InterNACHIcomsop-2008

This edition of InterNACHIcomsop was revised and approved as an International Standard on 05/10/2008, and supersedes all previous editions.

Includes InterNACHIcomsop-2008 document pack. http://www.nachi.org/comsop.htm

InterNACHIcomsop-2008

International Standards of Practice for
Inspecting Commercial Properties

Posted by Cochise at 11:39 AM | Permalink

Posted by Cochise at 10:02 AM | Permalink

Warehouse Management Today: Balancing Financial Pressures and Growing Demand

Traditional linear supply chains with sequential processes are evolving into complex global ecosystems that are highly responsive to customer requirements.

This SAP white paper describes how an adaptive supply chain network allows all the stakeholders in the supply chain – both internal and external to the enterprise – to share knowledge, make collaborative decisions and immediately respond to changing conditions. Trading partners can avoid costly supply chain problems. Moreover, firms can enhance their financial position and improve their supply chain economics.

 

http://solo.tradepub.com/free/w_sapx79/prgm.cgi

 

Posted by Cochise at 08:41 AM | Permalink

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Release Date: June 26, 2008

Contact: Cecelia Taylor (202) 401-3059

Release Number: 08-65

Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news

SBA Introduces Two New Online Finance Courses for Small Business Owners

WASHINGTON ─ The U.S. Small Business Administration has introduced two

new free online finance courses to help small business owners with the basic

principles of finance and borrowing.

The new self-paced courses, Finance Primer: Guide to SBA’s Loan Guaranty

Programs at http://app1.sba.gov/sbtn/registration/index.cfm?CourseId=29 and

How to Prepare a Loan Package at

http://app1.sba.gov/sbtn/registration/index.cfm?CourseId=28, walk business

owners through steps that answer questions about what debt financing is,

what loan programs are available, what small businesses should know about

borrowing money, how to prepare a loan package and how loan requests are

reviewed by lenders.

"It is important for the SBA to provide information tools to help our nation’s

entrepreneurs who desire the personal freedom and economic independence

that can come with business ownership," said SBA Acting Administrator Jovita

Carranza.

The Finance Primer gives an overview of the SBA’s loan guaranty programs to

help small businesses understand the variety of financial resources, including

those from the SBA.

The finance courses can help entrepreneurs avoid some of the common

mistakes made such as securing the wrong type of financing, miscalculating

the amount of financing required, and underestimating the cost of borrowing

money.

The Loan Package course includes small business links to related information,

and refers course participants for direct support in preparing a loan request to

appropriate resources that include SBA’s district offices, SBA resource partners

and lenders.

Course participants who complete the 30-minute online training programs can

earn a certificate of completion from the SBA, with their name, date and

course title.

The new finance courses have been added to a menu of more than 26 online

tutorials offered by the SBA. On a typical day, 800 to 2,000 customers

register for free online courses offered by the SBA through its virtual training

campus at the Small Business Training Network (SBTN) (www.sba.gov/training).

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Posted by Cochise at 08:32 AM | Permalink

Unlocking Value: More Banks Discovering Gold in Sale-Leaseback Deals

After Watching Big Banks Scrub Owned Property Off Their Balance Sheets, Small and Mid-Market Players Now Getting A Piece of the Action

Nicholas S. Schorsch, chairman/CEO, left; and William Kahane, president, COO and treasurer of American Realty Capital, were among the earliest to engineer large-scale SLB transactions for single-tenant net lease properties such as retail banks.

Several community and regional banks, already squeezed by the subprime mortgage crisis, tightened consumer lending and falling share prices, are following the lead of some banking giants and pursuing sale-leasebacks as a hedge against current economic volatility. The strategy allows banks to raise cash while pruning unneeded brick-and-mortar assets from their balance sheets.

In addition to large deals by the likes of Citi, Wachovia and SunTrust to monetize a portion of the real estate they owned and occupied, smaller and middle-market banks such as Harleysville National Bank, Independent Bank Corp. and Old National Bank Corp. have unveiled sale-leaseback transactions of their own in recent months.

