As the leading source for unbiased data on new housing in the United States, Metrostudy economists are often quoted by major news sources. In the articles below, KUT turned to Metrostudy’s economist, Eldon Rude, for housing data in the Austin market. Housing Market in Austin Continues Upward With Thin Apartment Vacancy, Home Buying Jumps in January To receive [...]

As the leading source for unbiased data on new housing in the United States, Metrostudy economists are often quoted by major news sources. In the article below, CNBC turned to Kenneth Wenhold’s fourth quarter housing report for data in the Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia markets. Will Gas Prices be the Spoiler in Housing Recovery? To receive [...]

(Tucson, AZ – February 9, 2012) Some of the local housing and economic indicators in Tucson are improving, but the homebuilding industry will continue to be challenged until resale home prices recover, according to Metrostudy, a national housing data and consulting firm that maintains the most extensive primary database on residential construction in the US [...]

George Custer didn't realize that a wrong done to one of his commanders eight years prior would cost him his life at the Battle of Little Bighorn. We tend to have long memories, but Tucson real estate professionals should guard against a pessimism that prevents us from seeing early signs that are pointing towards a recovery.

(Indianapolis, IN– February 8, 2012) Growth in the Indianapolis housing market in 2012 will be dependent upon a solid job market, according to a recent report by Metrostudy, a national housing data and consulting firm that maintains the most extensive primary database on residential construction in the US housing market. Unemployment in Indianapolis currently stands at [...]

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose last month to the highest level in more than 1½ years, while the inventory of unsold homes contracted to a level economists consider healthy, positive signs for housing.

In Berkeley, an 8,100-square-foot home with views of Mount Diablo and the Golden Gate Bridge is on the market for $9.5 million.

Toll Brothers reported a quarterly loss as fewer deliveries and increased cancellations weakened revenue, but the home builder said contracts are picking up.

The nation's rural regions saw much slower population growth over the past decade, reflecting a drop in the number of jobs in these often-isolated areas.

Some of the most attentive pupils at a home-improvement class in Far Rockaway, Queens, are homeowners who are facing the imminent threat of foreclosure..

One of South Beach's developers is creating a new shopping district in hopes of taking on Bal Harbour Shops, long the top draw for Miami's big spenders.

Development company Avatar Holdings has to change its name because of confusion with the popular "Avatar" movie.

Developer Aby Rosen, who has been fighting headwinds to shore up his highly leveraged U.S. office buildings, faces a new threat, this one to his firm's large portfolio in Stamford, Conn.

Hines, one of the world's largest real-estate groups in terms of assets, is preparing to spend $1.6 billion on buildings in the U.K., doubling its assets in the country in an effort to diversify away from riskier acquisitions.

Commercial real-estate firm Grubb & Ellis Co. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, requesting an expedited sale as it faces $30 million in debt that matures on March 1 and insufficient cash to make it through the first quarter.

DALLAS-Commercial real estate transaction completions totaling more than 21 million in 2011 led to promotions in Austin, Dallas and Houston.

FORT WORTH-The Arkansas company decides to remain in its original industrial property at Carter Business Center. Also: Other southwest commercial real estate news.

HOUSTON-KTR Capital Partners, a real estate private equity firm, has bought its fourth Houston property.

PFLUGERVILLE, TX-The first phase of the North Forest project is now underway in Pflugerville.

GLENDALE, AZ-Construction has started on a new Tanger outlet center in Glendale.

LOS ANGELES-L'Abri Management Inc., the borrower, had some close timelines to pay attention to. One of the six properties faces a maturity deadline sooner than the others.

IRVINE, CA-Even though there was an increase this month, according to RealtyTrac, that number is still down 19% from January 2011.

SEATTLE-An outside source tells GlobeSt.com that strong rent growth, in urban neighborhoods like this one, enables developers like Vulcan Real Estate to bring new, ground-up product to the market.

NEW YORK CITY-The sites include 101 W. 126th St. and 639 W. 46th St., which will be repositioned and upgraded.

LOS ANGELES-L'Abri Management Inc., the borrower, had some close timelines to pay attention to. One of the six properties faces a maturity deadline sooner than the others.

TRENTON-Commercial real estate leaders are liking a proposal for turning foreclosures into affordable housing. Federal and state funds would fund the new program.

ORLANDO-The mixed-use development spans 900 acres and includes nearly every type of commercial real estate type, including a college campus.

IRVINE, CA-Even though there was an increase this month, according to RealtyTrac, that number is still down 19% from January 2011.

BETHESDA, MD-The $320 million project has been divided into phases so the office portion can be put off. The first phase will be solely retail, Peterson SVP Taylor Chess tells GlobeSt.com's Erika Morphy.

TRENTON-Commercial real estate leaders are liking a proposal for turning foreclosures into affordable housing. Federal and state funds would fund the new program.

ORLANDO-The mixed-use development spans 900 acres and includes nearly every type of commercial real estate type, including a college campus.

