The nation’s top housing-finance regulator pushed back against criticism that he isn’t doing enough to help the troubled U.S. housing markets, saying that critics were asking him to do the bidding of Congress.
Edward DeMarco, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, made the comments days after his office unveiled a major overhaul of a program to refinance mortgages that are underwater. The program is open for loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which is regulated by the FHFA………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Despite the deepening of the debt crisis, European property investment markets saw trading volumes rise in Q3 to EUR 28.8 bn, according to the latest research from Cushman & Wakefield. The figure represents a 5% increase on the previous quarter and a 12.3% rise on the year-to-date.
‘Momentum has definitely slowed but values are stable and the market overall has held up well, particularly when you compare it with other asset classes,’ said Michael Rhydderch, head of the European Capital Markets Group at C&W………………………………………..Full Article: Source

U.K. house prices dropped for a sixth month in October and a slowdown in London’s housing market will cause the pace of decline to accelerate in the coming months, property researcher Hometrack Ltd. said.
The average cost of a home fell 0.2 percent from September and was down 2.8 percent from a year earlier, the London-based company said today in an e-mailed report on its monthly survey of real-estate agents. Prices based on Hometrack’s gauge have fallen every month except one since July 2010………………………………………..Full Article: Source

House price falls accelerated this month as demand fell back with consumers concerned about the economy, a report from property analyst Hometrack has found.
The price of a typical home dropped by 0.2% in October, compared with falls of 0.1% over each of the previous five months, while average growth is down by 2.8% on the previous year………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The number of commercial investment properties being brought to the market in Europe has increased since the end of the summer, with £6.5 bn (EUR 7.4 bn) of offices for sale in Central London alone, according to the latest report from global property adviser CBRE.
While more property is being offered for sale across Europe, the trend is most obvious in Paris and London………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Moscow commercial real estate has been named the most attractive and desirable in Europe on the 13th LaSalle Investment Management’s European Regional Economic Growth Index.
The Russian capital clinched first place due its size and great growth potential on the list, which contains cities where demand for real estate is likely to be highest in the medium term………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The real estate market in the UAE appears to have bottomed out, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF). “The real estate market in the UAE appears to have bottomed out, and significant progress has been made in corporate restructuring and in governance. The main catalyst of the projected solid growth next year is the expected turnaround in the real estate market,” the Washington-based institute said.
Real estate residential prices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have dropped by about 60 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively, since their peak in 2008, IIF believes that data for the first three quarters of 2011 suggests that the market may have reached its bottom………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The UAE’s move to grant three-year residency visas to owners of property worth more than AED1m may have been pushed to the back burner amid doubts it will succeed in spurring fresh activity in Dubai’s housing market.
The UAE government said in June it would replace visas that require renewal every six months for some homeowners, but the decision appears to have made little progress in the months since………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani is deepening his foray into Kenya’s real estate market with a series of office and residential property developments that have already earned him an estimated Sh2.5 billion in profits, barely three years after his first investment in the country.
Ambani, through Delta Corporation East Africa – a local subsidiary of his Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries – is currently constructing multi-billion shilling office towers in Nairobi’s Upper Hill and Westlands areas………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The Supreme Court ruling banning real estate transactions on the basis of power of attorney and making sale deed compulsory for property sale is a welcome step that will make secondary market transactions fool-proof.
It will check the evasion of stamp duty and black money dealings no doubt. But there is still an urgent need for an overall reform of real estate that is facing a credibility crisis among consumers and investors alike………………………………………..Full Article: Source

China will “firmly” maintain its property curbs and “fine tune” other economic policies at an appropriate time, according to a statement following a State Council meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao.
Local authorities should continue to strictly implement the central government’s real-estate policies in the coming months to let the citizens see the results of the curbs, according to the statement on Oct. 29. The government will “fine tune” its economic policies by “an appropriate degree and at an appropriate time,” it said………………………………………..Full Article: Source