Nicholas S. Schorsch, a real estate executive noted for pioneering the concept, has made buying and leasing back middle-market bank branches a cornerstone of his business strategy. Last month, New York-based American Realty Capital, headed by Schorsch and former Morgan Stanley exec William M. Kahane, announced an agreement with New York-based investment bank Sandler O’Neill and Partners, L.P. to partner on long-term net lease sale-leasebacks with financial institutions holding between $500 million and $50 billion in assets.

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Editor's note: Can sellers in sale-leasebacks still get top dollar, or should they wait until the market recovers? E-mail me at rdrummer@costar.com and responses may be included with this article.

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Increasingly, banks are realizing they can operate without owned real estate, opting to sell the assets and sign triple-net leases that allow them to control the property for up to 40 years. In one fell swoop, banks can raise cash through a sale-leaseback while slicing property operating and depreciation costs from their bottom line. The ball is now rolling and more deals are in the pipeline, net lease experts say.

Banks Ride Herd On SLB Trend

"It’s a growing trend in the industry. We are actively working on three or four portfolios of bank branches with institutional clients of ours," said Jeff Hughes, senior director with the Tulsa, OK-based Stan Johnson Co., which handled the Old National Bank sale leaseback transaction for a client, selling the bank’s corporate headquarters facilities in downtown Evansville, IN for $78 million. Subsequently, it facilitated the sale of a $110 million portfolio of Old National suburban bank branches.

"The banking industry is not unlike others; there’s a bit of herd instinct. When you see your peers structuring large, high-profile transactions, it attracts a lot of attention. When they start realizing the benefits, it creates a bit of a trend, which we’re certainly seeing today," Hughes said.

Selling branches in bulk allows banks to quickly shed redundant assets, Nick Schorsch told CoStar Advisor. Banks can achieve higher returns on investment by lending to borrowers rather then spending capital on fixed real estate operating costs. Sale-leasebacks provide operational flexibility for financial institutions while at the same time giving banks downside protection against a fickle, cyclical real estate market.

"Financial institutions can increase liquidity by monetizing their non-earning assets, moving them off their balance sheets while improving efficiency ratios and eliminating underutilized properties," Schorsch said. "For the banks, this ultimately translates into creating shareholder value and improved earnings."

Long-term leases with minimal rollover give American Realty Capital "a predictable and stable cash flow," which translates into stable risk-adjusted returns for investors, Schorsch said.

As reported previously in Advisor, retail banking is but one of a growing assortment of corporate users, private companies and institutional owners seeking to unlock the value of their assets. The current anguish in credit markets -- and its especially severe impact on financial institutions -- has fueled the urgency for banks in particular to restructure their balance sheets.

Bank-owned real estate can be an important source of liquidity, earnings and capital for an institution, said Tom Killian, a principal and manager of the sale-leaseback effort at Sandler O’Neill.

"The rationale for banks to consider sale-leaseback transactions of bank-owned property is straightforward," according to Killian. "Such a transaction could enable the bank to raise cash to meet strategic and funding needs, convert non-earning, 100%-risk-weighted assets into potentially lower risk-weighted, interest-earning assets, mitigate potential risk of decline in market value of owned real estate, monetize off-balance-sheet value into earnings over the life of the lease, and potentially bolster GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) earnings," Killian said.

The deals have their limitations. Sale prices can and probably will increase when the market rebounds. Banks must recognize the sale as a deferred rather than an immediate gain, and must amortize the income over the life of the lengthy lease. But the income helps, as does the removal of asset operating costs and depreciation, replaced in the expense column by market-rate rents. By ridding themselves of fixed assets, smaller institutions can sometimes even lower the burdensome capital reserve levels required by regulators.