TRENTON-The governor has proposed a 10% across-the-board income tax cut as part of his $32.1-billion budget. Democrats contend that property tax cuts would be a better boost for the middle and working class.

IRVINE, CA-Even though there was an increase this month, according to RealtyTrac, that number is still down 19% from January 2011.

Real estate businesses and property values could be adversely affected by the new accounting standards -- and the cost of complying with them -- according to a report backed by a coalition of real estate and business groups. As international rule makers prepare to release another draft of proposed accounting changes that would require companies to capitalize real estate and equipment leases, a report warns that current proposals would impose huge...

Commercial real estate brokers and companies are slowly shrugging off their aversions to social media platforms and are engaging more frequently in online marketing, information gathering and client building. While late to the social networking scene and still in a fledgling state of using websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, many in the CRE industry have started trying to harness their reach in hopes that one day it will lead to deals...

Retail properties went through a see-saw swing last year with strong leasing during the first half of the year surging upward only to deflate later in the year as several economic shocks threatened to derail the economic recovery. However, the industry is starting to regain some momentum as 2012 progresses, according to new retail outlooks from Marcus & Millichap, Savills US and Colliers International retail groups. With retail sales now exceeding...

Investment firm W.P. Carey & Co. LLC (NYSE:WPC) plans to convert into a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) and, in doing so, will acquire its non-traded REIT affiliate, Corporate Property Associates 15 Inc. The firm said it expects the change in structure will help increase its market share and improve access to capital. The transaction values CPA 15 at $2.6 billion, including the assumption of debt of $1.2 billion, as of Dec....

The high-stakes match for control of Archstone continues, with Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR) making the latest move. Keeping its options alive to acquire at least a piece of the Denver-based apartment company, EQR reached an agreement this week with Barclays PLC and Bank of America on a 60-day extension of its deadline to make a formal offer to acquire the banks' remaining interest in Archstone. Equity Residential, one of the nation’s largest...

Sealy, Inc., an internationally recognized leader in the mattress production and distribution business, leased 120,801 square feet at the 5-Star distribution center in Phoenix, AZ. The tenant will occupy a portion of the 251,668-square-foot industrial building at 125 S. 67th Ave. The property was built in 2006 on 35 acres in the SW N of Buckeye Road Industrial submarket of Maricopa County. The lessee was represented by Dev Gupta of UGL Services...

MiTek Industries, Inc. leased 259,200 square feet at 7890 W. Lincoln St. in Phoenix, AZ. The 10-year deal was inked in the beginning of February with a tentative move-in date of May 2012. MiTek is a subsidiary of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., and is a leading supplier of engineered products and services for the building components industry. The build-to-suit manufacturing building broke ground in January 2012 on a 15-acre parcel in...

Parkway Properties, Inc. (NYSE: PKY), a self-administered REIT based in Jackson, MS, purchased the leasehold interest of Hayden Ferry Lakeside II, a class A office building in Tempe, AZ, for $86 million, or about $287 per square foot. The property is 94 percent leased, with tenants including Microsoft and KPMG. The ground lease terminates in 2015, with an option for the tenant to acquire the fee simple interest. Located at 60 E. Rio Salado Parkway...

North American Development Group acquired Olive Square, an 88,825-square-foot shopping center at 5108-5166 W. Olive Ave. in Glendale, AZ, from Westwood Financial Corporation for $6.32 million, or about $71 per square foot. The retail property was constructed in 1975 in the Glendale Retail submarket. It was 92 percent occupied at the time of sale. Patrick Dempsey and Jan Fincham of Lee & Associates represented both parties in the sale. Please...

Infinity Trading and Solutions acquired the industrial building at 450 E. Elliot Rd. in Chandler, AZ from Wells Fargo Bank for $3.22 million, just about $55 per square foot, in an REO sale. The 58,559-square-foot manufacturing building was constructed in 2008 and sits on 4.23 acres. The property was 100 percent vacant at the time of sale. Bret Isbell and Russell Fine of GPE Commercial Advisors represented the seller. Kurt Saulnier of Grubb...

The Siegel Group Nevada, Inc., announced that it had acquired the former Atrium Suites Hotel, a 202-key hotel on Paradise Road Las Vegas. The buyer, a company founded by investor Stephen Siegel, was able to close the transaction in five days for $4.2 million, or just under $20,800 per key. The $26-per-square-foot purchase of the six-story, 162,000-square-foot hotel on 3.75 acres is far below today’s replacement cost, Siegel said in a release. The...

A number of lenders see more capital coming back into commercial real estate in 2012 in much greater volumes and across multiple lending sources. All of the 20 institutional lenders with whom Jones Lang LaSalle met with during last week’s Mortgage Bankers Association conference in Atlanta indicated a stronger appetite or allocation for placing commercial real estate mortgages in 2012. Jones Lang LaSalle also partnered with Penton Media Research...

