Real estate is sold as a much safer investment than the constantly fluctuating stock market. Share price volatility is compared unfavourably with the steadier and impressive gains made from real estate which is, we are told, 'as safe as houses'. As millions of Americans - and countless others in the Western world - have recently found to their cost, house prices can also suddenly and dramatically drop. Yet no other text on real estate, either current or from the past, mentions this fact, reinforcing the perception that real estate is an almost risk-free investment. Now for the first time, and long overdue, a book that details and explains the cyclical nature of real estate. The latest real estate downturn in the USA (and in other countries) is just one of many that have occurred since 1800 with astonishing regularity. This book is the story of the American experience of those downturns: the move out of recession, how the banking system facilitates that move, the boom and the characters that shaped it, the bust and accompanying bank failures, and then the recession, or worse, depression. This is always followed by a new cycle repeating each phase again, varied only by the new ways bankers find to avoid the regulations put in place after each collapse to ensure it will never happen again. The Secret Life of Real Estate and Banking explains, quite simply, how the real estate cycle originates, offers a fascinating study of US history to illustrate the stages through which each cycle passes, then explains why this cycle of boom and bust must repeat, given present economic conditions. Real estate can only be a truly winning investment if you know the cycle. For investors, the author has designed an 18-year Real Estate Clock which plots the progress of the cycle, with tell-tale signs so that investors can recognise exactly where they are in the cycle at any point in time and so help them decide whether to invest, sit tight or sell. He has refined this clock over a period of many years and those who have attended his courses have found it an invaluable and remarkably accurate guide for their investment strategies, not only in real estate. With its invaluable insights and practical guidance, The Secret Life of Real Estate and Banking is a book for both novice and experienced investors alike who want to know why the real estate cycle moves as it does, learn how this movement can be forecast well in advance, and more importantly, wish to learn how to profit from this knowledge. A must read for any serious investor.

`Deserves a resounding welcome from medievalists.' EHR This volume contains over 250 charters and other documents relating to four of the six hospitals established in medieval Bury. The core of the collection is the cartulary of St John's hospital, the domus Dei, but documentsrelating to the hospitals of St Nicholas, St Peter and St Saviour are also included. The charters relate mainly to the endowment of the hospitals by the abbot and convent, but there are also ordinances for the administration of the hospitals and for the establishment of chantries therein. The great majority of texts are presented in the form of a full English calendar, and there are English summaries of those printed in Latin. This is the first volume of the Suffolk Charter series to concentrate on Bury St Edmunds; it will be followed eventually by an edition of charters relating to the abbey's property in the borough. CHRISTOPHER HARPER-BILLis Principal Lecturer in History, St Mary's College, Strawberry Hill, London.

This study presents recent findings on home-ownership in the 1990s. It examines economic and social issues central to the housing market and provides an analysis of "winners" and "losers": those who gained financially and those who became victims of negative equity. Covering the postwar period the authors trace developments in the housing market in relation to class, race, gender and income with special reference to the growth and evolution of home-ownership since the Second World War; the sale of council houses; the role of government in encouraging home-ownership; and changes in bank and building society lending in the 1970s and 1980s and the consequences. This accessible volume should appeal to undergraduates of urban planning, human geography, social policy and applied economics but should also be of interest and value to policy makers.

This new text provides a rigorous analysis of real estate markets. It goes beyond the often descriptive nature of much property market analysis to focus on important theoretical principles. The book is divided into three main sections, covering:
* microeconomics of property markets
* the macroeconomics of commercial property
* the financial economics of property
Empirical examples drawn from around the world clearly illustrate the theories and issues discussed. Throughout, the emphasis is on making an often complex area as accessible and readable as possible, with each chapter containing a boxed summary and questions for self-testing or discussion.

ethics." Certainly our industry is bound by the formal constraints of law in national, state, and local jurisdictions. What this volume reminds us, however, is that those laws are only as good as the personal "sea of ethics" in which each of us operates. THE ETHICS OF PROPERTY INVOLVEMENTS Stephen E. Roulac The Roulac Group San Rafael, California and Visiting Professor University of Ulster Ethical considerations are a dominant theme in the management literature. As "Ethics and ethical issues surround our liver, ... ethics has become one of the most rapidly growing areas of management research, with over 800 articles and 1,400 books appearing since 1990" (Schminke, Ambrose, and Miles, 1998). Compared to business and business management, however, the research and writing on real estate in an ethics context is in the very early stages of development. The lack of a developed literature on ethics in real estate is reflected in the response by one highly placed executive to my solicitation for funding to support the publication of this volume: "I didn't know there were any ethics in real estate " Fortunately, the Summa Corporation and the Amer ican Real Estate Society believe in the importance of ethics in real estate, for their cosponsorship has made possible this special monograph on the subject of Ethics in Real Estate. The support of the Summa Corporation and the American Real Estate Society of this pioneering volume is warmly and appreciatively acknowledged."

