Snow, foreclosures hit homebuilder sentiment Mar 16, 2010
Several of the industry's largest companies, including Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. and Ryland Group Inc., have been buying land and ramping up construction. Click for related content. (MSNBC -- Business)
Homebuilder sentiment index falls in March Mar 16, 2010
Several of the industry's largest companies, including and Ryland Group, have been buying land and ramping up construction. "The inventory of new homes on the market is at an extremely low level, and we do expect a 25% improvement in new-home construction in 2010 over 2009 to rebuild inventory and meet expected pent-up demand," said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. (USA Today -- Money)
Buyers' Bid to Rescind Condo Purchases Under Land Sales Law Fails Mar 16, 2010
The decision, , 09-cv-665, by Eastern District of New York Judge Allyne R. Ross is one of the first to address how the relatively obscure , which was originally promulgated to protect out-of-state home purchasers when buying land sight-unseen, may apply in the present market. Attorneys have been citing the law with increasing frequency on behalf of clients whose prospective homes plummet in value after the contracts are signed but before the deals are closed. (Law.com)
The Squeeze on Napa Valley Wine Mar 12, 2010
They piled in with visions of creating the next high-end label, buying land at the top of the market and saddling themselves with costs to match. Napa land values, which average $150,000 to $200,000 an acre for a vineyard planted with red varietals, have fallen 15% from the 2007 peak. (BusinessWeek)
Housing: Hope on the Horizon Mar 4, 2010
Cash-rich builders are buying land again, betting on a turn in the market for new homes. One broker is shocked at the interest in Colorado lots like this one Jenny Sparks/Reporter-Herald. (BusinessWeek)
EPF makes general offer for MRCB Mar 4, 2010
MRCB is talked about being a bidder for major tracks of land in the Klang Valley and the money it raised from the rights issue would go towards buying land for future development projects. Analysts said its track record in developing KL Sentral would act as a good platform for MRCB in making its case in any bids for such land. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Authority ready to try again Feb 27, 2010
Buying land in areas in and around Ballantyne will spike the cost of new construction. Developer Bobby Drakeford, co-chair of the Charlotte Housing Trust Fund, says a low-income project can still be pulled off in pricey south Charlotte. (Charlotte Business Journal, NC)
Toll narrows quarterly loss Feb 25, 2010
The company has seized on the current market and has stepped up buying land. Since last November, it has acquired or placed under control roughly 3,000 lots by buying mortgage notes and direct acquisitions from financial institutions, builders and land developers. (Albany Business Review, NY)
School Board withdraws option on property Feb 25, 2010
The school district has approximately 850,000 in bond money that was not spent on the original bond projects, which does not include the 500,000 for buying land that has been set aside and remains dedicated to that purpose, Graves said. He said there was no deadline to spend the money. (Elgin Courier, TX)
Tunnels still possible in Palo Alto, officials say Feb 11, 2010
" CAHSR also claims they can't stop in SJ due to strict time constraints in Measure A that was voted on. Were there any cost constraints? Profit constraints? Will CA end up paying for any and all cost overruns? Makes no sense. With all of the changes, this isn't what was voted on. It's time to put it back on the ballot with better information. Posted by Tom Jordan, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, 14 hours agoIf you want a good indication of the type of "cooperation and interaction"... (Palo Alto Online, CA)
Ha Ha Tonka - One Man's Dream Feb 1, 2010
He continued buying land until he had 60 adjoining tracts which equaled 5,400 acres. By March, 1905, he came with a corps of engineers and landscape architects to locate the grounds for his new home, to plan walkways and drives, and to use an already-existing dam and old mill site for electricity and elevating water to the top of the cliff. (Suite101.com)
Greeks Taking Bribes Thwart Papandreou's Efforts to Resolve Debt Crisis Jan 28, 2010
In the early 1980s, shipping magnate Vassilis Constantakopoulos started buying land in an olive-growing region south of Athens to build the resort. He set up a company in 1997 to develop Costa Navarino and, at a cost of more than 500 million euros, is building golf courses, villas inspired by vaulted Mycenaean architecture and hotels with private swimming pools for guests in the most-expensive suites. (Bloomberg)
A new kind of wilderness Jan 27, 2010
It's an innocuous enough word, making Governor Paterson's determination to suspend the state's practice of buying land in the Adirondacks and Catskills to conserve it sound more responsible than it is. It's not hard to understand why the governor wants to cut the $59 million land acquisition portion of the state's Environmental Protection Fund. (Albany Times Union)
The longleaf industry branches out Jan 23, 2010
He began buying land from family and others living near Blakely, about 80 miles south of Columbus. Now, he has 45 acres planted in longleaf, another 155 in loblolly. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Business)
State closing on land deals despite moratorium Jan 22, 2010
For the 2010-2011 fiscal year, Paterson proposed cutting the EPF appropriation from 212 million to 143 million and imposing the moratorium on buying land. Governors have swept more than 500 million from the fund, which is replenished by a real estate transfer tax, since it was established in 1993. (Auburn Citizen, NY)
Work on metros 'to start this year' Jan 21, 2010
The Premier, Kristina Keneally, confirmed on Tuesday that the Sydney Metro Authority had stopped buying land around Darling Street, Rozelle, where the seven-kilometre line from Central was supposed to terminate. But her refusal to confirm the proposal would go ahead triggered speculation that it would be axed. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Wastewater fees to soar for Cadott residents Jan 21, 2010
Cadott is awaiting DNR approval before going ahead with the next steps, which include buying land from Chippewa County. The plant would sit on an old gravel pit, and the county has said it would sell the land at 2,000 per acre. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
Off again, on again, the CBD Metro is off again - well, nearly Jan 20, 2010
Kristina Keneally said the Metro Authority had stopped buying land around Darling Street, Rozelle, where the seven-kilometre line from Central is supposed to terminate. The NSW Government has stopped the acquisition of properties for the Sydney metro in the Rozelle area - until the NSW Government makes a final decision shortly on the project,'' read a statement from her office. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Taylor Wimpey Sold 24% Fewer Homes in 2009 After Surviving Housing Crash Jan 18, 2010
The home builder resumed buying land in the second half of the year, committing to buy 3,003 plots on 22 sites in the U.K. and 3,723 plots in North America. To contact the reporter on this story: in London on. (Bloomberg -- UK)
Builders Moving Toward Better Times Jan 15, 2010
REALTOR Magazine Online: The real estate professional's business support tool. YOUR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE REALTOR.ORG/realtormag. (Realtor Magazine Online)
China Property Prices Surge as Government Struggles to Rein in Speculation Jan 14, 2010
If they really cool the market to the extent that no-ones buying land, then their 2010 economic growth target will be in jeopardy. . (Bloomberg -- Asia)
- Our Opinion: Disbanding district the way to go? (1) Jan 14, 2010
holtville1 wrote on Jan 14, 2010 12:38 AM:" Who could argue with the idea? The current board is hastening its own demise with its latest plan: an office building.Does Calexico really need more offices? If it does, wouldn't a private developer have stepped up by now and built them?If anything, the district should provide a subsidy or incentive to those actually providing medical services to the community. That would be in line with its intended purpose. Buying land and building an office puts the... (El Centro Imperial Valley Press, CA)
Agronomy 101for landowners Jan 13, 2010
Despite this, many people are inheriting land, buying land as an investment or buying a rural homesite with some farmland attached. If you are not going to farm the land yourself, you will be faced with finding and working with a tenant operator. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