CoStar Group released the latest findings of the CoStar Commercial Repeat-Sale Indices (CCRSI) last week, providing the market's first look at commercial real estate pricing trends based on property sales that closed through December 2011, and offering the broadest measure of commercial real estate repeat sales activity. The National Composite Index of commercial real estate prices ended the fourth quarter of 2011 relatively flat with December...

This week's People of Note includes the following markets: Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, National, New York City, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Tucson and Washington, DC. WASHINGTON, DC Avison Young Expands Corporate Services Team in DC By Chris Crouse Industry veterans Bruce McNair (pictured far left) and Bill Morris (left) lead an eight-person team that has joined Avison

GREEN LEAD is a column on environmental and sustainable design and construction, best practices for green building maintenance and operations, economic impact on developers and owners, new LEED and Energy Star building certifications, and trends in the Green Building movement. Send in your Green News Leads to news@costar.com LEED Doesn't Cost More - Army Replies to

JNT Group LLC sold the industrial building at 10830 Ada Ave. in Montclair, CA to JLR Group LLC for $5 million, or about $75 per square foot. The buyer is an owner/user, doing business as EC Industrial Supply, Inc., which assists North American manufacturers to source components in Taiwan and China. Built in 2003, the property sits 6.2 acres located at the northwest corner of Ada Ave. and W. Mission Blvd. in the West San Bernardino County submarket...

Grand Pacific sold the 21,108-square-foot car dealership at 14673 Civic Dr. in Victorville, CA for $3.7 million, or about $175 per square foot, to Civic Empire LLC. The property is currently leased to a Kia dealership. Built in 2005, the property sits on a 3.8-acre lot located at the southeast corner of Civic Dr. and Valley Park Ln. in the North San Bernardino County submarket. Dennis Zhang of CBRE represented both sides in the sale. Please...

4021 LLC purchased the retail investment property at 10742 Foothill Blvd. in Rancho Cucamonga, CA for $3.292 million, or about $420 per square foot, from Bengard-Foothill LLC. The property is currently leased to Farrell's Ice Cream on a 15-year, triple-net lease. Built in 1997 and renovated in 2011, the property totals 7,841 square feet on 1.25 acres, part of the Terra Vista Town Center located at the northeast corner of Foothill Blvd. and Haven...

BDV, Inc. sold the retail property at 16963 Sierra Lakes in Fontana, CA for $2.235 million, or about $224 per square foot, to a private marital trust. The property is currently occupied by Big 5 Sporting Goods on a triple-net lease. Built in 2009, the property totals 10,000 square feet on 1.3 acres, part of the Shops at Sierra shopping center located at the southeast corner of Sierra Ave. and Sierra Lakes Pkwy. Jeff Conover and Matt Mousavi...

Custom Goods LLC signed a 39-month lease for 240,249 square feet of industrial / warehouse space at 12200 Arrow Route in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. The lease will bring the property to 100 percent occupancy. The tenant, with its headquarters in Carson, CA, is expanding in Rancho Cucamonga. Built in 2001, the property totals 240,249 square feet on 18.2 acres located at the northeast corner of the 15 Freeway. Ruben Goodsell, Michael McCrary and...

Nicholas Psyllos, with more than 31 years of commercial real estate investment sales experience, has joined HFF in San Diego as senior managing director. Prior to joining HFF, Psyllos was senior vice president of CBRE’s investment properties group. He began his career with Coldwell Banker Commercial, now CBRE, and has closed more than $3.2 billion in office and industrial sales over his career. HFF has sold more than $300 million in commercial...

LaSalle Investment Management acquired a total of 253,637 square feet of office medical space in San Diego, CA, from Kilroy Realty Corporation for $147.5 million, or almost $576 per square foot. The two-building portfolio sale included 15004 Innovation Dr. and 10243 Genetic Dr. in San Diego, CA. The Innovation Drive property is a six-story, 150,801-square-foot building in the Rancho Bernardo submarket that is fully leased to Scripps Health for...

CoStar Group released the latest findings of the CoStar Commercial Repeat-Sale Indices (CCRSI) last week, providing the market's first look at commercial real estate pricing trends based on property sales that closed through December 2011, and offering the broadest measure of commercial real estate repeat sales activity. The National Composite Index of commercial real estate prices ended the fourth quarter of 2011 relatively flat with December...

This week's People of Note includes the following markets: Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, National, New York City, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Tucson and Washington, DC. WASHINGTON, DC Avison Young Expands Corporate Services Team in DC By Chris Crouse Industry veterans Bruce McNair (pictured far left) and Bill Morris (left) lead an eight-person team that has joined Avison

GREEN LEAD is a column on environmental and sustainable design and construction, best practices for green building maintenance and operations, economic impact on developers and owners, new LEED and Energy Star building certifications, and trends in the Green Building movement. Send in your Green News Leads to news@costar.com LEED Doesn't Cost More - Army Replies to