Real Estate Prices

Home price increases may have flattened - Nov. 15, 2005 Web CNN/Money Home News Markets Technology Commentary Personal Finance Autos Real Estate Real Estate Buying & Selling SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT | SUBSCRIBE TO MONEY | Outlook sours for real estate Many indicators point to a major slowdown in home prices. November 15, 2005: 5:47 PM EST By Les Christie, CNN/Money staff writer Most overvalued markets The real estate markets most vulnerable in a housing bust Metro market Median home price Percent overvalued Naples, FL $489,875 79.35% Santa Barbara, CA $609,999 73.69% Merced, CA $256,348 71.71% Salinas, CA $539,273 70.49% Stockton, CA $307,849 68.66% Medford, OR $246,245 64.78% Port St. Lucie, FL $210,727 64.17% Riverside, CA $291,170 62.92% Modesto, CA $287,030 62.77% Madera, CA $256,417 60.39% Source:National City NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Did homeowners who sold in September get out just in time? The latest report on third-quarter home prices, released Tuesday by the National Association of Realtors, showed continued strength. But increasingly there are signs that prices have plateaued. Of 147 markets tracked , 69 had gains from a year ago of more than 10 percent -- only six metro areas experienced declines. But from the second quarter to the third quarter, the national median home price rose to $215,900, up just 3.8 percent. That contrasts with a 10.4 percent jump in the prior quarter. And more and more leading indicators are pointing to a slowdown. In Boston, real-estate investor Matthew Martinez reports recently having spoken to five condo converters. "They all said the party was over," Martinez said. In Florida, Elena Filipa, vice president of the Corcoron Group in West Palm, said "We've leveled off. I would say prices will go up this year, but not as fast as they have." None of this surprises the many economists who have been waiting for a downturn. Richard DeKaser, chief economist for mortgage banker National City, has been reluctant to call the top, but thinks it has finally passed. "We're coming down the other side of the mountain," said DeKaser. The signs include: Builder pessimism The builders DeKaser surveys are less optimistic than they were even a few months ago. Separately, one leading builder, Pennsylvania-based Toll Brothers, announced last week that expected demand for 2006 would be down, resulting in moderating price increases and fewer sales. New-home sales declining DeKaser also notes that the number of new homes sold have fallen sharply since peaking in July at an annual rate of 1.3 million units. DeKaser calls new-home sales (rather than existing-home sales) the canary in the coal mine. "Developers tend to be more sensitive to market conditions," he said. They have cash flow issues, payrolls, and loans that put more pressure on them to sell. Ordinary home sellers are often more selective than developers, even taking properties off the market if they don't get the price they want. Developers have to drop prices to move inventory. Inventories rising Supplies of new homes are way up, to nearly 500,000 units, from 350,000 a few months ago. "That's an all-time high for new homes," says DeKaser. The higher the inventory, the more likely prices will fall. Sell times are up Houses are sitting on the market longer. New homes now take about 4.1 months to sell and existing homes 4.7; both figures are up substantially. What to expect In a recent survey, NAR members say they predict home prices to rise only 5 percent in the next 12 months. Nearly half of the realtors predict prices will rise less than five percent and 6.4 percent actually expect prices to fall. "You can't expect double-digit price increases to go on forever," said Walter Molony, spokesman for NAR. "We're seeing a market in transition in which there'll be an easing of price increases in the future." While DeKaser expects a slowdown, he predicts an "orderly transition" for the most part, with some exceptions. "There will be busts in some markets," he said. "Mostly, we'll come out of it unscathed." For the most part, DeKaser doesn't envision losses on that scale. He thinks home prices will decline 1.7 percent during the fourth quarter of 2005 and stay almost flat all the way through 2007. But history shows that some over-valued markets could fare much worse. Molony points out that the most severe drops in real-estate prices are usually triggered by an underlying economic crisis. After oil prices went into a six-year decline in the late 1970s, housing prices in oil cities experienced steep drops. In Oklahoma City, prices plummeted 26 percent in real dollars from 1983 to 1988. With inflation, the "real" loss was more than 40 percent. Houses in many oil patch cities are worth less in real dollars than they cost more than 20 