This text explores the vexing problem of housing exclusion and the related financial fallout, which has come into sharp relief since the onset of the housing-led global credit crisis. The book looks at the dimensions of affordable housing finance, compares current policy approaches in the US, UK and Australia, and works towards solutions.

Today's property and mortgage markets offer some of the most advantageous opportunities of any time in the recent past. This is one of the best times in history to implement a real estate investment strategy. In Big Profits from Small Properties, author Michael E. Heeney presents a step-by-step guide to creating financial independence, developing a lifetime income, and building personal net worth through real estate investing.

Drawing on Heeney's personal experience, this down-to-earth guide provides practical advice and specific strategies for investing in real estate. Heeney shows how anyone can build a steady, guaranteed income in real estate with a small amount of capital to realize substantial profit and shares information about how you can

create investment objectives and goals;

realize what type of income property works best;

negotiate for good prices and terms;

finance property buys a dozen different ways;

make improvements that provide for extraordinary returns;

buy, upgrade, and operate apartments;

handle tenants;

buy a single-family home;

implement money-saving tax strategies;

grow and protect an estate while avoiding the dangers of over expansion;

realize the keys to finding the right properties and motivated sellers; and

assemble a portfolio of excellent income producers.

Using the steps outlined in Big Profits from Small Properties, you can build a lifetime of income and wealth. Start succeeding today

This book provides a thorough overview of the European real estate Market. It evaluates the performance difference between countries and sectors, and what implications this has for optimal investment strategy within real estate asset classes.

The urban waterfront is regarded as the frontier of contemporary urban development, easily attracting funding and drawing publicity. "City, Capital and Water" provides a detailed account of the redevelopment of urban waterfronts in major cities around the world including: London, Tokyo, Kobe, Osaka, Hong Kong, Sydney, Toronto, Dublin and Amsterdam. The range and depth of the case studies allow for an overview of the entire process--preliminary planning, approaches to financing, partnership agreements, and state sponsorship--and a discussion of the specifics of each case. Recent trends in urban waterfront redevelopment are discussed and analyzed, particularly the marginalization of planning, the effects of deregulation, economic globalization, and the manipulation of development processes by property and political interests.

The variability of valuation practice within Europe is perceived as a problem within the globalization of property. This edited textbook examines the practice of real estate valuation in selected countries in Europe. The focus is on countries with well developed real estate markets in which both international and indigenous investors are active. The book is aimed at real estate professionals, financiers, institutional advisers, property researchers and students who require a greater understanding of comparative property appraisal techniques applied across Europe.

Due diligence is the bedrock of real estate deals, regardless of the volume of transaction. This book presents a comprehensive guide to understanding and implementing due diligence and making an accurate assessment of the risks. While this process has become a "no-brainer" for investment professionals, the market standard on this essential topic has not yet been laid out in a comprehensive form that covers all the major aspects of real estate due diligence: legal, tax, financial and technical issues. This book fulfils that need, and gives it a form that can be used for German, European, or even international transactions. Written in a reader-friendly fashion, the easily navigable chapters are organized into the four due diligence dimensions, with ample examples and key takeaways. Be they real estate investors, or a management students specializing in the asset class, this book is a core resource for anyone wanting to get to grips with due diligence.