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Editor's note: Can sellers in sale-leasebacks still get top dollar, or should they wait until the market recovers? E-mail me at rdrummer@costar.com and responses may be included with this article.

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In some of the larger sale-leaseback deals of recent months:

SunTrust Bank in April closed the final portion of the $736 million sale and leaseback of property to Oak Brook, IL-based Inland Real Estate Acquisitions in nine southern states. The deal involves 433 triple-net lease properties encompassing more than 2.2 million square feet, which SunTrust will lease back for 10 years with an option for multiple renewals.

"Not only will these sale leaseback transactions remove non-earning assets from the balance sheet, but we will lower occupancy costs by compressing space utilization by 25% to 35% in our moderate to large office buildings," SunTrust President/CEO James M. Wells III told investors earlier this year. "This will obviously drive ongoing occupancy expense benefits. Given the difficult operating environment, I can assure you that we will remain vigilant on costs and continue to explore additional ways to improve efficiency."

Transactions such as the $99.7 million sale-leaseback of 25 bank branches to SunTrust Equity Funding provided Old National with about $226 million in cash for redeployment and reduced non-earning assets and deferred liabilities in the third and fourth quarter of 2007, Old National CFO Chris Wolking noted in a conference call.

"Our net interest margin and net interest income both benefited from our disciplined deposit pricing, the sale-leaseback of our real estate and the first-quarter balance sheet restructuring we executed," Wolking said. "Cash generated from our sale-leaseback transactions allowed us to reduce certain high-cost deposits and borrowings."

In December, Citigroup sold its iconic midtown Manhattan office property in Tribeca to SL Green Realty (NYSE: SLG) in a deal valued at $1.58 billion. Last month, Citi sold 47 retail branches in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Westchester/Suffolk counties to an Irish investment group called Markland Holdings Ltd. for $100 million.

Mark T. Fitzgibbon, a principal and director of equity research at Sandler O’Neill, noted that equity investors generally don’t assign much credit to the off-balance sheet worth of bank-owned real estate when they value a company. He cited the major transactions by Citi and SunTrust as evidence that banks are beginning to unlock the value of their brick-and-mortar holdings.

"During the difficult financial environment facing many banks, it is important for bank management to turn over all the rocks to find sources of earnings, capital and liquidity," Fitzgibbon said.

Early Believers

Schorsch and Kahane anticipated the trend in 2003, long before many others in the commercial real estate industry. Before founding American Realty Capital last year, Schorsch and Kahane steered the growth of American Financial Realty Trust (AFRT), where they acquired more than 1,500 properties valued at more than $5 billion. Over the last five years, American Realty’s executive team has negotiated and closed a total of more than $7 billion in bank branch and net lease real estate transactions.

Schorsch and Kahane left AFRT in 2006. For the next year, Schorsch, bound by a non-compete agreement with his former employer, steered away from bank-operated real estate and focused on sale-leaseback deals for grocery store, pharmacy and chain store retail properties.

In November of last year, Gramercy Capital Corp. acquired AFRT in a $3.3 billion deal that closed in March. Freed from the noncompete agreement, Schorsch immediately went back to doing bank deals, announcing plans for American Realty Capital LLC to buy and lease back 14 branches and two offices from Pennsylvania-based Harleysville National Bank for nearly $39 million.

American Realty Capital isn’t limiting itself to the middle market, however. In March, an affiliate of ARC announced an agreement with Wachovia Bank, N.A. to exclusively acquire surplus branches nationwide. American Realty Capital II entered into an agreement with Wachovia to acquire up to 100 branches this year, many at major intersections and shopping center pads, with a total value of more than $100 million.

A subsidiary of American Realty Capital serves as the external manager of American Realty Capital Trust, a non-traded public real estate investment trust (or REIT). ARCT, launched early this year, has registered to sell up to $1.5 billion of common stock, with a focus on acquisition of fully occupied, net-leased, single-tenant retail properties with long-term leases to high-credit or investment grade tenants.