years ago. How to protect yourself It may already be too late to cash out at the top, which some residents of hot markets have already done. About 500,000 California residents moved out of state since 2001, according to economy.com, many to take advantage of lower housing prices elsewhere. But houses are not really investments in the same way stocks or bonds are. As an investment, timing the market is touchy -- miscalculate and it can cost you. If, for example, you cashed out a year ago in Los Angeles, expecting to buy back in at a lower price, you'd have to spend nearly 23 percent more for a similar house this year. Add closing and moving costs and commissions and it could cost 30 percent more to get back into the market. Cashing out just doesn't make sense except for retirees or others in a position to relocate or downsize. People looking to buy right now should shop carefully. Look at a number of homes, try not to fall in love, and be realistic about prices. Don't be afraid to bid low. The days of multiple bids may be over for a while. With interest rates rising, try to get into a fixed-rate loan. Adjustable rate loans could adjust to a much higher level when they come due, making monthly bills much costlier. ARMs rates are so close to fixed at this point, it costs little extra to forego the risk of higher rates in the future. ________________________________________________________ Latest prices for 147 markets. Housing affordability is at a low point. For more, click here . Just as the good times may be ending, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange is beginning to offer futures trading in home prices. For more click here . For more articles on Real Estate, subscribe to MONEY Magazine . The Hot List Most profitable renovations How risky is your 401(k)? Big new tax credits for hybrid cars More Buying & Selling Least affordable rental markets Take this home market...and love it Double jeopardy for landlords contact us | magazine customer service | site map | glossary | RSS | press room OTHER NEWS: CNN | SI | Fortune | Business2.0 = Money subscribers = Premium content -- * - Time reflects local markets trading time. † - Intraday data is at least 15-minutes delayed. Disclaimer © 2005 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Terms under which this service is provided to you. privacy policy Reprints of site stories are available. Top Stories Most overvalued housing markets Risks to the economy in 2006 Which was the worst ad of all in 2005? After the ride, a rest Hilton brands reunite after 40 years YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS Follow the news that matters to you. Create your own alert to be notified on topics you're interested in. Or, visit Popular Alerts for suggestions. Manage alerts | What is this?

Texas Land Survey precisely

WhiteStar Texas Land Survey TEXAS LAND SURVEY WhiteStar's Texas Land Survey is a seamless, high-resolution database of county boundaries, blocks, surveys, abstracts, subdivisions, lots, and tracts that is ideal for base maps and plotting land ownership and leases. The Texas Land Survey precisely overlays USGS Digital Orthophotos and Digital Raster Graphs, making it useful for indexing and analysis. Data Source WhiteStar's Texas Land Survey is based on official, researchable state records from the Railroad Commission of Texas. The original General Land Office surveys for 254 Texas counties were drafted onto USGS 1:24,000 series maps by the Texas Railroad Commission. Enhancement Using ESRI GIS technology, WhiteStar has digitized the survey lines and created polygonal coverages with attributes and map-friendly annotation. The resulting data are seamless across state and county boundaries and have cleaner lines, layers, and annotation than the original Railroad Commission data. We offer two versions of the Texas Land Survey data: vector - clean lines with annotation optimized for display and polygonal - attributed polygons optimized for well spotting and GIS queries. Content Data layers include County Boundary, Block, Survey, Abstract, Subdivision, Lot, Tract, Overlap Block, Overlap Survey, Overlap Abstract, Overlap Subdivision, and Overlap Lot. Subdivisions, lots, and tracts are available in attributed polygonal format only from WhiteStar. Tabular attributes include block, survey, abstract, subdivision, lot, and tract name and number. Format The Texas Land Survey is currently available in the following formats: ArcGIS Shapefiles, E00 Download Samples AutoCAD DXF, DWG GeoGraphix CDF Kingdom DXF, ASCII Landmark ASCII MapInfo Tab files Petra DXF, CDF Surfer DXF Coverage Complete State of Texas coverage, available by county or state. Application Land mapping, oil and gas exploration, pipeline mapping, agriculture, forestry, parcel mapping. Example of Texas Land Grid combined with wells and culture.