When dealing with China, action can often speak louder than official numbers, especially when that action involves protests.
Last year, an outbreak of strikes by workers demanding higher wages due to surging living costs told that China had a serious inflation problem, long before authorities began hiking interest rates………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Amid soaring property prices, making private homes increasingly less affordable, fingers are pointing at foreigners for causing the Singaporean dream home to be out of reach. Some have written to the press, asking for government intervention to restrict foreign buying.
But a recent data report put the purchasing breakdown for private homes at roughly 20 per cent for foreigners, 12 percent permanent residents and the rest, mainly HDB upgraders………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Australian capital city house prices continued to fall in September, though the previously sliding Brisbane market experienced a bounce back, property analysts RP Data-Rismark said Monday.
The RP Data-Rismark Hedonic Home Value Index recorded a seasonally adjusted fall of 0.2% in capital city home values over September, taking the fall in prices over the first nine months of the year to 3.6……………………………………….Full Article: Source

Non-listed REITs (“nREITs”) typically invest in commercial real estate assets, and today’s nREIT offerings provide a diversity of commercial real estate investment opportunities.
Commercial real estate investments can be differentiated by their investment risk strategy and their commercial real estate sector focus. Investors should understand these two aspects of a nREIT’s overall investment strategy to properly assess the risks of investing in a given nREIT………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Foreign capital has piled into big, multi-family apartment blocks and residential homes in the US in the past year as international investors seek a safe haven in increased American demand for rental property.
In absolute terms, the dollar volume of foreign purchases of multi-family properties to September 2011 has exceeded 2010’s full year total by 73 per cent, according to data by Real Capital Analytics. Ben Thypin, director of market analysis at RCA, said he expected the year-on-year gain to be close to 100 per cent………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The number of contracts to purchase previously owned U.S. homes unexpectedly fell in September as lower prices and borrowing costs failed to support demand.
The 4.6 percent decrease in the index of pending home sales, the biggest since April, followed a 1.2 percent drop the previous month, the National Association of Realtors said today in Washington. Economists forecast a 0.4 percent gain, according to the median of 38 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Senators Charles Schumer (D – New York) and Mike Lee (R – Utah) are preparing to introduce a bill they hope will help repair a U.S. housing market reeling from declining prices, rising foreclosures, and excess inventory.
Their proposal would grant three-year residence visas (without work permits) to foreigners who pay cash to purchase either one home worth at least $500,000 or two homes both worth at least $250,000………………………………………..Full Article: Source

According to Jones Lang LaSalle, overall leasing volumes continued to improve over the third quarter of 2011 despite variations in prime offices rents. Prime rents increased over the last quarter in Stockholm, The Hague (both +2.4%), Hamburg (+2.2%) and Milan (+1.9%), although these were offset by decreases in Brussels (-3.2%), Dublin (-3.0%), Madrid (-1.9%) and Edinburgh (-1.8%).
Despite these changes, the Jones Lang LaSalle European Office Index is unchanged. Office rents in CEE markets remained stable compared to the previous quarter, reflecting continued positive demand………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Riots in the streets, widespread labor unrest, and government leaders wringing their hands: Europe is a mess. But if you’ve ever dreamed of buying a pied-a-terre in Dublin or a villa in Spain, international real estate experts say now may be the time. In Ireland, housing prices have tumbled to 2002 levels; in Spain, prices are at 2003 levels.
The U.S. dollar, meanwhile, has appreciated a bit, up 3.2 percent against the euro since Aug. 31, making it even cheaper for Americans to buy in Europe………………………………………..Full Article: Source

