Word: reals
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That's one common predicament. A few miles to the east, Bonney pointed out a dusty lot that represented another stage of real estate pain. The bank that financed the purchase of the lot had decided to bite the bullet and take possession of it rather than give the developer a construction loan for a building no one would occupy. There already was a newly constructed - and empty - building across the street. The bank that made the construction loan for that building would soon have to decide whether to "extend and pretend," as the industry saying goes, or take...
...residential real estate bust has been a slow-motion wreck too. (It started in 2006!) But the commercial meltdown will take even longer for two main reasons. One is that while commercial real estate lenders certainly got sloppy during the boom, they didn't go utterly crazy the way their residential peers did. Commercial lenders still demanded down payments and evidence of income. They didn't factor in a 40% decline in prices or the worst economic downturn in 70 years. The housing bust preceded and precipitated the recession. The commercial bust is an aftereffect. (See 25 people to blame...
...residential mortgages are chopped into securities and sold, the bulk of commercial mortgages - and virtually all land and construction loans - stay on banks' books. Banks have leeway to delay recognizing losses on these loans - that is, they don't have to "mark to market." With banks facing total commercial real estate losses of $200 billion to $300 billion or more by Parkus' estimate, regulators have so far encouraged banks to exploit that leeway. (See the financial crisis after one year...
There's a fine line between confidence and hubris, and it's easy to conclude that Dubai and its real estate developers crossed it when they planned the newly opened Burj Khalifa, which, at 2,717 ft. (828 m), is by far the tallest building in the world. Since the skyscraper was planned, the tiny emirate's go-go boom has stalled, and its real estate bubble popped. But there's another way to look at the Burj Khalifa--which you can do on a clear day from 60 miles (100 km) away. The building supplanted an unlovely tower...
...growing cities in the Inland Empire, the competition for foreclosed homes is intense. In December, only 532 houses were listed for sale, down from approximately 3,500 a year ago. "Pretty much anything under $150,000 is going to be bought with cash," says Oscar Rodriguez, a Century 21 real estate agent. He calls his clients, primarily first-time buyers, "goldfish going against sharks." (See pictures of Los Angeles...