Below, you will find topics that I really cannot understand, whether it is said, done, or acted. I would love to have comments to any. I do not have time today, but will get to each and every one!
1. Lipper Average
2. The feeling you get when you see someone that you knew in the past.
3. The sayings that need to be illegal.
4. How can the U.S. be in debt?
5. Why we screen our calls.
6. Why we say that we do not get texts, messages, or e-mails?
7. Why anyone cares about politics?
8. Why is there an emphasis on Green?
9. Why do dogs have whiskers?
10. Why the normal time that you tell people is 20 minutes?
That is all for now and will write about each topic in the following posts.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Burger King
I drove through Burger King one day and ordered a Large Drink. After I drove off, I noticed it wasn't the big one. I realized that I needed to say king size instead of Large.
Now why is Burger King so unintelligent? They are losing money this way.
Do you know how many people ask for a Large thinking it is King?
I wish people would think.
Now why is Burger King so unintelligent? They are losing money this way.
Do you know how many people ask for a Large thinking it is King?
I wish people would think.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Convergent Acqusitions BEST Company for Investments
Real Estate Developer Convergent Acquisitions & Development, Inc's Announces That Charlotte Home Prices are Still Rising
Last update: 3:42 p.m. EDT Oct. 30, 2007
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CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct 30, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Charlotte, North Carolina based developer and vendor of real estate, Convergent Acquisitions & Development, Inc ( http://www.convergentacquisitions.com/), is pleased to announce that home prices in the Charlotte area are still rising.
According to the Carolina Multiple Listing Service the average selling price of homes in the Charlotte MSA rose 9.3 percent this September as compared to September of last year. The average selling home price for the seven county region including Mecklenburg, Iredell, Union, Gaston, Lincoln, Stanley and Cabarrus Counties was $236,061 in September 2007.
"Even as the majority of the country is experiencing a decrease in home prices, Charlotte home prices are increasing at significant rates," says Nick Sabardin President and CEO of Convergent Acquisitions & Development, Inc. "This data just continues to prove the strength of the Charlotte market and the accuracy of Convergent's research."
I purchased a home through them and it is doing fantastic. Great people.
Last update: 3:42 p.m. EDT Oct. 30, 2007
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CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct 30, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Charlotte, North Carolina based developer and vendor of real estate, Convergent Acquisitions & Development, Inc ( http://www.convergentacquisitions.com/), is pleased to announce that home prices in the Charlotte area are still rising.
According to the Carolina Multiple Listing Service the average selling price of homes in the Charlotte MSA rose 9.3 percent this September as compared to September of last year. The average selling home price for the seven county region including Mecklenburg, Iredell, Union, Gaston, Lincoln, Stanley and Cabarrus Counties was $236,061 in September 2007.
"Even as the majority of the country is experiencing a decrease in home prices, Charlotte home prices are increasing at significant rates," says Nick Sabardin President and CEO of Convergent Acquisitions & Development, Inc. "This data just continues to prove the strength of the Charlotte market and the accuracy of Convergent's research."
I purchased a home through them and it is doing fantastic. Great people.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Texas' population continues to grow, migration study shows
Texas was the top state in the country for the number of inbound moves in 2007, according to the Atlas Van Lines migration study.
That means Texas welcomed the highest number of new residents out of all the states in the country. (Atlas did not release actual move figures.)
The Atlas Van Lines migration study shows that Florida has lost some of its luster as a state for new residents. In fact, for the second year in a row, Atlas Van Lines moved more residents out of Florida than into the state.
For the first time since 2001, California had more inbound moves than outbound moves, according to Atlas Van Lines.
"Atlas' migration study reflects the movement of the nation and identifies thriving hot spots in America," says Greg Hoover, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Atlas World Group.
"Overall, the number of household-goods moves was down for the industry, as the post-Katrina exodus from Louisiana into the surrounding states leveled off and the housing market continued to stagnate. Real estate costs undoubtedly influenced migration patterns this year as well," Hoover adds.
Atlas Van Lines is a subsidiary of Atlas World Group in Evansville, Ind. The company had revenue of $986 million in 2006.
Again, what can stop Texas's growth. Fantastic!
That means Texas welcomed the highest number of new residents out of all the states in the country. (Atlas did not release actual move figures.)
