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REAL ESTATE

NJ Realtor, Matthew Valencia is Offering an Innovative Approach to Buying and Selling Luxury Homes in New Jersey

May 14, 2022 by Staff Reporter

When Matthew Valencia founded Luxury of Valencia brokered by eXp Realty, he aimed to be the go-to guy for clients looking to buy or sell luxury homes and properties in and around New Jersey and he is on track to becoming that guy

Buying or selling a home involves so many different factors. Getting the best valuation for the property, acquiring potential clients, closing deals, and making the most out of every transaction are among the many reasons why the real estate market is most challenging in the United States. The US real estate market is not for the fainthearted and to be successful one has to be an expert or partner with the right realtor or real estate company. With the latter been the only option available to most persons looking to buy or sell real estate, it has become quintessential to find realtors and real estate agencies that care for their client and not just their gains.

One of such companies and realtors is Matthew Valencia and Luxury of Valencia. Based in New Jersey, Matthew Valencia is committed to helping people seeking luxury homes in New Jersey to get the best deals. As an NJ realtor who enjoys helping sellers and buyers through the home buying process, Matthew wants to see homeowners and seekers sell or buy their properties for their actual valuation and the best market deals. Growing up in NJ himself, Matthew knows how important it is for families to join the community and be able to call a place ‘home’.

“At Luxury of Valencia, we are redefining and bringing innovation to buying and selling luxury homes in the United States,” explained Matthew Valencia. “Our home-selling process works better than any other method to buy and sell a home in ANY market condition. Our method of marketing and selling a home offers buyers and sellers more options, control, and 100% transparency when buying or selling real estate. We mean business and we invite everyone and anyone looking to acquire or sell real estate properties in New Jersey to try our services out.”

From selling to buying and financing a home or property, Matthew Valencia and Luxury of Valencia brokered by eXp Realty company are positioned to help Americans find the best properties and clients in New Jersey. People looking for luxury homes in New Jersey can find listings on the company’s website and those looking to sell homes can make offers on the website as well.

Luxury of Valencia brokered by eXp Realty also provides instant cash offers, an online offer platform that ensures sellers maximize their selling potential, and drive tons of traffic and exposure with the use of the company’s marketing team. For more information, please visit https://helpmesellmyhouse.com/.

Media Contact
Company Name: Luxury of Valencia brokered by eXp Realty
Contact Person: Matthew Valencia
Email: Send Email
Phone: 2015819985
Country: United States
Website: https://helpmesellmyhouse.com/

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Filed Under: REAL ESTATE

‘Be essential’: 700 graduate from Westfield State University

May 13, 2022 by Staff Reporter

SPRINGFIELD — Westfield State University recognized the essential workers of tomorrow and the architects of the future, conferring degrees to the graduating class of 2022 Friday at the Mass Mutual Center.

More than 700 graduates received degrees in business, computer science, criminology, psychology, social justice, public policy, education, communications, health, human services and more.

Honorary doctorates were presented to Baystate Health President and CEO Dr. Mark Keroack and 1989 alumnus John Ockerbloom, managing director of U.S. real estate at the financial firm Barings, part of MassMutual.

Ockerbloom, the keynote speaker, was a political science major, student trustee, class president and a member of the Music Theatre Guild.

“John has been a supporter and friend of the university for decades and we are delighted that he has agreed to speak and provide guidance to our class of 2022,” said Linda Thompson, president of Westfield State University.

In his lighthearted address, Ockerbloom said that although he is not President Barack Obama, Bill Gates or any of the Backstreet Boys, none of them lived on campus, stole flowers out of the garden or preformed in the university theater.

“I am you 30 years older and not as good looking,” he said. “I’ve been blessed beyond my ability to measure and repay.”

Ockerbloom noted receiving his law degree in 1992, having a prolific Wall Street career and meeting his wife, all due to the time he spent at the university.

“My professional life has been a gift and with a Westfield State University degree anything is possible,” he said.

Ockerbloom said no matter where he landed in his career, he took the skills he learned at the university. He urged the student to “be essential” in their careers, with friends and raising families, and to never forget what they have learned at Westfield State University.

Thompson said learning is a lifelong process and encouraged graduates to become healthy bridges to the collective future by building on the foundation of the knowledge gained while at the university.

“History will look back at this time and wonder how we got out of this,” Thompson said. “You are the future. … You have the opportunity to be the architect of your future, the designers of how we’ll run the business of the future.”

“Based on what I’ve seen on campus, I am confident on what the future holds,” she said.

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Filed Under: REAL ESTATE

Feeling seasick? These simple, low-cost retirement portfolios are holding up well

May 12, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Not everyone is having a terrible year.

While stocks and bonds have all plummeted since Jan. 1, a few simple, low-cost, all-weather portfolios are doing a much better job of preserving their owners’ retirement savings.

Best of all, anybody can copy them using a handful of low-cost exchange-traded funds or mutual funds. Anyone at all.

You don’t need to be clairvoyant and predict where the market is going.

You don’t need to pay for high fee hedge funds (which usually don’t work anyway).

And you don’t need to miss out on long-term gains by just sitting in cash.

Money manager Doug Ramsey’s simple “All Asset No Authority” portfolio has lost half as much as a standard “balanced” portfolio since Jan. 1, and a third as much as the S&P 500. Meb Faber’s even simpler equivalent has held up even better.