According to a recent report by international real estate advisor Savills, over the past five years estimated sales of £1 billion (€1.15 bln.) and £2 billion have taken place on Bond Street and Oxford Street respectively, leading to a dramatic change in ownership profile.
UK funds, British and Irish pension funds, who accounted for 96% of ownership on Oxford Street, have reduced their collective stake to 39% having been bought out by investors from Denmark, Spain, Cyprus, Qatar, Libya, Ukraine, India, Hong Kong, Sweden, Canada and the Far East………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Blackstone Group LP and Wells Fargo & Co. have reached a deal with Allied Irish Banks PLC to buy a pool of about $600 million in U.S. commercial-property loans, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The duo is buying the loans backed by a mix of hotels, office buildings and retail properties in several states for a discount of 15% to 20% off face value, the person familiar with the matter said………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Spanish commercial real estate is attracting the lowest level of investment in a decade and a turnaround could take more than a year as Europe’s sovereign debt crisis and a financing shortage choke the market.
A total of 1.25 billion euros ($1.8 billion) of offices, shopping malls, hotels and warehouses changed hands in the first nine months, 52 percent less than a year earlier, according to data compiled by Savills Plc………………………………………..Full Article: Source

For the first time, Moscow realty has been named the most attractive and desirable in Europe. The city has shot to the top of LaSalle Investment Management’s European Regional Economic Growth Index (E-REGI), which it joined in 2009. The list contains cities where demand for real estate is likely to be highest in the medium term.
This year, Moscow clinched first place due its size and great growth potential. The Index embraces 326 regions in 33 European countries. Cities such as Paris, Munich and London, which used to head the list, have dropped down – it seems the planned expansion of Moscow has inspired investors across Europe………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Propin Property Investment Consultancy has prepared the 2011 Istanbul Office Market Report third quarter. The report covers changes in the office market in July, August and September and presciences for the coming quarters.
According to report, during the third quarter of the 2011 Istanbul Office Market, the value of the dollar in Turkey has increased. This increase has occurred as a result of the change in economic conjuncture in the World and in Europe, and has affected rentals and purchases in a variety of ways. Firstly, no recessions have been experienced in rental transactions………………………………………..Full Article: Source

In any mention of today’s real estate hotspots or choice locations for second homes, it is quite unlikely Mauritius will even get a serious look. Maybe it’s time to revisit this mindset.
While the island state continues to pull its weight as a prime tourism destination, its authorities and a select band of developers are looking at recreating the same in the residential space. This way they are targeting wealthy property investors who are willing to look beyond the tried and tested destinations………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Home prices in the United Arab Emirates, which have fallen by more than half since 2008, may drop by another 10 percent to 30 percent as developers add to supply in Dubai and Abu Dhabi while buyers dwindle.
Prices won’t show “any meaningful recovery” in the next five years, according to Saud Masud, an analyst at Dubai-based Rasmala Investment Bank Ltd. who reiterated a May estimate that values are likely to slip by another 25 percent to 30 percent. A drop of 20 percent was forecast by Arqaam Capital Ltd. in a report earlier this month………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Shares of real-estate developers in Dubai surged amid investors’ speculation that a $1 billion fund set up by the government and Brookfield Asset Management Inc. may help boost the emirate’s property market.
Emaar Properties PJSC (EMAAR), the builder of the world’s tallest skyscraper in Dubai, jumped 4.8 percent, the most since March 13, to 2.60 dirhams. Union Properties PJSC (UPP) climbed 6.6 percent, the biggest gain since May 10, to 30.9 fils. Deyaar Development (DEYAAR) rose 3.5 percent to 23.8 fils. Each dirham has 100 fils………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Housing Development Finance Corp. Ltd. (HDFC) vice-chairman and chief executive officer Keki Mistry sees no risk of a property bubble or a big decline in real estate prices. Because of a slowdown in property sales, prices could correct by between 5% and 15% and “not more than that”, Mistry said.
In an interview, he also spoke about how the rapid depreciation of the rupee should be stemmed to arrest imported inflation………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Increasingly common stories of slow sales and discounted property are raising fears of a deeper and, many say, overdue correction in the Chinese property market.
Chinese authorities, alarmed by soaring prices and increasing numbers of speculators, have placed limits on who can buy property and on how many homes a person can own…………………………………………Full Article: Source

