Most people have a vague idea that “going green” is good for the environment and that it should be good for their property values, but now the Appraisal Institute is going to make just how good very clear. Through its Valuation of Sustainable Buildings Professional Development Program (VSBPD), the Appraisal Institute hopes to educate appraisers in how to determine exactly what the worth of green improvements are to a building and that building’s owner or developer[1]. “There is a tremendous need for this type of education…High-performance buildings represent a rapidly …

All over the country, homeowners and their municipalities are discovering that they are going to have to find a way to work together on utility bills. In many areas of the country, local governments are reporting that delinquent accounts have tripled as homeowners struggle to make payments or simply inform the country that the bills cannot – and will not – be paid[1]. This creates serious problems for city governments, which are responsible for schooling and public safety, among other things, and often rely on the current year’s tax dollars …

Although the commercial real estate market – and leased retail space in particular – has struggled over the past two years, many malls “in urban settings have managed to thrive in spite of the recession”, according to a California real estate broker specializing in retail properties[1]. While Richard Rizika admits that malls in his locale, Los Angeles County, are “faring much better…than in the nation on average,” he believes that a shift in the way that stores are promoting themselves and the locations that retailers find attractive could actually ultimately …

The ultimate niche property could have just hit the market. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has listed his Connecticut mansion with the Exceptional Properties Division of William Raveis Real Estate, and director Jamie Zdru describes the property as “truly an escape from the ordinary”[1]. While many sellers worry that their homes will not be unique enough to attract buyer attention away from bargain-basement priced REO and foreclosure properties, Jackson’s property comes with more than 50,000 square feet of living space, a fully furnished nightclub and dance floor and myriad sports amenities. …

When properties go to auction to redeem unpaid property taxes, investors have the opportunity to get real bargains on those properties by purchasing unpaid liens. In Detroit, Michigan, however, the delinquent homeowners cashed in on those bargains instead with the help of a nonprofit coalition that purchased $194,000 worth of liens and “saved” 150 homes from the block[1]. The homes were purchased at the tax auction, “in most cases for a fraction of what they owed in back taxes,” thanks to Ted Phillips and his United Community Housing Coalition.
The coalition …

Although most projections show that the housing market should start to make a very slow recovery this year, homebuilders are not joining in the atmosphere of cautious optimism. In fact, they are downright discouraged and don’t expect much to change for them any time soon, reported the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) yesterday[1]. The air of general concern in this sector is largely due to some serious challenges that stem from new home construction. Because of the huge glut of homes – many relatively new and even unlived-in – …

The ForeclosureGate fallout continues in many states that were not even affected by the initial foreclosure moratoria back in October of 2010 as procedural issues continue to plague lenders[1]. A new report from Barclays Capital indicates that the length of the foreclosure process is going to climb all over the country thanks to the robo-signer scandal as the rate of foreclosure drops dramatically across the country. Currently, foreclosures are taking 57 percent longer in states that enforce a judicial foreclosure process and 47 percent in non-judicial foreclosure states. However, in …

After a tough year in 2010, a private commercial real estate firm in New York reported today that office rents in Manhattan are on the rise for the first time since the commercial decline began[1]. While New York real estate has been typically resilient – particularly in the rental sector – when it has come to regaining value and encouraging new development, retail and office spaces have continued to suffer in the city. Now, however, it looks like that trend could be reversing before many experts expected it to do …

John Rogers, a state representative in Alabama from Birmingham, thinks that the interest rates on Alabama property tax liens are outrageous, and he is making it one of his goals for 2011 to change the process[1]. Currently, Alabama charges a 12 percent interest rate on delinquent property taxes. If the government fails to collect the taxes, then ultimately the liens are sold at auction. During the auction, lien buyers can “overbid” on the liens, paying an excess of what the lien is worth. The new owner of the tax lien …

Purchasing a property via tax deed is a great way to get involved in real estate investing. Unfortunately for a homeowner in New York that has been fighting for his home for almost seven years now, a tax lien paved the way for a Long Island woman to forge his name, take possession of the property and then sell it multiple times to other investors[1]. Garfield Gillings let his tax and water bills slide on his Brooklyn house back in 2003. When he contacted the collection agency that he believed …