The Atlas Van Lines migration study shows that Florida has lost some of its luster as a state for new residents. In fact, for the second year in a row, Atlas Van Lines moved more residents out of Florida than into the state.
For the first time since 2001, California had more inbound moves than outbound moves, according to Atlas Van Lines.
"Atlas' migration study reflects the movement of the nation and identifies thriving hot spots in America," says Greg Hoover, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Atlas World Group.
"Overall, the number of household-goods moves was down for the industry, as the post-Katrina exodus from Louisiana into the surrounding states leveled off and the housing market continued to stagnate. Real estate costs undoubtedly influenced migration patterns this year as well," Hoover adds.
Atlas Van Lines is a subsidiary of Atlas World Group in Evansville, Ind. The company had revenue of $986 million in 2006.
Again, what can stop Texas's growth. Fantastic!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Plano Makes list for top literate U.S. Cities
Plano has one of the most educated populations in the nation, according to a national survey released earlier this week.According to America’s Most Literate Cities, 2007, Plano ranks No. 2 for education attainment.
The rankings were based on the percentage of adult population with a high school diploma or higher and the percentage of the adult population with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Seattle, which ranked No. 2 in the overall numbers, beat out Plano in this categoryThe annual study, conducted by Dr. John W. Miller, president of Central Connecticut State University, captures a snapshot of literacy in cities with a population of 250,000 or more.
Cities were selected based on their 2006 U.S. Census population figures.The study focuses on six important indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores within a city, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources.Plano ranked 51 in the 2007 study, compared to 53 in 2006. Austin, Fort Worth and Dallas were other Texas cities that ranked higher.
Plano outranked, Houston, Arlington, San Antonio, Corpus Christi and El Paso. Brad Shanklin, president of the Plano Chamber of Commerce, said the education ranking is not surprising given they city’s business base.“With the high tech industry in Plano and the type of national and world headquarters in Plano, you have a higher percentage of the population with a college degree,” he said.Shanklin pointed to the likes of EDS, Frito Lay, JCPenny, McAfee, Pepsi, Dr Pepper/Cadburys,“It’s the national leadership, and it’s highly educated,” he said.The city’s high tech industry adds to the degree count.“We’re fortunate to have a lot of high tech and engineering industry, most of which requires a minimum of a bachelor’s [degree],” he said.
That educated workforce trickles down into the public schools as well.“Studies that show that children who come from educated parents are more likely to go to college,” said Shanklin, who also sits on Plano ISD school board.Beyond the generational factor, Shanklin said the school district is “a leader in curriculum and teaching style. We hear from a lot of college freshmen who said they can’t believe the level of education they get in Plano.”
City manager Tom Muehlenbeck added, “It goes right back to ethics of the community and values of a good education, a strong secondary system, a strong community college system and a strong state system. Our citizens believe in using the continuing education system, including the library.”The city also had a strong showing in terms of library resources, ranking 28th, the report shows. Ranking in this category were determined by five factors: the number of school media personnel per 1,000 public school students, the number of branch libraries per 10,000 library service population, per capita volumes held in the library, circulations per capita, and the number of library professional staff per 10,000 library service population.The rankings are based on 2005-06 data. Joyce Baumbach, director of libraries, said things have changed since then. The library system now has 761,236 total collections, compared to the 686,997 number used in the study’s data source.
In the last fiscal year, the library had a circulation of almost 2.9 million, with 1.5 million patron visits.Meanwhile, the library has more than 60 people with a master’s degree in library science, the standard necessary to be declared a professional in library field.On the downside, Plano lost points because the Plano Star Courier’s weekday and Sunday circulation was not counted.
The study, which ranked Plano at the bottom of the newspaper category, counted only papers audited by Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC). Certified Audit of Circulations, an objective third-party auditor, audits the Plano Star Courier along with all Star Community Newspapers.Bill Weaver, Group Publisher, Star Community Newspapers, said that had the Star Courier’s numbers been included, the city’s ranking might very well have moved up the chart.
“While many other newspapers’ circulation has been declining, ours has held strong,” he said.Internet usage is another variable that figured in the rankings, and could have been another opportunity for Plano to rank higher. Internet resources were indexed as four variables including the number of library Internet connections per 10,000 people, the number of Internet book orders per capita, the number of unique visitors per capita to a city’s internet version newspaper and the number of webpage views per capita to a city’s internet version newspaper.