"Even in today’s historic dislocation in the capital markets, there’s still an abundance of equity capital ready, willing and able to invest in well-located properties with long-term net leases with good, solid credit tenants -- and that’s what these bank branch and headquarters transactions offer," concluded Stan Johnson Co.’s Jeff Hughes. "Even with the current difficulties, it’s a good place to put your investment. With long-term passive leases in place, there’s still a great appetite for that product type, so it’s going to continue to grow in importance in the commercial real estate investment world."

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Posted by Cochise at 08:08 AM | Permalink

Home: Property Assessment Appeals: Public Education Program: Public Education Current Seminar Schedule CURRENT SEMINAR SCHEDULE The Assessment Appeals Public Education Program was developed to help taxpayers better understand the assessment appeals process in Los Angeles County. This program features seminars and brochures on the assessment appeals process. All Seminars are free and approximately 90 minutes in length. For recorded information on the current seminar schedule call (213) 974-4240. WHAT the Seminar Covers WHO Should Attend WHEN and WHERE the Seminars are Held HOW to Prepare for Your Hearing Accommodation for persons with disabilities Assessment Appeals Overview Seminar Presentation   WHAT the Seminar Covers Taxpayers appeal rights When and how to file an application for reduction in assessment. How to prepare for a hearing, admissible and inadmissible evidence, what will happen at the hearing and what to expect after the hearing. Back to Top   WHO Should Attend Homeowners who are interested in learning about the assessment appeals process are welcome including anyone who has already filed an application with the Assessment Appeals Board. Back to Top   WHEN and WHERE the Seminars are Held Seminars will be conducted year-round in various locations throughout the county. Select a City: Culver City | El Monte | Glendale | Lakewood | Santa Clarita | Van Nuys El Monte Jack Crippen Senior Center - Crafts Room 3120 N. Tyler Avenue – El Monte, CA 91731 10:00 a.m.  Thursday – May 22, 2008 Room capacity is 45 people, seating will be on a first come, first served basis Free Parking Back to "When & Where the Seminars are Held" Van Nuys Bernardi Senior Center 6514 Sylmar Avenue – Van Nuys, CA 91401 2:00 p.m.  Wednesday – June 25, 2008 Free parking, entrance on Hamlin St. [Get Directions] Back to "When & Where the Seminars are Held" LIBRARIES Culver City Culver City Public Library 4975 Overland Avenue – Culver City, CA 90230 10:00 a.m. Monday – May 19, 2008 Free parking behind the library [Get Directions] Back to "When & Where the Seminars are Held" Glendale Glendale Public Library 222 E. Harvard St. – Glendale, CA 91205 10:00 a.m. Wednesday – April 16, 2008 Library will validate 3 hrs parking corner of Maryland & Harvard Back to "When & Where the Seminars are Held" Lakewood Angela M. Iacoboni Library 4990 Clark Avenue – Lakewood, CA 90712 10:00 a.m. Monday – June 23, 2008 Room Capacity is 125 people Back to "When & Where the Seminars are Held" Santa Clarita Santa Clarita Public Library 23743 W. Valencia Blvd – Valencia, CA 91355 1:00 p.m. Wednesday – April 2, 2008 Free Parking Back to "When & Where the Seminars are Held" Accommodation for Persons with Disabilities American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreters are available with at least three business days’ notice before the seminar date. Please telephone (213) 974-1431 (voice) or (213) 974-1707 (TDD), from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Spanish language translation and assistive listening devices are available upon request by calling the above numbers. For more information visit our website: http://bos.co.la.ca.us/categories/propertytaxappeals.htm Back to Top En Espanol DONDE y CUANDO se llevan a cabo los seminarios: El Monte Jack Crippen Senior Center - Crafts Room 3120 N. Tyler Avenue – El Monte, CA 91731 10:00 a.m.  Jueves – 22 de Mayo, 2008 Espacio para 45 personas solamente. El primero que llegue asegurará su asiento. Estacionamiento Gratis Van Nuys Bernardi Senior Center 6514 Sylmar Avenue – Van Nuys , CA 91401 2:00 p.m.   miércoles – 25 de Junio, 2008 Estacionamiento gratis; entrada en la calle Hamlin. BIBLIOTÉCAS Culver City Culver City Public Library 4975 Overland Avenue – Culver City, CA 90230 10:00 a.m. Lunes – 19 de Mayo, 2008 Estacionamiento gratis Glendale Glendale Public Library 222 E. Harvard St. – Glendale, CA 91205 10:00 a.m. Miercoles – 16 de Abril, 2008 La biblioteca validará estacionamiento de 3 horas. Esquina Maryland y Harvard Lakewood Angela M. Iacoboni Library 4990 Clark Avenue – Lakewood, CA 90712 10 :00 a.m. Lunes – 23 de Junio, 2008 Espacio para 125 personas Santa Clarita Santa Clarita Public Library 23743 W. Valencia  Blvd. – Valencia, CA 91355 1 :00 p.m. Miercoles – 2 de Abril, 2008 Estacionamiento Gratis Intérpretes de Lenguaje por Señas Americano son disponibles si Ud. solicita 3 días antes del seminario.Favor de llamar al (213) 974-1431 (voz) o al (213) 974-1707 (TDD), de 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., lunes a viernes. Intérpretes y aparatos para escuchar en el idioma español son disponibles a petición llamando a los teléfonos ya mencionados. Para mas informacion visite: http://bos.co.la.ca.us/categories/propertytaxappeals.htm     Back to Top This schedule will be updated as changes occur. Last update March 31, 2008.