This book has evolved from an interest in formalizing theories of real es tate financing and investment. While real estate has characteristics of illi quidity and heterogeneity, recent developments have created markets for financial claims on property assets. These financial claims render real es tate similar to other assets. These financial claims render real estate similar to other assets. Yet real estate markets retain degrees of ineffi ciency, suggesting possibilities for arbitrage opportunities. Such possi bilities are examined in the book. If sellers are prohibited by statute from transferring existing financing to buyers, they tend to hold properties longer when contract interest rates on loans exceed those prevailing in the market. Methods are required to account for and measure the quantity of mortgage equity arising from such favorable financing. Holders of mortgage backed securities face risks on both sides of interest rate movements. Should interest rates fall, debtors refinance. If interest rates rise, debtors do not refinance, and the holders of mortgage backed securities suffer capital losses. Hedging strategies are re quired. Mortgage warrants and option pricing mechanisms are discussed, and various equity unlocking mechanisms, such as collateralized mort gage obligations."

This book deals with important issues related to urban housing in South Asia. It analyses various aspects of housing, including spatial and temporal requirements and needs, as well as the challenges of implementing housing projects, such as financial feasibility of estate development projects and housing design. Finally, it discusses the socio-economic and environmental impacts of the rapid urban housing development in South Asia. Written by experts from various disciplines, the book presents several case studies that address issues such as housing provision; legislative, financial and technical support; access to employment opportunities and markets; the cumulative impact on gentrification; exclusion and spatial equity; and the economic, social and environmental sustainability of urban tissue. Researchers, housing planners, and policy makers will find this book a valuable resource in meeting the demand for affordable and sustainable housing and overcoming housing shortages in developing countries

The dramatic implosions of the centrally administered, non-democratic political systems in central and eastern Europe in the late 1980s have generated a body of research concerning the transition from public ownership, and the role of the market and other institutions in engendering good incentives for economic actors. The essays collected in this volume study property relations, their associated incentives and the consequent effects on welfare: the ubiquitous theme is that efficiency cannot be divorced from the distribution of productive assets.

This book, by adopting a property perspective, seeks to evaluate linkages between urban regeneration and the development-investment processes. The risk element in major development schemes can be high to both financiers and developers, and the cushioning of risk and more effective public-private sector partnerships are likely to set the agenda for regeneration mechanisms in Europe throughout the 1990s. In considering property investment and development, this book appraises existing initiatives, mechanisms and approaches to urban hierarchy. Only by evaluating current practice can a better understanding of the factors, including market behaviour and the impact of policy directions, be assessed. The opening of the book focuses upon the private sector, market forces, the role of the financial institutions and international property portfolios. Emphasis in the second part is placed upon the integration of regeneration, local economic development, and specifically the role of the public sector. Key issues include the impact of policy directions, and the ability of government to lever private sector monies and act as a facilitator of regeneration by creating the opportunity for developmen

This is a book for the Single Market Economy (SEM) and for the real estate professionals operating within it. With the rapidly increasing harmonization within Europe there is a need for the development of expertise in the handling of different national systems and the non-tariff barriers they present. This guide is designed to help professionals to develop this expertise. It offers more than a dictionary of specialist and technical terminology; there is a supplementary section giving longer translations of particularly tricky terms where more detailed information is needed. There are also sections on the real estate and planning systems in the different European countries, government and planning hierarchies and real estate associations throughout Europe. None of these are intended to be definitive guides, but simply highlight the key questions the real estate professional needs to be aware of and goes on to provide sources for further reading.

This text provides an account of urban land reform in China, which is unique in merging the existing socialist landowner system with market mechanisms. The book starts with a historical account of the land tenure system in China followed by discussions of the reform in the frameworks of law, administration and finance. Contrasting case studies of the Shanghai land system and of Hong Kong after the end of British rule illustrate the impact of land reform in China's transition.

Evolution of the Property Relation defines an approach to economics which is centered around the concept of property and explores the historical evolution of the relationship of the individual, private property, and the state, and the distinctive changes wrought by the emergence of the market.

For investors from across the world, UK residential property is seen as one of the best investments available. This is for good reason. It has a track record of delivering strong, stable returns in a way that is relatively easy to understand and implement. The trouble is, the market has changed. The investors of the future value sustainability more than ever before. There is unprecedented and growing demand for Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) investing, now worth $30 trillion in Assets Under Management each year, around a quarter of all professionally managed assets. The traditional goal of profit maximisation is being replaced. Investments must increasingly be profitable as well as sustainable: economically resilient with positive ESG metrics. Yet the UK residential property market - worth over GBP7.5 trillion - is lagging behind. There is very little clear, easily usable guidance for those responsible for a huge proportion of the market: private investors. The positive impacts of sustainable property investing - for profit-motivated investors, people and the planet - could be huge. The financial, environmental and social costs of getting it wrong could be catastrophic. To get this right and to avoid the risks of getting it wrong, it is vital to understand: * What sustainable residential property investing is * What needs to change and * How, on a practical level, you can invest in a way that is both profitable and sustainable. This book draws on expertise from within and beyond real estate, provides a simple framework for updating your approach. It highlights common mistakes and shares advice so that you can avoid them. Ultimately, it's about answering the question of the decade: 'How can I invest profitably with positive impacts?'

