markets: Housing Bill To Provide Mortgage Relief... - 07/30/08 05:55 AM
 
 
Bush signs housing bill to provide mortgage relief
By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - President Bush on Wednesday signed a massive housing bill intended to provide mortgage relief for 400,000 struggling homeowners and stabilize financial markets.ipt"
 

Bush signed the bill without any fanfare or signing ceremony, affixing his signature to the measure he once threatened to veto, in the Oval Office in the early morning hours. He was surrounded by top administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Housing Secretary Steve Preston.
"We look forward to put in place new authorities to improve … (0 comments)

markets: Investor Report: Section 1031 - 06/08/08 07:18 AM
 
Investor Report: Section 1031
 by Kenneth R. Harney
Here's some great news for the thousands of real estate investors and brokers who use "Section 1031" (ten thirty-one) tax-deferred real exchanges every year: Congress has backed off its latest plan to narrow the definition of "like kind" for real estate swaps.
That's important because under current tax law, real estate investors have broad flexibility in choosing properties and structuring exchanges. For example, they can exchange a rental house for farmland, an apartment building for a commercial shopping strip. They can even exchange office buildings for mineral rights.
 

San Antonio … (2 comments)

markets: Real Estate Outlook: Index Says Positive Growth Underway - 04/24/08 05:13 AM
 
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 Real Estate Outlook: Index Says Positive Growth Underway
 by Kenneth R. Harney
You might not hear much about them on TV or in the papers, but there are some economic signs popping up right now that are -- at the VERY least -- encouraging for housing and real estate.
Take the gold standard of all forward indicators for the U.S. economy -- the Conference Board's "Index of Leading Indicators," which is based on a broad survey of industry data and predicts economic activity three to six months down the road.
The latest Conference Board index registered its first increase in … (2 comments)