Real Estate Issues articles from September 2006

Real Estate Issues archives from September 2006

Editor's statement.
September 22, 2006... TWENTY YEARS AGO MANY CONFERENCE SPEAKERS began warning: "Do international business or perish." Hearing this mantra multiple times, I took the message to heart and tried to figure out how to expand the market I serve. [ILLUSTRATION...

Culture, identity and democracy in the face of modernization.(Francis Fukuyama)
September 22, 2006... Editor's note: This article is excerpted from the presentation Francis Fukuyama delivered as part of the Clash of Cultures program at the 2006 CRE High Level Conference, which took place July 13-16 in Park City, Utah. Read more about the...

Modernization, immigration and conservation: counselors gain perspective at high level conference.
September 22, 2006... "The program--themed A Clash of Cultures: Understanding Life in the Global Village--was a highly stimulating and mind-stretching session," said High Level Conference Chair Marc Louargand, CRE. "We heard from world-class thinkers, writers and...

Focus on China: Shanghai development takes off, transforming the residential and commercial landscape.
September 22, 2006... MY FRIEND CHARLES RAGEN QUOTED ME THE OLD SAW: "Travel to China for a week, and you'll be able to write a book. Travel to China for a month, and you'll be able to write an article. Travel to China for a year, and you won't be able to write...

The impact of cultural mistakes on international real estate negotiations.
September 22, 2006... WHEN CONDUCTING BUSINESS, INDIVIDUALS often focus on how they think, not how the other party views the situation. This built-in bias is generally very detrimental and highly toxic for international real estate transactions, and can contribute...

Focus on the United Kingdom; The state of the UK property market: key drivers.(Industry overview)
September 22, 2006... THIS IS THE FIRST OF A SHORT SERIES of four articles with my personal perspective on the state of the property market in the United Kingdom. Initially, I will focus on some of the key drivers and the macro-to-micro picture, then look at the...

Managing Government Property Assets: International Experiences.(Book review)
September 22, 2006... Managing Government Property Assets: International Experiences Edited by Olga Kaganova, CRE, FRICS; and James McKellar (2006, Urban Institute Press, Washington, D.C., 238 pages) MANAGING GOVERNMENT PROPERTY ASSETS, edited by Olga...

Real estate bubbles: evidence in the lender-borrower relationship.
September 22, 2006... IN THE TYPICAL REAL ESTATE ACQUISITION, the lender often has more money in the property than the borrower; hence, lenders influence transactions through the loan terms they offer. Indeed, buyer interest in a property at any given price is...

Focus on commercial real estate: navigating the complex world of business property leasing--the tenant's side.
September 22, 2006... NO CONSULTANT, REAL ESTATE BROKER OR LAWYER likes a client to accuse him or her of over-lawyering a lease. This is particularly true when one is acting on behalf of a prospective tenant in a lease that has been prepared by the landlord. A lease...

Ground rents from Maryland to Hawaii: leasehold interests in residential real estate.
September 22, 2006... MARYLAND AND HAWAII, THOUGH GEOGRAPHICALLY DISTANT, are burdened by the same historical remnants of an English feudal land system. (1) In both states, residential property frequently is conveyed by leasehold deeds that require residents to pay...

The Appraisal of Land.(Book review)
September 22, 2006... The Appraisal of Land by Max Derbes Jr., CRE, MAI (2006, Mechling Books, Chicora, PA, 470 pages) FEW COUNSELORS HAVE BEEN MORE PROLIFIC in their writing and teaching than the late Max Derbes Jr., MAI, CRE, ASA, SR/WA. Max died last...

Focus on investment conditions: capital still flows into commercial sector as investors become more discriminating.
September 22, 2006... COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE continues to be an attractive investment relative to stocks and bonds for many reasons. Today, however, the appeal of commercial real estate is in its extremely high realized total returns in the absence of very little...

Focus on U.S. market pricing: is U.S. real estate priced right today?(Column)
September 22, 2006... AT TODAY'S RECORD PRICES, and with 20 percent total returns over the last year, many investors have found themselves asking: "Are real estate prices too high?" Recent research shows capitalization rates in the low 6 percent range for...