China’s property developers are actually offering discounts to real estate buyers, as they need higher sales to refill their parched cash flows.
Although the price decline has only happened in a few select areas and experts are still hesitant to interpret it as an exact sign of an overall downturn in China’s property market, positive outlook towards the sector is falling as the central government’s efforts to cool housing prices continues………………………………………..Full Article: Source

High interest rates are slowing down the residential property market in Vietnam as potential buyers find it difficult to get loans, it is claimed.
According to CapitaLand Limited, Southeast Asia’s biggest property developer, buyers cannot get bank financing as interest rates have soared to 22.42%, one of the highest in the region………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Prices for luxury residential property in Jakarta increased in the third quarter bucking regional trends, according to real estate services provider Jones Lang LaSalle said.
Jakarta and Mumbai were the only two of tracked cities that saw a price increase; in traditional luxury hubs such as Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, prices remained stable and declined in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai………………………………………..Full Article: Source

CBRE Group Inc , one of the world’s largest real estate service companies, said its third-quarter net income rose 12 percent, citing growth in its unit that manages real estate needs for corporations and property sales brokerage business in the Americas.
Third-quarter net income rose to $63.8 million, or 20 cents a share, from $57.0 million, or 18 cents a share, in the year-earlier quarter, the company, formerly called CB Richard Ellis Group Inc, said on Thursday………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Have you got $500,000 (£312,000) to spare and hail from anywhere but America? If so, one Charles Schumer of New York wants you to get in touch. That half a million dollars, according to Schumer, one of New York’s two Democratic Senators, could be part of the answer to the country’s housing crash.
Schumer and Mike Lee, a Republican Senator from Utah, are trying to drum up support for legislation that will entice foreigners to invest €359,000, C$508,000, 78m yen or 3.1m yuan in US residential real estate. And the sweetener: a visa to live here as long as you own the property. Is it starting to look attractive? It might be to those who don’t subscribe to the thesis that America’s best days are behind it………………………………………..Full Article: Source

U.S. commercial real estate investors believe occupancy and rental rates in most U.S. markets will stay soft in 2012, but competition to buy property in a handful of promising areas could get dangerously hot, according to an influential survey released on Wednesday.
Almost three years after the U.S. economy hit bottom, a recovery seems to be nearly stalled. There is no driver of jobs to create demand for office space, boost consumer spending at malls and shopping centers, and raise demand for warehouses to store goods………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Investors are lowering their expectations for financial returns on office towers and other commercial properties but are still chasing after choice properties in the busiest cities, according to a report by accounting firm PwC and think tank Urban Land Institute.
Commercial real estate players say they expect a grindingly slow recovery of their business next year as economic conditions marginally improve………………………………………..Full Article: Source

New U.S. single-family home sales rose at their fastest pace in five months in September, a government report showed on Wednesday, but sustained price declines indicated the housing market is far from recovery.
“Home sales rose slightly last month, but are still very depressed. There are no real signs of a turnaround for housing yet. Too many unsold existing homes are still on the market so builders are not building new homes,” says Gary Thayer, Chief Macro Strategist, Well Fargo………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Purchases of new U.S. houses rose more than forecast in September as discounted prices lured buyers in some parts of the country. Sales climbed 5.7 percent to a 313,000 annual pace, figures from the Commerce Department showed today in Washington. The median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News called for a gain to 300,000.
The median price slumped 10 percent from September 2010, the biggest drop in more than two years. Another report showed demand for durable goods excluding transportation equipment climbed last month by the most since March………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Falling home prices aren’t enticing Americans to buy up new property. The government’s latest read on new-home sales in September came in a little better than expectations, but offered no reason to get excited about a rebound in the housing sector.
The report reflected a troubling trend that Americans are reluctant to invest in new homes amid a weak economic backdrop………………………………………..Full Article: Source