buy property in France

French property in France. Guide to French real estate and sales in france For property buyers >Buying guide Buying property in France Property prices vary across France, with property near Paris and on the south coast costing much more than property in less well-connected areas of the country. You can buy a four-bedroom property in the Loire for up to £200,000, or a two-bedroom apartment in Cannes for about the same price. It all depends on your preference for areas, how remote you want to be, and whether you need to commute to work. Click here to locate a French Property Generally, buying a property abroad is a good way of reducing the cost of living, but buying a property in France is not necessarily an investment as it has been in the UK: property prices are much more stable compared to the English property market, with prices really only rising in line with inflation and not adding much value to the property in real terms. There are also the taxes and costs associated with buying property in France to consider when planning your investment. Looking for property abroad is therefore more often associated with investing in your future life - somewhere to spend your holidays or somewhere to retire when the time comes. When you buy property in France bear in mind that the costs are different to those in the UK. There are more taxes for a start, including income, wealth, property, capital gains, and residential taxes. This can add up to quite a hefty sum. Even though the government has pledged to reduce income tax by a third in the coming years, tax in France is still quite high. Late payment of taxes incurs a charge of around 10%, so make sure you pay your dues on time! If you rent out your property in France, whether this is to a friend for a few weeks' holiday or 52 weeks of commercial rent, you will have to declare and pay income tax on the rental income (revenu foncier) even if you live abroad. Property tax covers your contributions to local services like rubbish removal and street lighting and varies greatly depending on the region: oddly enough, the Paris area has some of the lowest rates in the country. You pay wealth tax if your annual income exceeds €720,000. Residential tax applies to properties with a rental value over €4,600 on 1 st January. Even if you rent or sell the property from 2nd January onwards, you have to pay the full year, not the new tenant or owner. Capital gains tax (CGT) is rather more complicated: suffice to say that the sale of second residences incurs CGT and the EU tax authorities are working together to track anyone who tries to dodge paying it! Having said all this France is a great place to live - the quality of life is better, the roads are a joy to drive on and the weather is better than the UK! For holiday makers For property buyers For property owners Buying guide Find an agent Find a property Property services Life in France Short List -- About us Advertise your property Contact us Site map Accessibility -- WebConnection Ltd. Advertise your property Terms of use Privacy policy Site map Quick links Contact us --

Rental Property Assessor Home

Rental Property Search Form Site Map | Search| Phone Directory | Departments | Services About Us Office Locations Jobs FAQs Contact Assessor Links Appeals Assessor Bio GIS Maps Parcel Search Property Valuation -- Residential Notice of Value Tax Rates -- Tax Rates Services Q and A Senior Valuation Protection Common Area Parcel Policy Data Sales New Parcel Lookup Redaction Residential Rental Property Assessor Home Personal Property Personal Property Home Arizona Business Personal Property Tax Questions & Answers E-Filing Assessment Calendar Valuation Table Index Valuation Tables Property Valuation -- Self-Reporting Form Tax Rates -- Business Property Statement Instructions Agricultural Property Statement Instructions Appeal Form & Instructions Residential Rental Property Search You may search for Rental Property data in four ways. Option One Search By: Property Address: If unsure about a field, leave it blank. example Street # Street Name (name only ie. 'Main') City Unsure? Avondale Buckeye Carefree Cave Creek Chandler El Mirage Fountain Hills Gila Bend Gilbert Glendale Goodyear Guadalupe Litchfield Park Mesa Morristown Paradise Valley Peoria Phoenix Scottsdale Sun City Surprise Tempe Tolleson Wickenburg Youngtown -OR- Option Two Search By: Owner Name: example First Name Last Name -OR- Option Three Search By: Parcel Number: "Split" must be a letter, A-Z. example Book Map Parcel Split -OR- Option Four Search By: Agent Name: example First Name Last Name Disclaimer The data contained in this database is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. This information should be used for informational use only and does not constitute a legal document for the description of these properties. Every effort has been made to insure the accuracy of this data; however, this material may be slightly dated which would have an impact on its accuracy. The Maricopa County Assessor's Office disclaims any responsibility or liability for any direct or indirect damages resulting from the use of this data.