Weaver said the newspaper Internet data is gathered from the same source as newspaper circulation, which again, excludes the Star Courier.In the last year, the Star Courier has put significant focus on its Internet product. As a result, the paper has almost doubled the number of page views.“We’re doing more breaking news than we’ve ever done. We’re hitting the Internet before it’s getting out on print. We’ve added features like videos and online surveys online.
As a result, we’re drawing more people online,” he said.Only the library’s statistics were counted in Plano’s 63rd place rating.The library system has 165 public computers, which logged about 390,000 sessions in the last fiscal year.Baumbach said while there is much debate around the Internet’s impact on decreased book reading, she doesn’t see it.
“There’s been a lot of talk about the demise of the book, but you can see by our circulation and computer usage, you can’t say one is used more than another.Meanwhile, Plano ranked 56 in the bookseller category. Shanklin said that a cursory glance through the Yellow Pages shows the city has more than 40 bookstores, including three and four locations for major chains.However, Weaver noted that bookstores categorized as “religious” were not counted, even though many in Plano sell other genres.
With many factors excluded in the study, Shanklin said, “I don’t get graded evenly.”
This is no surprise to me. I graduated here and life here is fantastic! Great people.
The rankings were based on the percentage of adult population with a high school diploma or higher and the percentage of the adult population with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Seattle, which ranked No. 2 in the overall numbers, beat out Plano in this categoryThe annual study, conducted by Dr. John W. Miller, president of Central Connecticut State University, captures a snapshot of literacy in cities with a population of 250,000 or more.
Cities were selected based on their 2006 U.S. Census population figures.The study focuses on six important indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores within a city, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources.Plano ranked 51 in the 2007 study, compared to 53 in 2006. Austin, Fort Worth and Dallas were other Texas cities that ranked higher.
Plano outranked, Houston, Arlington, San Antonio, Corpus Christi and El Paso. Brad Shanklin, president of the Plano Chamber of Commerce, said the education ranking is not surprising given they city’s business base.“With the high tech industry in Plano and the type of national and world headquarters in Plano, you have a higher percentage of the population with a college degree,” he said.Shanklin pointed to the likes of EDS, Frito Lay, JCPenny, McAfee, Pepsi, Dr Pepper/Cadburys,“It’s the national leadership, and it’s highly educated,” he said.The city’s high tech industry adds to the degree count.“We’re fortunate to have a lot of high tech and engineering industry, most of which requires a minimum of a bachelor’s [degree],” he said.
That educated workforce trickles down into the public schools as well.“Studies that show that children who come from educated parents are more likely to go to college,” said Shanklin, who also sits on Plano ISD school board.Beyond the generational factor, Shanklin said the school district is “a leader in curriculum and teaching style. We hear from a lot of college freshmen who said they can’t believe the level of education they get in Plano.”
City manager Tom Muehlenbeck added, “It goes right back to ethics of the community and values of a good education, a strong secondary system, a strong community college system and a strong state system. Our citizens believe in using the continuing education system, including the library.”The city also had a strong showing in terms of library resources, ranking 28th, the report shows. Ranking in this category were determined by five factors: the number of school media personnel per 1,000 public school students, the number of branch libraries per 10,000 library service population, per capita volumes held in the library, circulations per capita, and the number of library professional staff per 10,000 library service population.The rankings are based on 2005-06 data. Joyce Baumbach, director of libraries, said things have changed since then. The library system now has 761,236 total collections, compared to the 686,997 number used in the study’s data source.
In the last fiscal year, the library had a circulation of almost 2.9 million, with 1.5 million patron visits.Meanwhile, the library has more than 60 people with a master’s degree in library science, the standard necessary to be declared a professional in library field.On the downside, Plano lost points because the Plano Star Courier’s weekday and Sunday circulation was not counted.
The study, which ranked Plano at the bottom of the newspaper category, counted only papers audited by Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC). Certified Audit of Circulations, an objective third-party auditor, audits the Plano Star Courier along with all Star Community Newspapers.Bill Weaver, Group Publisher, Star Community Newspapers, said that had the Star Courier’s numbers been included, the city’s ranking might very well have moved up the chart.
“While many other newspapers’ circulation has been declining, ours has held strong,” he said.Internet usage is another variable that figured in the rankings, and could have been another opportunity for Plano to rank higher. Internet resources were indexed as four variables including the number of library Internet connections per 10,000 people, the number of Internet book orders per capita, the number of unique visitors per capita to a city’s internet version newspaper and the number of webpage views per capita to a city’s internet version newspaper.
