In an attempt to balance lending risks with credit-driven economic growth, Congress is mulling a Financial Reform bill that has the potential to hinder the VA Home Loan Guaranty...
Commercial Mortgage Crisis Continues
The commercial real estate (CRE) market peaked in 2007, and has been in a prolonged process of collapse ever since. This is true for asset valuations across CRE property types, equity...
Commercial Risk Premiums At 18-Year High
Commercial real estate (CRE) risk premiums are now at an 18-year high, with capitalization rates nearly 7% higher than the 10-year treasury yield. Investors are telling us that CRE is...
Manhattan Beach Sales Volume
If you have not yet heard the news, the US is in a housing recession. The story is no different for South Bay real estate. We may be cushioned from most of the world in our luxurious...
Evaluating The FHA Reform Act of 2010
The FHA Reform Act of 2010 was just passed in the House of Representatives last week. The general intent of the Bill is to reduce the risk to taxpayers of toxic loans insured by the...
White House Wants To End Tax Break For Wealthy Homeowners
The White House is urging Congress to limit, or cut, the once untouchable tax break for mortgage interest. In traditional class warfare parlance, the White House cap on mortgage...
A Busy May In Manhattan Beach
The month of May turned out to be a busy time for Manhattan Beach real estate, particularly for the single family residence (SFR) market. SFR volume increased 80% to 36 closed sales...
Manhattan Beach Housing Market: May 2010
Manhattan Beach housing prices are anything but clear. Over the last 3 months (from March 1st through May 31st), 113 homes have sold in the city of Manhattan Beach. These homes spent...
Quantifying Resale Value of Home Repairs in Los Angeles
A common misconception in real estate is that capital investment projects always yield positive rates of return (ROI). In reality, most home improvements lose money on resale. In Los...
Cautionary Note For Short Selling Homeowners
Moody’s Economy.com estimates that 3.8 million homes will be lost in 2009 and 2010 because borrowers cannot make their mortgage payments. The same story is told all over the...


