executive Magazine, January 1, 2009. A renting vs buying analysis was recently done and released last fall by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Economic and Policy [...]

Faux Wood Flooring – Smart Bet for Apartment Properties Still another great article in the December 1, 2008 issue of Multifamily Executive Magazine, this one written by Jennifer Popovec. Multi-family developers and owners are now looking to laminate, vinyl tiles and vinyl plank flooring for a more contemporary and practical installation. Hardwood, the traditional flooring [...]

Just wanted to share some timely information from an article I read by Marcus & Millichap in last December’s Multifamily Executive Magazine. As it turns out, our very own San Francisco has sustained investor interest, despite the current economy. Why? Well, since San Fran is one of the most densely populated cities in the country, [...]

In reading through the Multifamily Executive Magazine, March 1, 2009 edition, I spotted an article by Jennifer Popovec that caught my eye. It’s a great article highlighting everything from low-flow showerheads, water-efficient fixtures in the kitchens and bathrooms to touchless and trough faucets. As any multi-family owner or manager knows, it is becoming more and [...]

Just saw an interesting article written by Jerry Ascierti on the HousingFinance.com website The highest default ratio ever in the market, double the high last year, will triple this year on commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS). Roughly, 40% of these defaults are multi-family loans even though multifamily loans are only 30% of the CMBS industry. A [...]