Weaver said the newspaper Internet data is gathered from the same source as newspaper circulation, which again, excludes the Star Courier.In the last year, the Star Courier has put significant focus on its Internet product. As a result, the paper has almost doubled the number of page views.“We’re doing more breaking news than we’ve ever done. We’re hitting the Internet before it’s getting out on print. We’ve added features like videos and online surveys online.
As a result, we’re drawing more people online,” he said.Only the library’s statistics were counted in Plano’s 63rd place rating.The library system has 165 public computers, which logged about 390,000 sessions in the last fiscal year.Baumbach said while there is much debate around the Internet’s impact on decreased book reading, she doesn’t see it.
“There’s been a lot of talk about the demise of the book, but you can see by our circulation and computer usage, you can’t say one is used more than another.Meanwhile, Plano ranked 56 in the bookseller category. Shanklin said that a cursory glance through the Yellow Pages shows the city has more than 40 bookstores, including three and four locations for major chains.However, Weaver noted that bookstores categorized as “religious” were not counted, even though many in Plano sell other genres.
With many factors excluded in the study, Shanklin said, “I don’t get graded evenly.”
This is no surprise to me. I graduated here and life here is fantastic! Great people.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
TRULIA BRINGS THE HEAT
Internet's fastest-growing real estate search engine is competitive with global search leaders Google and Yahoo!
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Trulia.com, the Internet'sleading real estate search engine, announced today that the company ranksalongside Google and Yahoo! search engines as one of the top threecontributors of traffic to real estate companies nationwide.
According to the latest data released by online competitive intelligence service company Hitwise, Trulia was a top three traffic contributor to 12 of the largest residential real estate franchisors and brokerages nationwide in the past month (August 18 -- September 15, 2007).
Consistently outpacing fellow online real estate marketing sites GoogleBase, Craigslist, HomeGain, Realtor.com and Zillow, Trulia referred, onaverage, 11% of the traffic being directed to a diverse group offranchisors, regional franchisee firms and independent brokerage firms inthe past month, including: Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, Century 21 RealEstate LLC, ERA Franchise Systems LLC, Keller Williams Realty, Intero RealEstate Services, Weichert, Realtors, Alain Pinel Realtors, Watson RealtyCorp., among others.
Trulia can attribute its traffic gains to a continued focus ondelivering a great consumer experience, including unique neighborhoodinformation and viral community building through Trulia Voices. This hasenabled Trulia to continue its trend of double-digit monthly growth to thesite, and even higher increases to partner Web sites, which now averagethree million user visits per month. "As one of the early adopters of Trulia's model in September 2005, wehave increasingly relied upon Trulia.com to deliver high quality traffic toInteroRealEstate.com. Outside of the Google and Yahoo! search engines,Trulia has consistently been our number one online referral source sinceJanuary 2007," said Derek Overbey, vice president of marketing, Intero RealEstate Services. "In today's uncertain market, real estate companies need to be able totap into a huge audience of qualified consumers," said Sami Inkinen,Trulia's co-founder and chief operating officer. "
We know that 70% of Trulia.com visitors are looking to buy a home within 12 months, and theHitwise data confirms that the Trulia model works to connect theseconsumers with robust real estate information and agents."
About Trulia Trulia, Inc. (http://www.trulia.com), a residential real estate search engine, has revolutionized online home search by offering a rich, intuitive user experience that points consumers directly to listings on agent and broker Web sites. By partnering with the real estate industry, Trulia helps consumers find information on homes for sale, as well as market trends and neighborhood data at the hyper-local level with Trulia Voices, Heat Mapsand Real Estate Guides. For more information, go to http://www.trulia.com. Media Contact for Trulia: Alisa Weinstein Flashpoint PR weinstein@flashpointpr.com (415) 551-9600
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Trulia.com, the Internet'sleading real estate search engine, announced today that the company ranksalongside Google and Yahoo! search engines as one of the top threecontributors of traffic to real estate companies nationwide.
According to the latest data released by online competitive intelligence service company Hitwise, Trulia was a top three traffic contributor to 12 of the largest residential real estate franchisors and brokerages nationwide in the past month (August 18 -- September 15, 2007).