And when combined with a very simple market timing system that anyone could do from home, these portfolios are nearly break-even.

This, in a year when almost everything has plummeted, including the S&P 500
SPX,
-0.13%,
the Nasdaq Composite
COMP,
+0.06%,
Apple
AAPL,
-2.69%,
Amazon
AMZN,
+1.48%,
Meta
FB,
+1.32%,
Tesla
TSLA,
-0.82%,
bitcoin
BTCUSD,
+2.13%
(I know, shocking, right?), small-company stocks, real-estate investment trusts, high-yield bonds, investment grade bonds, and U.S. Treasury bonds.

This is not just the benefit of hindsight, either.

Ramsey, the chief investment strategist at Midwestern money management firm Leuthold Group, has for years monitored what he calls the “All Asset No Authority” portfolio, which is sort of the portfolio you’d have if you told your pension fund manager to hold some of all the major asset classes and make no decisions. So it consists of equal amounts in 7 assets: U.S. large-company stocks, U.S. small-company stocks, U.S. real-estate investment trusts, 10 Year U.S. Treasury notes, international stocks (in developed markets like Europe and Japan), commodities and gold.

Any of us could copy this portfolio with 7 ETFs: For instance the SPDR S&P 500 ETF trust
SPY,
-0.10%,
the iShares Russell 2000 ETF
IWM,
+1.17%,
Vanguard Real Estate
VNQ,
+0.78%,
iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond
IEF,
+0.33%,
Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF
VEA,
-0.38%,
Invesco DB Commodity Index ETF
DBC,
+0.47%,
and SPDR Gold Trust
GLD,
-1.53%.
These are not specific fund recommendations, merely illustrations. But they show that this portfolio is accessible to anyone.

Faber’s portfolio is similar, but excludes gold and U.S. small-company stocks, leaving 20% each in U.S. and international large-company stocks, U.S. real estate trusts, U.S. Treasury bonds, and commodities.

The magic ingredient this year, of course, is the presence of commodities. The S&P GSCI
SPGSCI,
+1.36%
has skyrocketed 33% since Jan. 1, while everything else has tanked.

The key point here is not that commodities are great long-term investments. (They aren’t. Over the long term commodities have either been a mediocre investment or a terrible one, though gold and oil seem to have been the best, analysts tell me.)

The key point is that commodities typically do well when everything else, like stocks and bonds, do badly. Such as during the 1970s. Or the 2000s. Or now.

That means less volatility, and less stress. It also means that anyone who has commodities in their portfolio is in a better position to take advantage when stocks and bonds plunge.

Just out of curiosity I went back and looked at how Ramsey’s All Asset No Authority portfolio would have done, say, over the past 20 years. Result? It crushed it. If you’d invested equal amounts in those 7 assets at the end of 2002 and just rebalanced at the end of every year, to keep the portfolio equally spread across each one, you’d have posted stellar total returns of 420%. That’s a full 100 percentage points ahead of the performance of, say, the Vanguard Balanced Index Fund
VBINX,
+0.17%.

A simple portfolio check once a month would have slashed the risks even further.

It is 15 years since Meb Faber, co-founder and chief investment officer at money management firm Cambria Investment Management, demonstrated the power of a simple market-timing system that anyone could follow.

In a nutshell: All you have to do is check your portfolio once a month, for example on the last workday of the month. When you do, look at each investment, and compare its current price with its average price over the previous 10 months, or about 200 trading days. (This number, known as the 200-day moving average, can be found very easily here at MarketWatch, by the way, using our charting feature).

If the investment is below the 200-day average sell it and move the money into a money-market fund or into Treasury bills. That’s it.

Keep checking your portfolio every month. And when the investment goes back above the moving average, buy it back. It’s that simple.

Own these assets only when they closed above their 200-day average on the last day of the previous month.

Faber worked out that this simple system would have allowed you to sidestep every really bad bear market and slash your volatility, without eating into your long-term returns. That’s because crashes don’t tend to come out of the blue, but tend to be preceded by a long slide and a loss of momentum.

And it doesn’t just work for the S&P 500, he found. It works for pretty much every asset class: Gold, commodities, real estate trusts, and Treasury bonds.

It got you out of the S&P 500 this year at the end of February, long before the April and May meltdowns. It got you out of Treasury bonds at the end of last year.

Doug Ramsey has calculated what this market timing system would have done to these 5 or 7 asset portfolios for nearly 50 years. Bottom line: Since 1972 this would have generated 92% of the average annual return of the S&P 500, with less than half the variability in returns.

So, no, it wouldn’t have been as good over the very long term as buying and holding stocks. The average annual return works out around 9.8%, compared to 10.5% for the S&P 500. Over the long term that makes a big difference. But this a risk-controlled portfolio. And the returns would have been very impressive.

Amazingly, his calculations show that in all that time your portfolio would have lost money in just three years: 2008, 2015 and 2018. And the losses would have been trivial, too. For example using his All Asset No Authority portfolio, combined with Faber’s monthly trading signal, would have left you just 0.9% in the red in 2008.

A standard portfolio of 60% U.S. stocks and 40% U.S. bonds that year: -22%.

The S&P 500: -37%.

Things like “all weather” portfolios and risk control always seem abstract when the stock market is flying and you are making money every month. Then you wake up stuck on the roller coaster from hell, like now, and they start to seem a lot more appealing.

