High Estates

Council leaders said Church Hill in Redditch needed the new shops and other services to help prevent anti-social behaviour there.

The area, which has 10,000 residents, was chosen above three others in the town to have the revamp.

The plans will include having a high street on both sides of the street to encourage more businesses to the area.

New car parks will also be built.

Source:� news.bbc.co.uk

www.housemaxx.ca

Just north of Lansing Michigan, there is a town called DeWitt named after Clinton DeWitt, who is the former governor of New York. This happened because many New Yorkers have settled in mid-Michigan prior to 1833. The town is very quaint, with family friendly restaurants and shops in downtown area. It was actually recognized by CNN/Money Magazine’s “Best Places to Live 2005.” It is also known for its 5 scenic parks and quality schools. If you want to live pretty close to a large city, and yet want the warmth of a small town, DeWitt can be a great choice.

In the East Memphis neighborhood of High Point Terrace, a dented plastic water bottle and faded Dr. Pepper can rest between a set of rotting rail ties and contorted, overgrown brushwood. At first glance, the rail tracks stretching behind High Point residential backyards appears to be part of property that has been long forgotten. But this is not just another abandoned lot. It’s a piece of an out-of-service railway owned by CSX Transportation, a company that has placed a $17 million price tag on the 13-mile discontinued rail corridor stretching from Midtown Memphis to Cordova. And it’s all part of a brewing dispute involving a number of local entities, including a private equity firm representing a consortium of civic organizations; city, county, and state government; and one of the largest railroad companies in the Eastern United States.

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Each city has blocks that everyone knows; and not by their street address but by nicknames like “billionaire’s row” or by the number of film and Wall Street stars that live there.

They often are the most expensive block in their respective city.

Usually the block orients around the city’s defining feature. In New York, it’s on Central Park; in San Francisco it has views of the bay; in Seattle it sits on Lake Washington; and in Miami it’s on the water.

In Pictures: The Most Expensive Blocks In The U.S.

For the first time ever Forbes.com has generated a list of the most expensive blocks in 10 cities across the country. To do so, we created an index with California-based data provider Reply! of the 100 most expensive properties in each city, mapped them geographically and then measured home values and the concentration of high-priced home values in each particular cluster.

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Subprime woes spread to pricey real estate.

NEW YORK – The subprime mortgage crisis is spreading to a somewhat unexpected place: homes costing more than $500,000.

As lending has rapidly gotten more restrictive for borrowers taking out large loans, sales of expensive homes have fallen sharply around the country during what should be one of the busiest seasons for buyers and sellers, mortgage bankers and real estate agents say.

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Global Property Guide, a real estate research firm, recently issued a report ranking the most expensive flats in Europe. Currently, property value is on the rise throughout much of Europe, and real estate in locations such as the Baltic region are seeing an increase in value. Rental yields (profit yields) in several European cities are above 10%. The extremely small and distinguished principality of Monaco currently wears the crown for most expensive real estate in the Europe.

Monaco has an average price of $ 24,900 per sq meter, making the principality the most expensive real estate in Europe, but profit yields are low at 2.4%. A 35 sq. meter apartment of this expensive real estate yields an average return of 2.12%, while a 195 sq. meter apartment yields an average return of 2.64%.

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The bar for luxury residential real estate in Hong Kong, already one of the most expensive areas in the world, has been raised.

The Peak, at 1,811 feet above sea level, is the highest point on Hong Kong Island and has symbolized prominence and wealth since the 19th century. Formally known as Victoria Peak, it towers above the heart of the city and has spectacular, 360-degree views of all of the surrounding islands. To live there signifies a status level for which captains of industry from around the world are willing to pay top dollar.

Last month, The Peak exceeded its own lavish reputation, with local headlines claiming it is the site of the most expensive residential piece of land in the world. The government land auction of 12 Mount Kellett Road fetched $231 million from Sun Hung Kai Properties — 134 percent of the opening bid and a projected $5,417 per square foot.

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Both modular and manufactured homes are built in the factory but modular homes have more advantages.
Manufactured homes are also called mobile homes, and are built only to HUD, or federal building code. They are not required to meet code requirements in the specific destination where the homes will be erected. Also, it is not required for the inspectors to approve the structure.
Modular homes on the other hand, have to pass a stricter set of guidelines. It is held to the same IRC code requirements as site built homes, and must adhere to the local and state codes. It will therefore appreciate better as investments.
www.jachomes.com

POLICE must have back-up before answering calls for help on the Flemington and North Melbourne high-rise estates.The directive was issued last week after a series of attacks on officers and police vehicles by youths armed with rocks, bricks and makeshift spears.

One in five calls to Flemington police were from the housing estate, Divisional Superintendent Brett Guerin said.

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Seasoned and successful investors know the importance of acting very fast when they have identified a good deal. It is their common practice to sign a contract already even before viewing the property. Because of this quick action, it will allow these investors to take advantage of good deal opportunities right away.
While newbie investors and skeptics will view this action as reckless, it is important to understand that the contract will still give the investor enough time to perform the essential due diligence to look at the property because the contract should have an option to walk away when problems are found.
www.nahb.org