Consistently outpacing fellow online real estate marketing sites GoogleBase, Craigslist, HomeGain, Realtor.com and Zillow, Trulia referred, onaverage, 11% of the traffic being directed to a diverse group offranchisors, regional franchisee firms and independent brokerage firms inthe past month, including: Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, Century 21 RealEstate LLC, ERA Franchise Systems LLC, Keller Williams Realty, Intero RealEstate Services, Weichert, Realtors, Alain Pinel Realtors, Watson RealtyCorp., among others.
Trulia can attribute its traffic gains to a continued focus ondelivering a great consumer experience, including unique neighborhoodinformation and viral community building through Trulia Voices. This hasenabled Trulia to continue its trend of double-digit monthly growth to thesite, and even higher increases to partner Web sites, which now averagethree million user visits per month. "As one of the early adopters of Trulia's model in September 2005, wehave increasingly relied upon Trulia.com to deliver high quality traffic toInteroRealEstate.com. Outside of the Google and Yahoo! search engines,Trulia has consistently been our number one online referral source sinceJanuary 2007," said Derek Overbey, vice president of marketing, Intero RealEstate Services. "In today's uncertain market, real estate companies need to be able totap into a huge audience of qualified consumers," said Sami Inkinen,Trulia's co-founder and chief operating officer. "
We know that 70% of Trulia.com visitors are looking to buy a home within 12 months, and theHitwise data confirms that the Trulia model works to connect theseconsumers with robust real estate information and agents."
About Trulia Trulia, Inc. (http://www.trulia.com), a residential real estate search engine, has revolutionized online home search by offering a rich, intuitive user experience that points consumers directly to listings on agent and broker Web sites. By partnering with the real estate industry, Trulia helps consumers find information on homes for sale, as well as market trends and neighborhood data at the hyper-local level with Trulia Voices, Heat Mapsand Real Estate Guides. For more information, go to http://www.trulia.com. Media Contact for Trulia: Alisa Weinstein Flashpoint PR weinstein@flashpointpr.com (415) 551-9600
DALLAS NAMED 3rd in U.S. for REAL ESTATE INVESTING
HomeVestors of America Inc., a home buyer and proprietor of the "We Buy Ugly Houses" advertising campaign, has named Dallas the third best market in the United States for real estate investors.
"It was an ugly year for residential real estate, creating record-setting demand for" home investors, said John Hayes, president and CEO of HomeVestors of America Inc., in a news release. "We generated more than 200,000 opportunities for our franchisees to buy houses in 2007, and we expect even more opportunities next year. Despite changes in the market, real estate investing continues to grow."
Other Texas cities that made the list include Houston at No. 1, Fort Worth at No. 6, and San Antonio at No. 7.
Again, eventhough we do not have the appreciation like the East and West coast, we sure have made a point that we have steady and stable appreciation. Hooray for D town.!
Web site: www.homevestors.com
"It was an ugly year for residential real estate, creating record-setting demand for" home investors, said John Hayes, president and CEO of HomeVestors of America Inc., in a news release. "We generated more than 200,000 opportunities for our franchisees to buy houses in 2007, and we expect even more opportunities next year. Despite changes in the market, real estate investing continues to grow."
Other Texas cities that made the list include Houston at No. 1, Fort Worth at No. 6, and San Antonio at No. 7.
Again, eventhough we do not have the appreciation like the East and West coast, we sure have made a point that we have steady and stable appreciation. Hooray for D town.!
Web site: www.homevestors.com
Real Estate Council Honors 5
The Real Estate Council honored five people at its Dreamers, Doers and Unsung Heroes awards banquet Nov. 1 at the House of Blues. The event raised a record $702,000 for community redevelopment, including affordable housing, educational initiatives, neighborhood and park improvements, job creation and infrastructure.
"This year's honorees truly fit the descriptions of dreamers, doers and unsung heroes," said TREC gala chairman Frank Mihalopoulos of Corinth Properties. "They are not just watching and talking; they are making a real difference in the lives of their neighbors."
The Real Estate Council helps revitalize local communities and neighborhoods by providing financial assistance and real estate development expertise.
Each community honoree received a $5,000 honorarium for his or her organization.
The 2007 honorees were:
• Bertha "Lavinia" Masters, a survivor of sexual assault and a public speaker for the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network and Denton County Friends of the Family, which helps victims of relationship violence and sexual assault.