Posted by Cochise at 02:53 PM | Permalink

Posted by Cochise at 11:45 AM | Permalink

Apartment Groups Ask Supreme Court to Decide Whether Participation in Section 8 Housing Should be Mandatory
Published: June 12, 2008

By Anuradha Kher, Online News Editor
 
Washington, D.C.--An alliance of apartment organizations have joined forces to file a “friend of the court” brief asking the United States Supreme Court to decide whether states and localities can force property owners to participate in the federal Section 8 program by passing laws that make it illegal to deny voucher holders based on their source of income.

“When Congress created the Section 8 program, it explicitly made the program voluntary because it recognized that there are costs and burdens imposed on property owners who choose to participate,” says Jim Arbury, NMHC/NAA senior vice president of government affairs. “Now states and localities are trying to alter the voluntary nature of the program by passing so-called “source of income” non-discrimination laws that essentially make property owner participation mandatory.”

“Not only do these state and local laws contradict Congressional intent, they also impose an unconstitutional burden on property owners,” explained Arbury. “We believe that the voluntary nature of the federal law should preempt these state and local laws.”

The National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) and the National Apartment Association (NAA), along with the Louisville (KY) Apartment Association, are spearheading the effort. The National Leased Housing Association, the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington, the Delaware Apartment Association, the Greater Lexington (KY) Apartment Association, the Mobile Bay Area Apartment Association and the New Jersey Apartment Association are joining in the efforts.

Until now, all federal appeals courts that have considered the preemption issue, have upheld the supremacy of federal law or Congressional intent where it directly conflicts with a state or local law. However, state court rulings--including the Maryland state ruling at issue in the brief--have rejected the federal preemption argument in the context of the Section 8 program (Glenmont Hills Associates Privacy World at Glenmont Metro Center v. Montgomery Country, Maryland).

“Based on these conflicting rulings at the state and federal level, we believe the case is appropriate for review by the U.S. Supreme Court,” says Douglas Culkin, CAE, president of NAA. “Unless the Supreme Court acts, these conflicts are likely to become more numerous as more and more state and local governments attempt to effectively amend a federal statute.”

Arbury also added that though states and localities are struggling with a shortage of affordable housing, mandating participation in the Section 8 program is not an effective solution to the problem and could actually jeopardize the success of the Section 8 programs.