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Filed Under: REAL ESTATE

Hedge Funds 101: An Introduction to Tax Issues | Freeman Law

May 11, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Hedge funds provide a vehicle to pool private capital for investment in stocks, securities and financial derivatives. While hedge funds take on many different structures—including master-feeder, parallel, or fund-of-funds structures—they share many similar tax considerations.

Hedge fund tax issues include entity classification, tax allocations, the taxation of carried interests, swap taxation, withholding, and numerous other issues. In this Insight post, we discuss the typical hedge fund structure and usual players, as well as several common tax issues.

Typical Hedge Fund Structures

Most hedge funds use one of the following organizational structures: 1) a single entity fund, 2) a master-feeder fund, 3) a parallel fund, or 4) a fund of funds.

A typical hedge fund structure involves an entity formed as a partnership for U.S. federal tax purposes acting as an investment manager with a separate entity functioning as a general partner. The investment or fund manager is generally compensated through a management fee, typically tied to a percentage of the fund’s net asset value. In addition, the general partner generally receives an allocation of partnership profits (net of prior losses and management fees) that is based on the master fund’s performance. This is known as a carried interest.

Hedge Funds vs. Private Equity

Hedge funds share some similarities with private equity. Both, for instance, involve partnerships raising capital through unregistered offerings. Unlike private equity, however, hedge funds function more like an open-ended mutual fund, investing in public securities, rather than private-held operating companies. Many leverage investments using debt in order to enhance returns or employ investment vehicles such as straddles and short positions.

Hedge funds are privately owned, with investments that are generally more liquid than those of private equity funds.

Hedge Fund Regulatory Environment

Unlike mutual funds, hedge funds operate in a largely unregulated environment. Sponsors generally raise capital through unregistered Reg. D offerings to “accredited investors” and take measures to avoid registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, thereby avoiding certain diversification and borrowing restrictions under the act.

The Hedge Fund Players

Master Fund: The Master Fund, often a foreign entity or U.S. LP or LLC, is typically treated as a partnership for U.S. tax purposes. The Master Fund invests capital from any foreign feeder and domestic feeder.

Investment Manager: The Investment Manager manages the master fund’s portfolio for the investors. The Master Fund typically enters into an agreement to pay the Investment Manager a management fee.

General Partner: The General Partner usually holds a small interest in the Master Fund and/or feeder funds. The general partner participates in the master fund’s economic performance through a “carried interest”—a profits interest.

Domestic Feeder: The domestic feeder is generally a U.S. pass-through entity whose income that is allocated from the Master Fund to DF would be subject to US taxation at the partner level.

Foreign Feeder: The foreign feeder is typically a foreign corporation formed in a low or no-tax jurisdiction. For US tax purposes, the FF is treated as a corporation. US tax-exempt investors (pension funds, 401k funds, governmental entities, etc.) and foreign investors (foreign corporations, non-resident aliens, etc.) make their investments in the Master Fund through the FF. Any distributions from the FF to its foreign investors are treated as dividends for US tax purposes.[1]

Carried Interests

Internal Revenue Code section 1061, which was enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, affects certain carried interest arrangements. Generally, under section 1061, certain carried interest arrangements (known as “applicable partnership interests”) must be held for more than three years for the related capital gains to qualify for long-term capital gain treatment.

An applicable partnership interest is an interest in a partnership that is transferred to or held by a taxpayer, directly or indirectly, in connection with the performance of substantial services by the taxpayer, or any other related person, in any applicable trade or business.

Many private equity (PE) funds, hedge funds, and other asset management funds are subject to section 1061’s treatment of carried interests. Where it applies, section 1061 recharacterizes certain net long-term capital gains of a partner that holds one or more applicable partnership interests as short-term capital gains.

Engaging in a US Trade or Business

The hedge fund’s master fund will generally seek to avoid its activities being deemed to be a U.S. trade or business. For example, it will seek to avoid U.S. trade or business status due to the impact on most tax-exempt and foreign investors, as well as avoidance of the net-basis tax regime imposed upon effectively connected income.

Foreign corporations that are deemed to be “engaged in a trade or business” in the United States are, generally speaking, subject to U.S.tax on income that is “effectively connected” with that trade or business, as well as a “branch profits” tax on certain income. The code, however, provides a safe harbor, exempting a foreign corporation that trades in stocks, securities, and derivatives for its own account from being treated as engaged in a U.S. trade or business–an exemption that many states also apply.

A foreign person who invests in a partnership that is engaged in a U.S. trade or business is deemed to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business itself, regardless of the number of partnership tiers between the initial partnership and the foreign partner.

Effectively Connected Income

If a master fund is engaged in a US trade or business, certain foreign-source income earned by the master fund may be effectively connected income (ECI). Certain income, gain, or loss from foreign sources is treated as effectively connected with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business if the nonresident alien individual or foreign corporation has an office or other fixed place of business within the United States to which such income, gain, or loss is attributable and such income, gain, or loss.[2]

Similar results may arise if the master fund is investing in U.S. real estate. Under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980 (FIRPTA), a foreign person’s gain or loss from the disposition of a United States real property interest is treated as if it is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. A United States real property interest includes a) an interest in real property (including an interest in a mine, well, or other natural deposit) located in the United States or the Virgin Islands, and b) any interest (other than an interest solely as a creditor) in any domestic corporation unless the taxpayer establishes that such corporation was at no time a United States real property holding corporation.