real estate investing market.

Real Estate Investment Ideas? New Search Advanced Search Hot Property The real story on real estate BLOGS Blogspotting Brand New Day Byte of the Apple Deal Flow Economics Unbound Fine On Media Hot Property NussbaumOnDesign Tech Beat BLOG RSS FEEDS About RSS Blogspotting Brand New Day Byte of the Apple Deal Flow Economics Unbound Fine On Media Hot Property Nussbaum On Design Tech Beat PREMIUM CONTENT MBA Insider ONLINE FEATURES Book Reviews BW Video Columnists Interactive Gallery Newsletters Past Covers Philanthropy Podcasts Special Reports TECHNOLOGY Product Reviews Startups Special Reports Tech Stats Wildstrom: Tech Maven SMALLBIZ Smart Answers Success Stories Today's Tip Trailblazing Companies INVESTING Annual Reports BW 50 S&P Picks & Pans Stock Screeners Free S&P Stock Report SCOREBOARDS Mutual Funds Info Tech 100 S&P 500/BW 50 B-SCHOOLS MBA Profiles MBA Rankings Who's Hiring Grads BW EXTRAS BW Digital BW Online Alerts Handheld Edition RSS Feeds Reprints/Permissions Conferences Investor Workshops BUSINESS DIRECTORY -- Find local experts in: « Cooling in California | Main | Land Sales Could Slow » October 28, 2005 Real Estate Investment Ideas? Peter Coy Every December, BusinessWeek publishes an investment guide for the year ahead. This year I'm doing the real estate story. Here's the question my editors want me to answer: Are there still any real estate bargains out there? What do you think? Any U.S. cities where house prices still have room to rise? ( Youngstown ?) Any countries where real estate is still relatively cheap? ( Germany ?) Condos feel kind of pricey lately, but are there still deals to be had? What about REITs? If you like REITs, which kinds? Name names, please. Remember, it's not enough to say that an investment costs less. You have to make the case that it's likely to go up in price and/or throw off a lot of cash in the next year. Be prepared to defend your choices because at least someone reading this blog is bound to disagree with whatever you say. I'm thinking of giving a prize to the Hot Property reader who comes up with the idea that works out the best over the next year. Let's say, either 100 acres of midtown Manhattan real estate or a paper crown labeled Real Estate Emperor. My choice. So ... send in those ideas and start arguing with each other. 04:56 PM Investing in Real Estate Trackback Pings TrackBack URL for this entry: http://blogs.businessweek.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/ Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Real Estate Investment Ideas? : » Business Week posts "Hot Property" Real Estate Contest from Pacesetter Mortgage Blog Peter Coy, over at the Business Week Hot Property Blog, is posting a Real Estate Investment contest of sorts. His question is this, Are there still any real estate bargains out there? I will put my hat in the ring [Read More] Tracked on October 29, 2005 12:06 PM » The US Real Estate Market from Adam Dudley This article at Business Week Online caused me to post my thoughts about the US real estate investing market. With rising interest rates and a multitude of home owners using deadly interest only loans and ARM's in the US, there [Read More] Tracked on October 31, 2005 09:25 AM Comments how about being a contrarian, and invest in the tanking market. For example, buy puts or short homebuilders and the credit agencies that have the largest exposure. Posted by: bradley jellerichs at October 28, 2005 06:37 PM I'll start the brawling by saying that I'm pretty darn bullish on the Seattle market. My reasoning? It's the economy... With Boeing and Microsoft doing a wonderful job of holding down the fort, and a thriving start-up vibe (in real estate alone, there is Zillow, Redfin, and HouseValues), it seems like enough of the area residents will be flush with cash for the near future to keep prices rising. And while Seattle has definitely seen some growth in the recent past, things have never gotten out of control like they have in the Bay Area. Because I really want to win the 100 acres in Manhattan (or at least an Emperor crown!), I'll get a little more specific. I'd invest in a starter home (~$350K) in the Ballard neighborhood. Of course I'm only speculating, but I think that a home like this still