Homester.com Web News Archive

Alexandria Real Estate Plans Stock Offer (AP via Yahoo! Finance) - Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc., a real estate investment trust focused on office and laboratory properties, said Tuesday it plans to sell 1.2 million shares in a public offering, and use the funds to pay down debt.

Real estate: When booms go bust... (CNN Money) - Across America, real-estate prices continue to confound the skeptics. Many Americans have come to think of their homes as rock-solid investments with little downside.

Real estate agents offering incentives to buyers (AberdeenNews.com) - SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Real estate agents now can offer discounts and incentives to home buyers. The South Dakota Real Estate Commission reversed regulations last month that prohibited agents from offering rebates, incentives and other discounts. And some agents are giving the tactics a try.

Real estate broker faces years in prison (Salisbury Post) - A Rowan County real estate broker will plead guilty to mortgage frauds that resulted in at least $1.2 million in losses for lenders. Billy Ray Johnson, licensed as Ray Johnson Realty Inc., faces fines and from 37 to 46 months in prison.

Consumers demand real estate agents who embrace innovation (Billings Gazette) - When former entertainment industry executive Catherine Marcus was selling her home in Atherton, Calif., at the height of the technology boom, she grew incredibly frustrated when her real estate agent was not prompt at returning e-mails or phone calls.

500,000 Hypo Real Estate Shrs Placed-Traders (New Ratings) - 1528 GMT [Dow Jones] Some 500,000 Hypo Real Estate (HRX.XE) shares are being placed through Morgan Stanley for EUR42.25, says trader. "This would also explain why the share went so high this afternoon," another trader adds. Hypo Real Estate declines to comment.

Palace forms task force to go after real estate tax cheats (Manila Bulletin) - Malacañang announced yesterday the creation of an interagency council that will investigate and prosecute government and private individuals or firms who cheat on taxes on transfer of real estate titles.

REAL ESTATE: Know IRS rules on tax deferrals (Courier-Post) - The popularity of "flip deals" in real estate has made Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code popular with real-estate speculators.

Hypo Real Estate Up On Technicals (New Ratings) - 1424 GMT [Dow Jones] Hypo Real Estate (HRX.XE) +4.6% at EUR42.76 on market talk Blackstone (BGP.XX) may be interested in the company. But a trader adds this isn't fresh news.

Hermes names head of commercial real estate (Investment & Pensions Europe) - IPE.com 20/Sep/05: UK - Hermes, the asset manager owned by the BT Pension Scheme, has named Arlington Property Investors' Tim Turnbull as head of commercial real estate.