What is a Trade or Business?

The Internal Revenue Code does not define the phrase “trade or business within the United States.” However, the Code provides that the term “trade or business within the United States” includes the performance of personal services within the United States at any time within the taxable year, but does not include” certain personal service activity, and does not generally include “trading in stocks or securities” or trading in commodities. The IRS has adopted a facts-and-circumstances test to determine whether a foreign person’s activities result in a trade or business within the United States.

Trading Safe Harbors

The Trading Safe Harbors provides two statutory safe harbors under which certain trading activities conducted by or for a foreign person that might otherwise constitute a trade or business within the United States are deemed not to give rise to a trade or business within the United States.

The first trading safe harbor provides that the term “trade or business within the United States” does not include “[t]rading in stocks or securities[3] through a resident broker, commission agent, custodian, or other independent agent.” § 864(b)(2)(A)(i).[4] The trading safe harbor does not apply, however, if the foreign person maintains an office or other fixed place of business in the United States at any time during the taxable year through which the transactions in stocks or securities are effected.

The second Trading Safe Harbor provides that the term “trade or business within the United States” does not include “[t]rading in stocks or securities for the taxpayer’s own account, whether by the taxpayer or his employees or through a resident broker, commission agent, custodian, or other agent, and whether or not any such employee or agent has discretionary authority to make decisions in effecting the transactions.[5]” This safe harbor is not available to a dealer in stocks, securities, or commodities. On the other hand, it may apply to a foreign person who has an office or other fixed place of business in the United States.

[1] The choice of the corporate form may also lead to the FF being classified as a passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”) under IRC §1297. A foreign corporation is a PFIC if either a) 75 percent or more of its gross income for the tax year is passive income (passive income test), or b) on average 50 percent or more of its assets produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income (passive asset test). An asset is generally characterized as passive if it generates, or is reasonably expected to generate in the reasonably foreseeable future, passive income as defined in IRC §1297(b). The FF is commonly referred to as a blocker entity because it prevents income flow through treatment to the investors in the FF.

[2] The term “securities” means any note, bond, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness, or any evidence of an interest in or right to subscribe to or purchase any of the foregoing; and the effecting of transactions in stocks or securities including buying, selling (whether or not by entering into short sales), or trading in stocks, securities, or contracts or options to buy or sell stocks or securities, on margin or otherwise, for the account and risk of the taxpayer.

[3] If a foreign person is not a dealer, the term engaged in trade or business within the United States does not include effecting transactions in derivatives for the taxpayer’s own account, including hedging transactions.

[4] The phrase “effecting of transactions in stocks or securities” includes buying, selling, shorting or trading stocks, securities, or options or contracts to buy or sell stocks or securities for the account and risk of the taxpayer, and any other activities closely related to those activities, such as obtaining credit.

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Filed Under: REAL ESTATE

UL Interview: Executive Search Firm CEO on the Shifting Mindset of Employees

May 10, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Gemma Burgess, incoming CEO of Ferguson Partners.

As the pandemic appears to subside and many tenants are formulating plans to return to the office, Gemma Burgess, the incoming CEO of Ferguson Partners, a global executive search firm focused on the real assets industries, was in high demand as a speaker during ULI’s Spring Meeting in San Diego last month. During the meeting, Urban Land sat down with Burgess, who is also a member of ULI’s Office Development Product Council, to learn, among other insights, where real estate employees went after they resigned and why.

What happened to the employees in commercial real estate? Why did they leave and where did they go?

First, we must remember that we’re in a cyclical business. If you rewind the clock back to the GFC [Global Financial Crisis], there was a huge period where either people were cut from the industry, or they just didn’t join the industry. They didn’t come into the investment banking programs or the training programs; so, we’re suffering from a missing generation of professionals across the industry.

Then, you layer in the baby boomers retiring, people taking sabbaticals, and people staying at home more, wanting more flexibility. There are also people not wanting to work as many hours as they did 20 years ago. And then, you add into that people who just left CRE altogether and joined a different industry. Many of those folks were functional professionals who were concerned that they were going to be called back to the office full-time, i.e. technology, HR, accounting, finance, legal, marketing, etc.

What’s the impact on office real estate if people don’t go back?

Many firms have changed their approaches to the return to office situation over the past 12 months. Many firms, at this point, are developing some form of hybrid solution. When people are only in the office two or three days a week, we’re finding most colleagues are in the same two or three days a week. The office footprint is very similar regardless of whether you are in the office five or two days a week.

But the other big difference is people want their office to be a destination with great amenities and lots of shared spaces. I believe we are going to see winners and losers in the office space with new builds [being in demand] and some of the older stock being less attractive.

It will be interesting to see what happens to suburban offices in the medium term and whether employees’ behavior might change if we encounter a recession.

What should commercial real estate employers know about attracting top talent now? What’s fundamentally changed about it?

The industry needs to approach human capital in a different way.  The traditional way of people coming into a firm and staying for their entire career has evolved.

To access talent, we have got to look to other industries that have evolved their hiring practices. You build a company that allows employees to join the organization for a couple of years and then either transition to do something else within the firm or transition out of the firm altogether. [Firms need to] build the training machine that’s needed for this to happen because the current mentality of many younger people coming into any industry is not to stay for 10 or 15 years—they want to do something and then go off and do something else.