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Posted by Cochise at 11:37 AM | Permalink

CIVIL PROCEDURE, PROPERTY LAW & REAL ESTATE, TAX LAW
Mayer v. L&B Real Estate, No. S142211
In an action to quiet title brought after plaintiffs learned that a portion of certain commercial property they owned had been sold at a tax sale, a court of appeals' ruling finding that action was barred by the statute of limitations is reversed where, contrary to the court of appeals' ruling, the quiet title action was timely filed because plaintiffs were in undisturbed possession of the property until they received notice that a portion of their property had been sold, and the one-year statute of limitations did not begin to run until that time. Read more in DOC...   Read more in PDF...

Posted by Cochise at 10:59 AM | Permalink

The United States Supreme Court has ruled that when parties to arbitration agreements utilize the expedited review procedure provided by the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA” or the “Act”), the judicial review available to them is limited to that which is provided for by the Act. Accordingly, parties to an arbitration agreement which contains a provision calling for expanded judicial review may not rely upon the FAA for enforcement of that provision. Hall Street Associates, LLC v. Mattel, Inc., No. 06-989, 552 U.S. ___ (March 25, 2008)

Congress enacted the FAA in 1925 in response to the hostility of American courts to the enforcement of arbitration agreements. The Act, in Section 2, provides that a written arbitration provision in a contract involving commerce is “valid, irrevocable and enforceable,” regardless of whether enforcement is sought in state or federal court. The Act provides mechanisms allowing a party to secure swiftly a stay of litigation (Section 3) and an affirmative order to proceed in arbitration (Section 4). The Court has previously recognized that these reflect Congress’ clear intent to move parties to an arbitrable dispute out of court and into arbitration as quickly and easily as possible.

 For more visit:  http://www.jacksonlewis.com/legalupdates/article.cfm?aid=1321

 

 

 

Posted by Cochise at 08:10 AM | Permalink

OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2008

CONTACT:

Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370, evan.dreyer@state.co.us

GOV. RITTER SIGNS FINAL BILLS OF 2008 LEGISLATIVE SESSION INTO LAW

At a state Capitol ceremony, Gov. Bill Ritter today signed the final bills from the 2008 legislative session -- lauded by the governor as the "Education Session" for groundbreaking accomplishments in education reform and education funding. Gov. Ritter signed 475 bills into law this session.

In addition to education accomplishments, Gov. Ritter also touted gains made in Colorado's burgeoning New Energy Economy, business development, health-care reform and natural-resources protection.

Gov. Ritter also bid farewell to several term-limited lawmakers at today's ceremony, including Rep. Rosemary Marshall and House Majority Leader Alice Madden.

In a special tribute to Madden, the final bill signed today was Madden's House Bill 1353, which will provide greater transparency, accountability and oversight for Colorado's Conservation Easement Tax Credit Program.

"It's been a privilege and an honor to work with all of the departing lawmakers," Gov. Ritter said. "The bills I'm signing today all represent progress and a pragmatic approach to solving problems and getting things done for the people Colorado."

The eight measures signed at the final ceremony of 2008:

HB 1353 (Madden/Isgar) strengthens Colorado's Conservation Easement Tax Credit Program to prevent abuses. Conservation easements are sold or donated by private landowners to nonprofit or governmental entities to guarantee that a parcel of land will never be developed.

The new and tougher standards signed into law today include increased accountability for conservation easement appraisals, a certification program for the groups that hold conservation easements, strengthened oversight and enforcement of the state tax credit, and the creation of a Conservation Easement Oversight Commission.

"In Colorado, almost a million acres have already been protected to safeguard working farms and ranches, wetlands, migratory habitat, historical areas and scenic views," Rep. Madden said. "Much of this land would have been sold to the highest bidder for construction of a new subdivision or office park if it were not for our state's innovative efforts to protect Colorado's natural and cultural heritage."