has plenty of room to grow in the near future (i.e. one year). Posted by: Dustin at October 31, 2005 01:30 AM OK, so far I have Maricopa County, Ariz., and Seattle. I have "short the homebuilders." I also got a very intelligent email from someone suggesting a narrow segment of REITs--ones with low debt/equity ratios that get most of their income from leasing buildings to companies in healthy industry sectors. What else? Posted by: Peter Coy at October 31, 2005 05:23 PM First, I have put aside some cash ($50k) in my money market account. I also have on my current house a 15-Year fixed mortgage (50% loan-to-value) with really affordable monthly mortgage payment. Finally, I have no plan to move out for at least 5 years. Second, I opened an (still untapped) equity line of credit on my current home (200k, about half of the equity in my house). And now, guess who will be a major player in the foreclosure market in my county after the housing boom goes bust. Assuming a worst case scenario of a 25% decline in valuation in the years following the bust, my remaining equity stake will vanish but I compensated for that by buying $20,000 worth of premium on OTM put options (CTX Jan08 45 Put for example) on the 2 big home builders in my county. Posted by: the contrarian at October 31, 2005 11:04 PM The conventional wisdom is that "as interest rates rise, real estate values must decline, and so to must REITs." The problem with this CW is that it is too simple, and it doesn't take into account the wide variation in the various types of REITs out there. If rising interest rates and the risk of a "real estate bubble" is a concern, then it is possible to screen for REITs that minimize that risk. For example, if we look at REITs that have low debt/equity ratios and derive their income mostly from leasing properties to other businesses, those REITs will be less sensitive to land valuation and interest rates. These success of these REITs are more dependent on the segment they lease to, such as healthcare, retail, etc. I ran a screen looking for REITs with debt/equity ratio less than 0.5 and whose income is tied to leases. Some promising candidates include Universal Health Realty Income Trust (UHT). Leases out 43 medical buildings in the Southwest (where there are plenty of retirees and demand for medical services), has a debt/equity ratio of 0.23. Dividend yield is 6.5% and UHT has steadily increased their dividend over the years. A similar healthcare REIT is LTC Properties Inc. (LTC), with 200 senior long-term care facilities, a debt/equity ratio of 0.23 and a divident yield of 6.6%. Hospitality Properties Trust (HPT). Owns and leases hotel and motels to various national chains such as Courtyard by Marriott and Candlewood Suites. Debt to equity is 0.49. Has more debt than I'd like but income from operations has been increasing. Good dividend payer at 7.4%. Correctional Properties Trust (CPV). Leases out 12 prison facilites and has no debt, with a dividend yield of 6.5%. The leases are long-term and include rent increases tied to the CPI. Given the latest White House shenanigans this may be a real growth industry. Interestingly, there were no residential REITs that met my low debt criteria. Many of them have debt/equity ratios greater than one. I believe those REITs are to be avoided. Posted by: Jim in Calif at October 31, 2005 11:06 PM Ernest and Young's Steven Friedman told real estate editors at the National Assn. of Realtors annual convention that the best places to buy a condo in today's market are: Jacksonville, FL Austin, TX Boise, ID Friedman said his choices are based on job growth, affordability, and quality of life. Posted by: Frances Flynn Thorsen at November 1, 2005 06:14 AM Is land still a good buy anywhere? Great comment by Boe Clark about land over on the "Land Sales Could Slow" thread (justly accusing me of being vague). Here's what he wrote: The blogger speaks of land (improved and unimproved I assume), as if it were a homogeneous commodity. Prices are going down...in which markets? In Florida, Arizona, and Texas? Or in California and Colorado? In urban, sub urban, ag, commerically zoned, or residentially zoned land? 10 miles, or twenty miles, from population centers? In urban infill areas? With or without utilities/services? Generalities