It also means you’ve got to look at your existing staff with a different lens because again, if you don’t give people an opportunity to try something new or do something different, they could get bored or frustrated and leave.

Historically, people who have traded jobs every couple of years have been discounted by people like us—recruiters—and by companies because you don’t want somebody that’s only going to be there for a short period of time. But again, I think that’s probably going to change. Employers are going to need to boil down job descriptions to the core skill sets needed, and then match up skill sets, as opposed to experiences, to get the right people in seats that are open across the industry.  This is especially important if the industry wants to bring more diverse talent into the asset class.

If employees are working fewer hours, are employers going to have to hire more people to get the same amount of work done?

With the technology evolution, we can hopefully work smarter.  People desire to work less hours, therefore, you’ve got to find other efficiencies across businesses. Right now, a big part of the tech revolution is focused on some of these attributes. I was chatting the other day with a good friend who is an investment banker, and she said that at 7pm, she walked the floor at the IB, and nobody was there below a VP level, and that seems crazy. But if you are going to have analysts and associates who won’t work 80-plus hours a week anymore, then you have got to figure out a solution. Employers will have to either get more people or have more efficient processes to get to the same answers.

What level of talent is the most difficult to recruit?

From what I hear from clients, I would say more junior hires, anyone with less than 10 years of experience. They trade jobs for different reasons, but compensation is a big one. You hear stories right now of people getting their base salaries doubled to cross the street and join startup operations. When you’re doing more senior hires, people are trading for different reasons. When you are having that more thoughtful, bigger picture conversation, then people are not just trading for money or work-life balance, there’s a whole series of different things that will come into play.

There’s this idea of the ‘great resignation’ becoming the ‘great regret.’ Is it going to be the great regret?

I think we’re seeing this a little bit already. I have been surprised that some folks that were in their seats for a long time traded through the pandemic.  When you ask why, in a lot of instances it is because they felt disconnected from their firms. Their firms looked after the people who they thought were high flight risks, and not necessarily the good corporate soldiers who people would never imagine leaving.

In isolation, people can make bad decisions because in a world of real estate, where we are used to doing a lot of due diligence, we are used to getting in front of people and asking the question, ‘Does this make sense? And, is this a good move?’ I don’t think everyone has been through that same process through COVID.

SIBLEY FLEMING is the editor in chief of Urban Land.

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Filed Under: REAL ESTATE

How to Compete Against All-Cash Offers When You’re House Hunting

May 9, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Why so many people are paying cash for houses

A single-family home has long held allure as a wealth builder for everyone from first-time buyers seeking solace in the suburbs to house flippers to people who want to rent out a property for income. Then came the pandemic, which reduced many people’s ideal commute to a walk to the downstairs den.

Now go back even further: Home appreciation since 2014, Cororaton says, has produced big equity for current homeowners — which in turn fuels all-cash offers.

Such offers became more common across the country during the pandemic when the mortgage rates hit historic lows and home prices soared, and those offers can make already hot markets even hotter. Consider Palm Beach, Florida, where 55% of closed sales in February were all cash, according to the Miami Association of Realtors.

“Over the past 30 years, a homeowner who purchased a typical home and sold it today would typically have built up equity of $360,700,” Cororaton says. “In expensive areas like San Jose and San Francisco, the home equity gains over the past 30 years are at least $1.3 million, which is enough to make an all-cash offer in many areas of the United States, where the median sales price is $375,300.”

More broadly, some view the cash-offer craze — joined by foreclosures and rising prices — as a catalyst for wealth disparity.

High-income households — with incomes over 200% of the median pay where they live — accounted for a higher share of housing wealth in 2020 compared with 2010, an NAR study on housing wealth gains found.

Over that decade, the total value of owner-occupied housing rose to $24.1 trillion in 2020 from $15.9 trillion in 2010, or an increase of $8.2 trillion, and 71% of this wealth gain went to the higher-income owners.

That adds up to a huge edge for cash buyers “as sellers tend to prefer the assurance of an all-cash offer,” Cororaton says.

And when you consider that multiple offers are common — an average of five offers are attached to every listing, according to the NAR — cash will always stand out. (Remember, too, that cash spenders are often better equipped to handle bidding wars.)

Bill Gates made a splash in 2017 when he bought $520 million worth of U.S. farmland, and he’s continued to invest since. What’s in it for Gates?

Read More

When cash becomes “cash … sort of”

There are tools ordinary mortgage buyers can use to battle the cash trend.

One tactic is “upfront underwriting,” a step beyond ordinary loan preapproval in which all the scrutiny of the traditional underwriting process occurs before buyers go under contract for their new home.

Underwritten buyers know exactly what their bank has agreed to loan, pushing that process to the front and eliminating the uncertainty of loan approval. In some ways, the approach is a great plan B, because buyers have proof they can close with no unexpected hurdles.

A strategy gaining momentum involves companies that offer cash buys even if the buyer needs a conventional mortgage. For example, HomeLight Homes, which connects homebuyers with real estate agents and competitive loans, promotes a cash offer program in which buyers gain financing that is presented as all cash to the seller. Competitors in the growing space include firms such as Ribbon, Flyhomes and Orchard.

A HomeLight study published in March found that 52% of surveyed agents reported the number of cash offers in their markets increased in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the fourth quarter of 2021.