• Lisa Oglesby Rocha, the Dallas executive director of Avance, a nonprofit organization that strengthens Dallas Hispanic families and works to keep children in school and get better grades.
• Terry Penn, who owns Key Life Homes Inc. of Irving, which provides affordable housing to low-income individuals and families.
• Laura Wheat, a breast cancer survivor and volunteer with Gilda's Club, an international nonprofit organization that offers emotional and social support to anyone affected by cancer.
• William "Willie" Hornberger, a partner at Jackson Walker LLC, received TREC President's Award, which is given to an outstanding TREC member. As the TREC Foundation grant distribution chairman, Mr. Hornberger led his committee to give larger grants to fewer recipients in order to maximize their impact. He also did pro bono legal work for TREC, Dallas City Homes and St. Philip's School and Community Center.
Major donors to the fall gala were:
• $21,000 to $35,000 – Deloitte & Touche USA and Republic Title.
• $16,000 to $20,000 – Behringer Harvard, Citibank, GE Commercial Real Estate, ZOM Texas, LandAmerica/American Title, J.P. Morgan Chase, Ernst & Young, Hall Financial Group and Fidelity National Title, Hillwood, RBC Capital Markets and Corinth Properties/Rodeo Ford.
• $10,000 to $15,000 – Corgan Associates/Beck Group, JPI Cos., Thackeray Partners, KPMG LLP, Stewart National Title and Jackson-Shaw.
• $7,500 to $9,999 – Andrew Kurth, Balfour Beatty Construction, Bank of America, CLB Partners, Hunt Realty Corp., Jackson Walker, J.P. Morgan Chase, NorthMarq Capital and Vinson & Elkins.
Media sponsors were Chicago Title, D Magazine/DallasCEO and The Dallas Morning News.
Founded in 1990, the Real Estate Council has 1,500 members who are commercial real estate professionals from more than 500 companies in the Dallas area.
It's great to see people getting honored in this business. Congrats to Terry Penn. His son went to college with me.
For more information, visit www.recouncil.com or call 214-692-3600. // Image1 end -->
"This year's honorees truly fit the descriptions of dreamers, doers and unsung heroes," said TREC gala chairman Frank Mihalopoulos of Corinth Properties. "They are not just watching and talking; they are making a real difference in the lives of their neighbors."
The Real Estate Council helps revitalize local communities and neighborhoods by providing financial assistance and real estate development expertise.
Each community honoree received a $5,000 honorarium for his or her organization.
The 2007 honorees were:
• Bertha "Lavinia" Masters, a survivor of sexual assault and a public speaker for the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network and Denton County Friends of the Family, which helps victims of relationship violence and sexual assault.
• Lisa Oglesby Rocha, the Dallas executive director of Avance, a nonprofit organization that strengthens Dallas Hispanic families and works to keep children in school and get better grades.
• Terry Penn, who owns Key Life Homes Inc. of Irving, which provides affordable housing to low-income individuals and families.
• Laura Wheat, a breast cancer survivor and volunteer with Gilda's Club, an international nonprofit organization that offers emotional and social support to anyone affected by cancer.
• William "Willie" Hornberger, a partner at Jackson Walker LLC, received TREC President's Award, which is given to an outstanding TREC member. As the TREC Foundation grant distribution chairman, Mr. Hornberger led his committee to give larger grants to fewer recipients in order to maximize their impact. He also did pro bono legal work for TREC, Dallas City Homes and St. Philip's School and Community Center.
Major donors to the fall gala were:
• $21,000 to $35,000 – Deloitte & Touche USA and Republic Title.
• $16,000 to $20,000 – Behringer Harvard, Citibank, GE Commercial Real Estate, ZOM Texas, LandAmerica/American Title, J.P. Morgan Chase, Ernst & Young, Hall Financial Group and Fidelity National Title, Hillwood, RBC Capital Markets and Corinth Properties/Rodeo Ford.
• $10,000 to $15,000 – Corgan Associates/Beck Group, JPI Cos., Thackeray Partners, KPMG LLP, Stewart National Title and Jackson-Shaw.
• $7,500 to $9,999 – Andrew Kurth, Balfour Beatty Construction, Bank of America, CLB Partners, Hunt Realty Corp., Jackson Walker, J.P. Morgan Chase, NorthMarq Capital and Vinson & Elkins.
