Wednesday, April 20, 2011

World Property Ranking







Ranking by Knight Frank and Citi Private Bank, in the 2011 Wealth Report, of the world's top cities for property investment.  This is based on four factors :  Economic Activity, Political Power, Quality of Life, Knowledge and Influence.

Rank
1. New York                  
2. London                        
3. Paris
4. Tokyo
5. Brussels
6. Los Angeles
7. Singapore
8. Beijing
9. Toronto
10. Berlin

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Property - Best asset class in America



FORTUNE magazine's April 2011 cover story about property as the most attractive asset class in America.
(i) Dramatic drop in new construction resulted in historically low new inventory
(ii) Steep decline in prices, average 30% below peak of 2006.
(iii) Property prices currently low because of low demand, driven by economy/jobs.  Once job creation and consumer confidence improves, prices will increase.

Visit us at Castle Avenue Partners - Manhattan investment property

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Manhattan Q1 2011 market report CONDOs

Manhattan home prices

The media is reporting Manhattan Q1 prices down 10%, driven by higher mix of coops vs condos.  The median price of a condo is about 2X that of a coop.

Here is the full Manhattan Q1 2011 market report.  
Specific to condos:
Median price up 8% vs last year.
Avg price per sf up 5.4% vs last year.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Ten Ways To Beat Inflation - Forbes

Great chart comparing real estate investment vs other options in terms of beating inflation.

TRATEGYANNUAL
EXPENSES,
BASIS POINTS1
HAZARDTAX TREATMENT2
FOREIGN EXCHANGE376COSTSBAD
GOLD ETF426NEW SUPPLIESTOLERABLE
HOME520REAL ESTATE CRASHVERY GOOD
JUNK BOND ETF640DEFAULTSDREADFUL
MORTGAGE720DEFLATIONGOOD
REAL RETURN FUND873DEFLATIONTOLERABLE
RESOURCE STOCKS0BUSINESS RISKTOLERABLE
SOCIAL SECURITY POSTPONEMENT0CONGRESSIONAL DOUBLE CROSSGOOD
TIPS0RISING REAL RATESBAD
TREASURY LADDER0HYPERINFLATIONBAD

1ANNUAL HOLDING COST PLUS A TENTH OF ROUND-TRIP TRANSACTION COST. ASSUMES TREASURYS BOUGHT AT AUCTION. A BASIS POINT IS 0.01%.2IF ASSET IS OUTSIDE A TAX-SHELTERED ACCOUNT. 3COST SHOWN IS FOR POWERSHARES BEARISH DOLLAR ETF. 4ISHARES GOLD TRUST. 5REALTOR AND CLOSING COSTS ONLY, APPLIED TO A PORTION OF HYPOTHETICAL SALES PRICE. 6SPDR HIGH YIELD. 7CLOSING COSTS ONLY. 8FIDELITY STRATEGIC REAL RETURN.