“It comes as no surprise that all-cash offers come from deep-pocketed investors or high-net-worth individuals, but people who don’t have the cash-on-hand for a home can make cash offers as well — even if they need a mortgage or are waiting to sell their existing home,” said Vanessa Famulener, president of HomeLight Homes, who oversees the firm’s cash offer program.

If you consider such an arrangement, many firms offering the service typically charge a fee that, especially in pricier markets, ultimately results in higher home costs versus a traditional mortgage. Depending on the company, the fee can range anywhere from 1% to 3% or more.

But for buyers eager to compete with cash, that cost may be worth it.

“The role of fin-tech companies or iBuyers in providing cash-backed buyer offers or cash financing will likely only increase in the future to fill the need for buyers to become competitive in a market that is likely going to face a limited supply of homes for at least the next 10 years,” Cororaton wrote in an 2021 NAR report on the rise of cash sales.

Alternatives to all-cash home offers

There are other ways mortgage-reliant buyers can still be competitive. But creativity is crucial.

  • Be flexible: HomeLight’s study found nearly a quarter of buyers altered their closing timeline to accommodate the sellers’ preferences, while 22% skipped all requests for repairs. Nearly a fourth of buyers increased their initial expected down payment to make their offers more attractive, with more than a third of those buyers increasing their down payment by 6% to 20% of the home’s purchase price.

  • Consider raising your offer, which may help sellers overcome their uncertainties about closing risks or delays.

  • Consider, carefully, some once-unthinkable concessions, such as waiving repair costs for problems uncovered during inspection.

  • Find a savvy agent who knows your market. The person will know what’s currently working in what neighborhoods, as well as the tactics that dictate a winning bid: Should you refrain from asking for repairs? Should you pursue steps such as appraisal gap coverage, where the buyer covers the gap between the agreed-upon sale price and the fair-market appraisal? A buyer’s agent who’s ready with multiple available tools stands a better chance of producing a winning offer.

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CP Capital US To Develop ‘NOVEL Independence Park’ in Tampa, Florida with Crescent Communities

May 8, 2022 by Staff Reporter

CP Capital, a highly disciplined U.S. real estate manager specializing in multifamily investments, today announced a joint venture with Crescent Communities, a nationally recognized, market-leading real estate investor, developer, and operator of mixed-use communities, to develop ‘NOVEL Independence Park’ — a 277-unit multifamily project in Tampa, Florida.

NOVEL Independence Park will feature Class A interior home finishes such as stainless-steel appliances, stone surface countertops, and vinyl wood flooring. Community amenities will include a fitness center, resort style swimming pool, rooftop lounge, dog park, detached garages and a nature trail.

The community, featuring three five-story buildings, will be a part of Independence Park, a 44-acre, mixed-use site that was recently rezoned to accommodate the project as well as future phases that include office, retail, and townhomes. Situated in Tampa’s Westshore Business District, NOVEL Independence Park will be at the epicenter of one of Florida’s largest concentrations of Class A office space, consisting of over 18 million square feet and nearly 100,000 employees.

The project is expected to break ground in May 2022. First units are expected in Q3 2023, with construction expected to be completed in early 2024.

Truist provided construction financing for the transaction.

“Tampa’s rental housing market has experienced tremendous growth over the last year as the city’s economy continues to expand and add vital jobs,” said Jeremy Katz, Co-Head of CP Capital. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with Crescent Communities to provide a premier residential experience within the thriving Westshore Business District.”

The project will benefit from immediate proximity to International Plaza & Bay Street, a renowned shopping destination home to more than 200 specialty shops, restaurants, and luxury retailers; established employers such as JP Morgan Chase, Bristol Myers Squibb, AIG and the U.S. Social Security Administration; transportation hubs including Tampa International Airport, I-275 Memorial Highway and Dale Mabry Highway, and The Raymond James Stadium.

Design partners for NOVEL Independence Park include architecture firm Dwell Design Studio, landscape architect LandDesign, civil engineer Haiff Associates, and interior designer Vignette Interior Design. CBG Construction will serve as the general contractor. Renderings are available here.

“NOVEL Independence Park offers a unique urban experience, with exceptional convenience to employment, retail and recreational amenities in the center of Tampa. Despite this central location, our goal is to provide a differentiated, relaxed and rejuvenating environment for our residents that fosters comfortable living,” said Tim Graff, Managing Director of Florida for Crescent Communities’ multifamily business. “The larger transformation of Independence Park that is currently underway is going to make this location, and NOVEL Independence Park, a welcome addition to Tampa. We are thrilled to be a part of the resurgence and look forward to filling an unmet housing need.”

Crescent purchased the site from Independence Park master developer, Highwoods Properties (NYSE: HIW) who owns over 3 million square feet of Class A commercial office space in Tampa including Independence Park I – the existing 116,000 square foot office building at Independence Park. “We’ve had a vision to turn Independence Park into Westshore’s next best address to live, work and play amid a mixed-use and walkable master plan,” said Dan Woodward, Senior Vice President & Tampa Market Leader, Highwoods Properties. “Crescent Communities brings an unquestioned ability to create compelling places and we have no doubt NOVEL Independence Park will become the sought-after place to live for Tampa’s best and brightest.”

CP Capital, formerly known as HQ Capital Real Estate, recently partnered with Crescent Communities to develop RENDER Covington, a 315-unit multifamily community in Covington, Georgia.