Media sponsors were Chicago Title, D Magazine/DallasCEO and The Dallas Morning News.
Founded in 1990, the Real Estate Council has 1,500 members who are commercial real estate professionals from more than 500 companies in the Dallas area.
It's great to see people getting honored in this business. Congrats to Terry Penn. His son went to college with me.
For more information, visit www.recouncil.com or call 214-692-3600. // Image1 end -->
NYLO OPENS IN PLANO TEXAS
Best Hotel Opening: NYLO Hotel Plano
Where: 8201 Preston Boulevard [map], Plano, TX, United States, 75024
12/31/2007 at 11:53 AM 0 Comments - Add Yours
-->Tags: 2007 Awards, Hotel Openings
Best Hotel Opening: NYLO Plano
2007 did not see as many hotel openings as we would have thought, especially in New York City, where most of the expected '07 hotels have been put on hold 'til next year. But one hotel did open on time and seamlessly so, The NYLO Hotel in Plano, Texas.
This hotel is the first of many planned NYLO hotels which will open in similar secondary and tertiary markets like Plano throughout the country. Started by a bunch of former Starwood Hotels execs, NYLO (short for New York Lofts) aims to provide both business and leisure travelers with "high design" at affordable prices.
We spoke with the General Manager of NYLO Plano, Patrick O'Neil who also does double-duty as the Senior VP of operations for the NYLO chain on the eve of the hotel opening and asked him what made NYLO different from the rest.
He said:
In the markets that we are competing in, we are going to be able to offer our guests something totally different. Some examples...we run on 50 percent windpower, the only hotel in the area to do so. We also offer 32-inch HDTVs in every room, no other hotel around here does that. And we don't charge for the little things. We have free wireless, the bottled water in the rooms is free and parking is free.
Meanwhile, Starwood's similar competing brands aloft and element hotels have yet to open despite a barrage of press releases announcing expected locations around the world.
It opens down the street. Looks good and as soon as I stay there I will let you know how it is.
Where: 8201 Preston Boulevard [map], Plano, TX, United States, 75024
12/31/2007 at 11:53 AM 0 Comments - Add Yours
-->Tags: 2007 Awards, Hotel Openings
Best Hotel Opening: NYLO Plano
2007 did not see as many hotel openings as we would have thought, especially in New York City, where most of the expected '07 hotels have been put on hold 'til next year. But one hotel did open on time and seamlessly so, The NYLO Hotel in Plano, Texas.
This hotel is the first of many planned NYLO hotels which will open in similar secondary and tertiary markets like Plano throughout the country. Started by a bunch of former Starwood Hotels execs, NYLO (short for New York Lofts) aims to provide both business and leisure travelers with "high design" at affordable prices.
We spoke with the General Manager of NYLO Plano, Patrick O'Neil who also does double-duty as the Senior VP of operations for the NYLO chain on the eve of the hotel opening and asked him what made NYLO different from the rest.
He said:
In the markets that we are competing in, we are going to be able to offer our guests something totally different. Some examples...we run on 50 percent windpower, the only hotel in the area to do so. We also offer 32-inch HDTVs in every room, no other hotel around here does that. And we don't charge for the little things. We have free wireless, the bottled water in the rooms is free and parking is free.
Meanwhile, Starwood's similar competing brands aloft and element hotels have yet to open despite a barrage of press releases announcing expected locations around the world.
It opens down the street. Looks good and as soon as I stay there I will let you know how it is.
Pre-owned home sales up 0.4%
Existing-home sales rose slightly in November, a hopeful sign of stabilization in the wake of mortgage disruptions earlier this year, according to the National Association of Realtors, which performed the study.
Across the nation, pre-home sales rose 0.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of about 5 million units, up a bit from the 4.98 million units sold in October 2007.
Still, the sales figures pale in comparison to the 6.25 million-unit level recorded in November 2006 -- representing a 20-percent drop.
"Near term, existing-home sales should continue to hover in a narrow range, just as they have since September," said NAR economist Lawrence Yun in a statement released Dec. 31. "And that's good news because it will be a further sign that the housing market is stabilizing."
Mortgage interest rates are near historic lows, and the most current data shows decelerating price declines, Yun said, along with a modest reduction in the number of homes on the market.
The national media existing-home price for all housing types was $210,200 in November 2007, down 3.3 percent from November 2006.
There remains a downward drag on the national median as the mix of closed sales has shifted away from expensive markets, Yun said.