After staying put during the economic recession, you might be tempted by stabilizing real estate prices and low mortgage interest rates to sell your house and buy your next place. What you may not realize is how long and complicated the process of buying and selling a home has become.
New lending regulations, appraisal procedures and consumer expectations can throw up roadblocks for even the most seasoned flipper. Many homeowners who haven’t sold or bought a home in the past few years will find that many of the old “rules” have changed. Residential real estate experts suggest homeowners become aware of the new rules before listing their current property and searching for a new home………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Canadian home resale prices hit a record high in August, their ninth consecutive monthly gain, but consumer confidence fell for the fifth time in six months, highlighting Canada’s two-speed economy and cloudy outlook.
The Teranet-National Bank Composite House Price Index, which measures price changes for repeat sales of single-family homes in six metropolitan areas, showed overall prices were up 0.9 percent in August from July………………………………………..Full Article: Source

According to Jones Lang LaSalle, overall leasing volumes continued to improve over the third quarter of 2011 despite variations in prime offices rents. Prime rents increased over the last quarter in Stockholm, The Hague (both +2.4%), Hamburg (+2.2%) and Milan (+1.9%), although these were offset by decreases in Brussels (-3.2%), Dublin (-3.0%), Madrid (-1.9%) and Edinburgh (-1.8%).
Despite these changes, the Jones Lang LaSalle European Office Index is unchanged. Office rents in CEE markets remained stable compared to the previous quarter, reflecting continued positive demand………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Ireland’s state-run National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) is offering financing to help offload its commercial property portfolio, but said deleveraging by banks and a proposed law on leases was making life difficult.
NAMA, created to purge Irish banks of nearly 75 billion euros (65 billion pounds) of risky land and development loans, is one of the world’s largest property groups and needs to revive Ireland’s moribund commercial property sector to avoid further writedowns to its portfolio………………………………………..Full Article: Source

More than 70% of German institutional investors are now handling their retail property asset management in-house, and Ernst & Young believes this figure is set to increase.
According to a recent survey by the consultancy, another 25% of investors have outsourced at least part of their real estate asset management………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The average market price of residential properties in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia has seen a 6.8% drop year on year during the third quarter of 2011, according to Raiffeisen Real Estate.
As compared with the second quarter of 2011, the average market price of Sofia’s residential properties has decreased by 3.8%………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Activity in the real estate sector in Portugal was not as negative in September as it was in August. The monthly Portuguese Housing Market Survey carried out by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) and Confidencial Imobiliario (Ci) found that despite a slight rise in activity across property markets, confidence declined.
Meanwhile, the indicator for the national price balance slipped from -59 to -65 over the course of the month………………………………………..Full Article: Source

A blistering surge by South Africa’s listed property funds may be starting to stall, as a stagnating economy and rising vacancies bite into what was one of Johannesburg’s top performing sectors last year.
The funds, some of which have become members of South Africa’s Top-40 index of blue-chips, have been popular with investors looking for exposure to real estate in Africa’s top economy………………………………………..Full Article: Source

While residential property is no longer as wildly overpriced as was the case a few years ago, research conducted by RE:CM suggests that the asset class is still far from cheap and currently offers rental yields well below what investors would consider a fair return.
As with any asset, the question foremost in most people’s minds when it comes to residential property is whether it is a good time to buy. We approach this question as we do for all assets: by trying to determine what the intrinsic value of the asset in question is, and comparing market prices to intrinsic values………………………………………..Full Article: Source

A number of prominent figures in real estate business have urged the authorities to regulate the sector and curb the number of offices mushrooming in various parts of the Kingdom in an extremely disparate manner.
They noted about 70 percent of real estate offices in Riyadh alone are functioning in an unorganized and unsystematic manner. These offices adopt all possible ways to earn huge profit without giving any consideration to the interests of their clients, according to a report in Al-Eqtisadiah business daily………………………………………..Full Article: Source