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Russian Oligarchs’ Luxury Real Estate Is Under DOJ Scrutiny

May 7, 2022 by Staff Reporter

  • Luxury US real estate owned by Russian oligarchs is under scrutiny for money laundering. 
  • Specifically “extremely expensive real estate in stable economies,” a DOJ official told CNN. 
  • However, real estate needs to go through forfeiture litigation before the government can seize it, he noted.

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Wealthy Russians have long invested in luxury real estate across the US, from high-end apartments in Florida to multi-million dollar townhomes in New York City.

Now, those assets are “at the top” of the Justice Department’s list as the US looks to crack down on Russian money laundering, according to Andrew Adams, the head of the Justice Department’s KleptoCapture task force.

“All sorts of assets are on the table, for sure. And bringing up real estate is particularly pertinent,” Adams told CNN in an interview published Friday. “The way in which much money laundering is occurring is through large, stable value assets. Real estate is at the top of the list for that kind of investigation.”

Money laundering investigators specifically look for “extremely expensive real estate in stable economies,” he told the outlet. 

The Biden administration created the KleptoCapture task force “to hold accountable corrupt Russian oligarchs” following the invasion of Ukraine by seizing their US assets.

While luxury real estate remains a focus of the Justice Department, Adams noted that federal forfeiture law requires layers of litigation before the government can seize an individual’s private property. Last week, President Biden proposed a new White House plan that would expedite this legal process and allow the government to sell seized Russian assets to help fund Ukraine.

Compared to the rest of the world, US real estate is a steady, if not profitable, investment. But those characteristics also make it “perfect for illicit actors to hide their money,” Gary Kalman, executive director of the anti-corruption organization Transparency International, told Insider.

“I’m an anti-corruption guy, but I also believe in constitutional rights,” Kalman told Insider. “So we have a fourth amendment, you have due process and you gotta go through the courts to actually take somebody’s property.”

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Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Market 2022 – Production, Supply, Demand, Analysis & Forecast to 2028 – ManufactureLink

May 6, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Market Overview 2022

This has brought along several changes in This report also covers the impact of COVID-19 on the global market.

The report offers detailed coverage of Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry and main market trends. The market research includes historical and forecasts market data, demand, application details, price trends, company shares, size, volume, and value of the leading Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) by geography. In addition, the report presents an elaborate analysis of the main market participants, price, growth and drivers of the market and all other factors, influencing its development.

The Top key vendors in Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Market include are:- Omega Healthcare Investors, Iron Mountain, Federal Realty Investment Trust, STAG Industrial Inc., W.P.Carey, RioCan, H&R REIT, Automotive Properties REIT, Northwest Healthcare, FIBRA Prologis, Vonovia SE, Deutsche Wohnen, Segro REIT Plc, Gecina REIT SA, Aroundtown SA, Leg Immobilien N AG, Swiss Prime Site AG, Covivio SA, Klepierre Reit SA, Link REIT, Goodman Group, Scentre Group, Dexus, Nippon Building Fund, Mirvac, Japan RE Investment Corporation, GPT, Stockland, Capital Land Mall Trust, Ascendas REIT

Get a Sample PDF copy of this Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Market Report @ https://www.reportsinsights.com/sample/646336 

This research report categorizes the global Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) market by top players/brands, region, type and end user. This research report has been prepared using the unique Reports Insights methodology, including a blend of qualitative and quantitative data. The information comes from official sources and insights from market experts (representatives of the main market participants), gathered by semi-structured interviews.

Major Product Types covered are:
Equity REITs
Mortagage REITs
Hybrid REITs

The Application Coverage in the Market are:
Office
Retail
Residential
Industrial
Others

Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Market Scope:

ATTRIBUTES DETAILS
BASE YEAR 2021
FORECAST YEAR 2022-2028
UNIT Value (USD Million/Billion)
CAGR Yes (%)
BY COMPANIES Omega Healthcare Investors, Iron Mountain, Federal Realty Investment Trust, STAG Industrial Inc., W.P.Carey, RioCan, H&R REIT, Automotive Properties REIT, Northwest Healthcare, FIBRA Prologis, Vonovia SE, Deutsche Wohnen, Segro REIT Plc, Gecina REIT SA, Aroundtown SA, Leg Immobilien N AG, Swiss Prime Site AG, Covivio SA, Klepierre Reit SA, Link REIT, Goodman Group, Scentre Group, Dexus, Nippon Building Fund, Mirvac, Japan RE Investment Corporation, GPT, Stockland, Capital Land Mall Trust, Ascendas REIT
SEGMENTS COVERED Types, Applications, End-Users, and more
REPORT COVERAGE Total Revenue Forecast, Company Ranking and Market Share, Regional Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, New Trends, Business Strategies, and more
REGION ANALYSIS North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa

Region wise performance of the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry 

This Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) market report regional outlook in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Other regions (Middle East & Africa, Central & South America). North America region is further bifurcated into countries such as U.S., and Canada. The Europe region is further categorized into U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, and Rest of Europe. Asia Pacific is further segmented into China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, South East Asia, and Rest of Asia Pacific. Latin America region is further segmented into Brazil, Mexico, and Rest of Latin America, and the MEA region is further divided into GCC, Turkey, South Africa, and Rest of MEA.