For a complete list of 2008 legislation Gov. Ritter has signed into law, click here.

 

Legislators Call for More Accountability in Colorado’s Conservation Easement Tax Credit

Posted by Cochise at 07:33 AM | Permalink

From: HUD USER News
 
FY 2009 Fair Market Rents
 
On Thursday, June 12, the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development published for public comment in
the Federal Register HUD's Proposed Fiscal Year (FY)
 2009 Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for the (Section 8)
Housing Choice Voucher Program and Moderate
Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy Program. The
public comment period will be open through August 1.
The Proposed FY 2009 FMRs, developed by HUD's Office
of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), use data
drawn from updated 2000 Census data, the American
Community Survey (ACS), Random Digit Dialing
telephone rent surveys, and Consumer Price Index rent
and utility indexes.
 
Simultaneous with publication of the Proposed FY 2009
 Fair Market Rents, PD&R is posting a documentation
 system on our website, www.HUDUSER.org. This system will
allow users to review the underlying data and
computations used in developing the proposed FMRs for
each of the approximately 2,400 FMR areas in the
country.
 
Analysis of Gainesville Housing Market Area
 
HUD USER has posted a new Comprehensive Housing Market
Analysis (CHMA) report for the Gainesville, Florida
Housing Market Area. CHMAs contain valuable information
for builders, mortgage lenders, borrowers, local
planners, and others who need to keep up with an area's
housing conditions and trends. Prepared by field
economists in HUD's Office of Policy Development and
Research, these reports provide data that are useful in
anticipating changes in the demand for new housing. This
analysis of the Gainesville housing market area
describes the economic, demographic, and housing
inventory characteristics from 1990 to 2000, from 2000
through September 2007, and projections from October 1,
2007 to October 1, 2010.
 
This CHMA, as well as previously published reports
covering housing markets across the nation, is available
at www.huduser.org/publications/econdev/mkt_analysis.html.
All reports are available as free downloads.
 
--------------------------------------
Please contact us at:
HUD USER
P.O. Box 23268
Washington, DC 20026-3268
1-800-245-2691
1-800-927-7589 (TDD)
202-708-9981 (fax)
--------------------------------------
The HUD USER News eList keeps busy professionals in the
fields of housing and community development informed of
new research and resources available from the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of
Policy Development and Research (PD&R). Periodically,
publication announcements and other useful information
will be sent via the eList. The HUD USER and Regulatory
Barriers Clearinghouses value your privacy; we do not
share our mailing lists with other groups, and you can
unsubscribe at any time.
 
You can search the eList archives
at http://listserv.huduser.org/.
 
Why not share HUD USER's resources and information with
a colleague? Forward this email to associates who may be
interested in the housing research and data sets we have
to offer. Thanks!
 
To keep up with the latest HUD research and related
resources, you can also sign up for a free subscription
to our ResearchWorks newsletter (in either electronic or
print-based formats) by visiting http://www.huduser.org/emaillists/subscr.html.
 
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Posted by Cochise at 01:51 PM | Permalink

Free Safety and Health Evaluations for Your Small Business
    Visit OSHA's On-site Consultation Program Web page to get valuable information on how this program helps you to provide a safer working environment for your employees. The service is provided only at your request and is delivered at no cost. Employers who use the service to develop and operate an exemplary safety and health management system may also qualify to participate in the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP). For additional information, visit our Web link at http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/index.html, or call 202-693-2220.

Posted by Cochise at 09:49 AM | Permalink

Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse
Strategy-of-the-Month Club
 
June 2008
 
Revitalization can transform declining older
neighborhoods into highly sought after real estate,
attracting higher-income households. Although the
results can revamp neighborhoods, the influx of
higher-income households can also lead to increased
rents and property taxes, a loss of affordable housing
units, and displacement of low-income residents. This
process of neighborhood transformation is known as
gentrification. To help guide local governments in