Go head-over-heels for house flipping! Flipping houses profitably may not be easy, but it's far from impossible. With the right guide, you can avoid the risks and reap the rewards like a seasoned expert. Flipping Houses For Dummies is that guide. The perfect blueprint to property resale, this book walks you through the absolute necessities of house flipping. You'll learn how to confirm that you have enough time, energy, cash, and resources to be successful. You'll also get an inside look at the house flipping process that'll show you how to minimize risk and maximize profit in a highly competitive market. Flipping Houses For Dummies offers: Proven negotiating techniques to close real estate deals faster House flipping laws and regulations for every state in the union Strategies to successfully complete a big renovation, on-time and on-budget House flipping tips for both investors and contractors Comprehensive content on hiring and working with reputable contractors So, if you're ready to start revitalizing your community by turning neglected properties into prize homes, Flipping Houses For Dummies is the first and last resource you'll need to navigate your way around the exciting and challenging world of real estate investment.

"The water "coming out of your kitchen tap is four billion years old and might well have been sipped by a "Tyrannosaurus rex." Rather than only three states of water--liquid, ice, and vapor--there is a fourth, "molecular water," fused into rock 400 miles deep in the Earth, and that's where most of the planet's water is found. Unlike most precious resources, water cannot be used up; it can always be made clean enough again to drink--indeed, water can be made so clean that it's toxic. Water is the most vital substance in our lives but also more amazing and mysterious than we appreciate. As Charles Fishman brings vibrantly to life in this surprising and mind-changing narrative, water runs our world in a host of awe-inspiring ways, yet we take it completely for granted. But the era of easy water is over.
Bringing readers on a lively and fascinating journey--from the wet moons of Saturn to the water-obsessed hotels of Las Vegas, where dolphins swim in the desert, and from a rice farm in the parched Australian outback to a high-tech IBM plant that makes an exotic breed of pure water found nowhere in nature--Fishman vividly shows that we've already left behind a century-long golden age when water was thoughtlessly abundant, free, and safe and entered a new era of high-stakes water. In 2008, Atlanta came within ninety days of running entirely out of clean water. California is in a desperate battle to hold off a water catastrophe. And in the last five years Australia nearly ran out of water--and had to scramble to reinvent the country's entire water system. But as dramatic as the challenges are, the deeper truth Fishman reveals is that there is no good reason for us to be overtaken by a global water crisis. We have more than enough water. We just don't think about it, or use it, smartly.
"The Big Thirst "brilliantly explores our strange and complex relationship to water. We delight in watching waves roll in from the ocean; we take great comfort from sliding into a hot bath; and we will pay a thousand times the price of tap water to drink our preferred brand of the bottled version. We love water--but at the moment, we don't appreciate it or respect it. Just as we've begun to reimagine our relationship to food, a change that is driving the growth of the organic and local food movements, we must also rethink how we approach and use water. The good news is that we can. As Fishman shows, a host of advances are under way, from the simplicity of harvesting rainwater to the brilliant innovations devised by companies such as IBM, GE, and Royal Caribbean that are making impressive breakthroughs in water productivity. Knowing what to do is not the problem. Ultimately, the hardest part is changing our water consciousness.
As Charles Fishman writes, "Many civilizations have been crippled or destroyed by an inability to understand water or manage it. We have a huge advantage over the generations of people who have come before us, because we can understand water and we can use it smartly." "The Big Thirst "will forever change the way we think about water, about our essential relationship to it, and about the creativity we can bring to ensuring that we'll always have plenty of it.

Timely, important and popular subject Integrated view of a complex subject rarely tackled in a holistic way Targeting a lay audience but with enough richness to be of interest to experts Clear writing and approach already tested through Why Architects Matter