To get this report at a profitable rate.: https://www.reportsinsights.com/discount/646336

The study objectives of this report are:

  • Focuses on the key global Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) companies, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape and recent development.
  • To project the value and sales volume of Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) market, with respect to key regions.
  • To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.
  • To study and analyze the global Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) market size (value & volume) by company, key regions, products and end user, breakdown data from Last Five Years, and forecast to 2028.
  • To understand the structure of Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) market by identifying its various sub segments.
  • To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).

Scope of the Report:- 

The report scope combines a detailed research of Global Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Market 2022 with the apprehension given in the advancement of the industry in certain regions.

The Top Companies Report is designed to contribute our buyers with a snapshot of the industry’s most influential players. Besides, information on the performance of different companies, profit, gross margin, strategic initiative and more are presented through various resources such as tables, charts, and info graphic.

Access full Report Description, TOC, Table of Figure, Chart, etc. @   https://www.reportsinsights.com/industry-forecast/real-estate-investment-trust-reit-market-analysis-by-regions-646336

About US:

Reports Insights is the leading research industry that offers contextual and data-centric research services to its customers across the globe. The firm assists its clients to strategize business policies and accomplish sustainable growth in their respective market domain. The industry provides consulting services, syndicated research reports, and customized research reports.

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Want To Invest Like Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square? Try These ETFs

May 5, 2022 by Staff Reporter

The well-known hedge fund manager, Bill Ackman, is also referred to as an investor activist. In 2003, he founded Pershing Square Capital, an investment adviser registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

(LON:) (OTC:) is a closed-end fund run by Ackman. The fund:

“Makes concentrated investments in publicly traded, principally North American-domiciled, companies. PSH is incorporated in Guernsey…”

Pershing Square Holdings Weekly Chart

In December 2020, PSHP stock joined the , the U.K.’s leading equity index.

As reported by the company in its FY2021 annual report, the net return was 26.9% compared to the return of 28.7%.

Over the past year, the stock has increased around 1% and offers a dividend yield of almost 1.5%. According to metrics provided by InvestingPro, the financial health of PSHP stock has a rating of 4 out of 5 compared to peers in the financial sectors.

Financial Health

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Source: InvestingPro

Those interested in participating in the potential growth offered by Pershing Square Holdings could simply buy PSHP stock. Others could prefer to diversify through exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that give access to the holdings currently held by Pershing Square Capital Management.

InvestingPro website also gives access to these names. Readers can follow the relevant 13F filings by the group on the SEC website as well.

Bill Ackman’s portfolio currently includes six companies. Five of them are consumer discretionary stocks, and the last one is a real estate name. Let’s take a closer look.

Ackman’s Stocks

A quarter of the portfolio is currently in Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:), the home improvement retailer. The company also has the largest market capitalization (cap) among those six holdings.

Since January, LOW stock has lost close to 20%, and the dividend yield stands at 1.59%. Two ETFs that hold LOW are the Invesco Dynamic Building & Construction ETF (NYSE:) and the iShares US Home Construction ETF (NYSE:).

Among the six holdings, two names come with similar weightings and market caps, i.e., Hilton (NYSE:), the global hospitality giant, and Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:), the Mexican food-chain. Their allocations are around 18.5%, and market caps are roughly $41 billion.

The Kelly Hotel & Lodging Sector ETF (NYSE:) and the Defiance Hotel, Airline and Cruise ETF (NYSE:) could appeal to those looking to invest in HLT stock.

For potential investors in CMG stock, the Uncommon Portfolio Design Core Equity ETF (NYSE: UGCE) and the AdvisorShares Restaurant ETF (NYSE:) could offer an entry to the shares.

The remaining 38% of Pershing’s portfolio is more or less in three companies: Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:), Howard Hughes (NYSE:) and Domino’s Pizza (NYSE:). HHC is a real estate company, while the other two are in the restaurant business.

Of those three names, the Canada-based QSR stock is the dividend champ with a yield of a hefty 3.9%. It is also at a bargain price in terms of fair (or intrinsic) value, as the stock could increase by 30%. The Invesco International Dividend Achievers ETF (NASDAQ:) would be an ETF to consider by those who want to invest in QSR.

Revenue growth is an important metric for long-term investors. In that regard, HHC deserves to be on the radar screen as its growth is over 100% year-on-year. Two additional ETFs worth mentioning are the Genuine Investors ETF (NYSE: GCIG) and the iShares US Real Estate ETF (NYSE:), which invest in HHC. Meanwhile, DPZ stock is also in the EATZ fund.

Readers that wonder how Wall Street analysts rate these six stocks may want to know that they all offer upside potential from their current levels. For instance, LOW could increase by over 40%. Next come CMG (31.5%), HHC (27.6%), QSR (19.7%), DPZ (16.3%) and HLT (4.1%).

Bottom Line

Finally, an alternative for the retail investor is to buy an ETF that holds a combination of these shares. Then the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Consumer Discretionary ETF (NYSE:) deserves further research.

LOW, HLT, CMG, and DPZ are all in this ETF. The fund has lost 15.1% year-to-date, offering long-term investors better value.

The current market makes it harder than ever to make the right decisions. Think about the challenges:

  • Inflation
  • Geopolitical turmoil
  • Disruptive technologies
  • Interest rate hikes

To handle them, you need good data, effective tools to sort through the data, and insights into what it all means. You need to take emotion out of investing and focus on the fundamentals.

For that, there’s InvestingPro+, with all the professional data and tools you need to make better investing decisions. Learn More »

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