Word: low
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...there are nascent signs of a bottoming out. The rate of sales decline slowed in August, according to Case-Shiller, and in September existing home sales rose 5.5% nationally, which means buyers are finally being lured to the market by low prices. The big question: Will a recession that is gaining momentum break through housing's floor again? In other words, Is this real estate's dead-cat bounce...
...Angeles, one year ago, the median home price was $582,450; this September, it was $376,790," says Leslie Appleton-Young, chief economist for the California Association of Realtors. That may sound awful, particularly if you're the seller, but it may represent a clearance level - i.e., prices low enough to draw buyers - which the market needs in order to stabilize. Other helpful factors: banks are agreeing to short sales - i.e., selling below the mortgage amount - and renegotiating some mortgages. Still, foreclosures in the Los Angeles area are up 122% over last year, according to RealtyTrac, which publishes a database...
...significantly. Also in the Los Angeles area, housing sales were up 83% in September over the prior year, with distressed properties notably contributing to the surge. "We're seeing a significant increase in sales activity over the last four or five months, but it is the moderate-to-low-end distressed properties, including real estate owned, foreclosures and short sales, that are showing really very significant increases," says Appleton-Young...
...transformation was the spectacular growth of Iceland’s three main banks, Glitnir, Landsbanki, and Kaupthing, all of which grew at impressive rates following their deregulation in 2000. Much of the borrowing for these banks and Icelandic society more generally came from the continent, where rates were especially low. The money would then be converted into the local currency, the krona, and invested for a higher return in real estate and business both in and beyond Iceland. The result is what economists call “carry trade”—currency arbitrage and speculative investment highly...
...School Dean Elena Kagan announced a finalized plan to transition current students to the new four-tiered pass/fail grading system yesterday. Under the transition scheme, first-year students will receive grades of “Honors,” “Pass,” “Low Pass,” and “Fail,” as stipulated by the new system in all their courses, starting this semester. Third-year students will finish their last year under the old system, which has nine categories spanning A+ to F. Second-year students, whose fate...