get us nowhere...specifics you can use to make prudent investment decisions with. Posted by: Peter Coy at November 1, 2005 10:36 AM Here's an Idea: Wait on the housing market and slowly move towards equities. There's some bet up stocks that could bought for a song. Posted by: Joe at November 3, 2005 01:27 PM It probably doesn’t bode well for the real estate market that there are not a lot of investment ideas! Posted by: Dustin at November 3, 2005 04:15 PM What about fixing up and renting or selling dilapidated properties in out-of-favor markets? Somebody in that business emailed me with that suggestion. Seems like it could be a good deal for people who don't mind supplementing their cash with elbow grease. Posted by: Peter Coy at November 3, 2005 06:00 PM Forget the US. Japan's real estate market is rip-roaring. Posted by: Taro Akasaka at November 3, 2005 11:15 PM 1. REITs holding a lot of mid level apartment buildings (where the former homeowners in CA will be moving once the number of foreclosures exceeds 100,000 in the state). 2. REITs specializing in self storage facilities. These units rent for the same price per square foot as apartments, but cost a fraction of the cost to build and maintain and are enormously profitable. Again, demand will soar as the number of foreclosures in CA exceeds 100,000. The number of foreclosures in CA WILL exceed 100,000 now that rates are rising and the I/O speculators and such will be driven out of the market as will so many first time buyers who have been sold these disastrous loans (half of buyers in San Diego and 2/3 of buyers statewide for the past 18 months). Posted by: Dave at November 8, 2005 06:58 PM Are we talking about investments (say 5-7% compounding growth over 20 years) or speculation (dreams of 100% inflation over 1 year)? I like the idea of getting a positive cash flow with 20% down and then watching 5-7% appreciation over 20 years. Summit County, Colorado, is 90 miles west of Denver and another mile higher. From 2001 to 2005, prices were flat, since demand equaled supply. Since January of 2005, demand has increased and prices are starting to climb sharply. Summit County has a great location, great weather, and spectacular scenery, yet is much less expensive than Aspen and Vail. To me it looks like a great bet. Posted by: DaveB at November 12, 2005 04:32 PM Bulgaria is the hottest real estate market in Europe. http://www.thepropertyinvestorsclub.co.uk/pic-bulgarian-property-investment.htm http://www.thepropertyinvestorsclub.co.uk/property-investment-tracker.htm http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2005/06/global_real_est.html http://bbtbulgaria.blogspot.com Posted by: Dimitar Vesselinov at November 19, 2005 09:21 PM How about India; bungalos on the beach near major cities. Bocas in Panama? Or, Tibet, near Changdu. Those are my bets. Douglas Posted by: Douglas at December 12, 2005 02:55 AM Post a comment Name: Email Address: URL: Comments: Recent Posts New and Improved In 2006, a Harsher Reality for Realty A Gloomy Christmas for Real Estate? The Reflex Effect Wealthy Americans believe real estate to go up, up, up Recent Comments Cooling in California (6) Housing Numbers Continue to Surprise (9) Neg Am Mortgages (6) Taxpayer-backed mortgages for undocumented immigrants? (5) No mass exodus from the Golden State (12) Short Countrywide? (1) A Gloomy Christmas for Real Estate? (1) Washington DC bubble? (214) Riskiest housing markets (6) Wealthy Americans believe real estate to go up, up, up (2) Recent Trackbacks Wealthy Americans believe real estate to go up, up, up (1) More New Homes for Sale (1) A Fun Website for Checking Affordability (1) Impact of higher mortgage rates? (2) Making Sense of Average Mortgage Rates (1) A Less Curvaceous Yield Curve (2) The Westchester Tease (1) More Option ARMs and Alt-A Loans (1) Real Estate Investment Ideas? (2) Boston housing...on the rise???? (1) Categories Affordability Amey's adventures in real estate Bubbles Cali is Doomed Demographics Economy Estate Planning Foreclosures Home builders Housing Prices Investing in Real Estate Mortgage Rates Mortgages Real Estate Culture Refinancing Regions Remodeling Selling Archives December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 Subscribe RSS Feed