"Just like the weather, there are large local variations in home prices," he said.
The total housing inventory declined 3.6 percent at the end of November 2007 to 4.27 million existing homes available for sale. This represents a 10.3-month supply. With inventory continuing at such a high level, additional pricing reductions may be required in some areas to induce buyers back into the market, Yun said.
NAR also said Congress could provide a spark in the housing market by taking steps to expand affordable financing.
"Raising the limis on conforming loans would significantly revive home sales," said Richard Gaylord, NAR president. "This would help creditworthy buyers in hard-hit regions like California and Florida by greatly increasing access to low-interest rate mortgages."
NAR represents more than 1.3 million real estate professionals.
This is very weird to me. The market has always gotten bad press and that real estate is bad. HMMMM, what does this mean? Maybe a change for the better here!
Across the nation, pre-home sales rose 0.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of about 5 million units, up a bit from the 4.98 million units sold in October 2007.
Still, the sales figures pale in comparison to the 6.25 million-unit level recorded in November 2006 -- representing a 20-percent drop.
"Near term, existing-home sales should continue to hover in a narrow range, just as they have since September," said NAR economist Lawrence Yun in a statement released Dec. 31. "And that's good news because it will be a further sign that the housing market is stabilizing."
Mortgage interest rates are near historic lows, and the most current data shows decelerating price declines, Yun said, along with a modest reduction in the number of homes on the market.
The national media existing-home price for all housing types was $210,200 in November 2007, down 3.3 percent from November 2006.
There remains a downward drag on the national median as the mix of closed sales has shifted away from expensive markets, Yun said.
"Just like the weather, there are large local variations in home prices," he said.
The total housing inventory declined 3.6 percent at the end of November 2007 to 4.27 million existing homes available for sale. This represents a 10.3-month supply. With inventory continuing at such a high level, additional pricing reductions may be required in some areas to induce buyers back into the market, Yun said.
NAR also said Congress could provide a spark in the housing market by taking steps to expand affordable financing.
"Raising the limis on conforming loans would significantly revive home sales," said Richard Gaylord, NAR president. "This would help creditworthy buyers in hard-hit regions like California and Florida by greatly increasing access to low-interest rate mortgages."
NAR represents more than 1.3 million real estate professionals.
This is very weird to me. The market has always gotten bad press and that real estate is bad. HMMMM, what does this mean? Maybe a change for the better here!
Ensemble Stuios Moving to Plano
Microsoft Corp.'s Ensemble Studios, creators of the popular "Age of Mythology" strategy game for the PC, plans to relocate its operations to the Shops at Legacy in Plano, according to published reports.
Ensemble's new 50,000-square-foot office will house about 120 employees.
Currently based in an office highrise in Dallas off North Central Expressway, the studio's move is seen as unconventional, being that the new location is in a mixed-use development with a heavy concentration of retail space.
The Shops at Legacy is anchored by the Williams-Sonoma Home store and flanked by numerous restaurants and entertainment venues.
Plano also is home to games development studio Gearbox Software, which worked with Microsoft on the PC adaptation of the first game in the "Halo" series, Microsoft's most successful video game franchise. Ensemble Studios' current headline project, "Halo Wars," is a strategy game for the PC and Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, based on the popular science fiction universe.
Patrick Hudson, executive producer at Ensemble Studios, said the company will shift operations to Plano in April.
This is a big deal for Plano, and phase two of Shops of Legacy will be even better than phase one. The developer told me. Good for us.
Ensemble's new 50,000-square-foot office will house about 120 employees.
Currently based in an office highrise in Dallas off North Central Expressway, the studio's move is seen as unconventional, being that the new location is in a mixed-use development with a heavy concentration of retail space.
The Shops at Legacy is anchored by the Williams-Sonoma Home store and flanked by numerous restaurants and entertainment venues.
Plano also is home to games development studio Gearbox Software, which worked with Microsoft on the PC adaptation of the first game in the "Halo" series, Microsoft's most successful video game franchise. Ensemble Studios' current headline project, "Halo Wars," is a strategy game for the PC and Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, based on the popular science fiction universe.
Patrick Hudson, executive producer at Ensemble Studios, said the company will shift operations to Plano in April.
This is a big deal for Plano, and phase two of Shops of Legacy will be even better than phase one. The developer told me. Good for us.
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