In this week s issue: The list no one wants to be on: Largest 20 problem loans. Prudential Real Estate sees prolonged down cycle coming. Southern Cal landlord misses required principal repayment. DBSI hit with $2 billion securities fraud lawsuit….

Worried about Interest Rates? Tell that to the Rent Guidelines Board
In an unusually raucus session of the Rent Guidelines Board’s annual spectacle on guidlines increases for rent stabilized apartments in NYC, the Board members could hardly hear themselves over incessant drum beats from Tenant activists, yet still managed to outrage them, while disappointing landlords in the process. Read about the meeting and the increases at

NYC Coop Sales Price Now Public Information
It’s an old axiom that, despite increasing numbers of condos, coops still account for around 80% of NYC’s apartment inventory. Yet, until recently, the sales figures were shrowded in mystery. No more. A recently passed law allows access to these figures through use of the City’s ACRIS system. While the link may not be up for long, you can find a pdf guide to how the system works at NYC.gov/html/dof/html/jump/acris.shtm.

Under Contract (Nov. 2-8): FSP To Pay $130 Mil. for West Loop Office
In this week s issue: After 5 years, a trophy Chicago tower selling at a loss. Plus, we give you the latest properties Under Contract in: Santa Rosa, CA; Bradenton, FL; Chicago, IL; York, ME; Las Vegas, NV; Elizabeth, NJ; New York, NY; Raleigh, NC;…

Commercial Rent Prices Up - Square Footage Down?
A recent article in Business Week suggests that the open space model of the dot com era may, actually be a paradigm to enable businesses to reduce one of their largest expenses, namely, commercial office rent. Yet, the position of the author is hardly universally shared, eliciting a number of rejections and criticisms in the posted comments following the article. From my own experience, there is no doubt that, technologically, more and more things can be done in more and more places….

Problems When the 1031 Tail Wags the Dog
Here’s an interesting article about what happens when investors, in their zeal to meet the stringent time requirements of a 1031 exchange, invest in properties in areas they’re unfamiliar with and do so without their usual degree of due diligence. http://www.realestatejournal.com/buysell/markettrends/20060615-hagerty.html?refresh=on

Everybody into the Pool!
When it comes to Terrorism Insurance, the government’s days as a reinsurer of last resort are numbered, ending in 2007 following one extension of a temporary act intended to restore confidence among the Nation’s insurers and reinsurers following the huge losses suffered as a result of the 9/11 attacks. A lobbying group called the Real Estate Roundtable, http://www.rer.org/, recently proposed modeling a future system after that…

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