in a recent article from China Daily, there was an amazing fact from The China Statistics Yearbook 2008 revealed.  They found that the average home price in Beijing was 23 times a local family’s average income, compared with the international level of four to six times.  Do you think they are setting themselves up for a MAJOR fall?  Their government has come through with up to 30% discounts on mortgages for first time home buyers, but it doesn’t seem like that will be enough to make those loans truly a prudent investment over time. China is also experiencing irrational property price [...]

The National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) announced the winners of its 59th Annual Journalism Awards today.  NAREEs awards program recognizes excellence in reporting, writing and editing stories about both residential and commercial real estate. This year’s Robert F. Brennan Award for Best Overall Entry by an Individual went to Mara Der Hovanesian of Business Week magazine.  The best Freelance Collection Award went to Sharon Stangenes for her freelance contributions to the Chicago Tribune.  The James D. Carper Award for Best Entry by a young Journalist went to Polyana da Costa, Daily Business Review. The award winners were selected by a panel of expert judges from [...]

Michael Belak Joins MRIS as Chief Information Officer Michael Belak has been appointed as Chief Information Office for Metropolitan Regional Information Services(MRIS) the nation’s largest multiple listing service. In this role, Mike is responsible for all facets of MRIS technology planning including providing the vision and leadership for developing and implementing information technology (IT) initiatives in a constantly changing, competitive marketplace.  In addition, he will ensure that MRIS systems and technology continue to lead the industry.  As a key member of the executive management team, he is also responsible for monitoring and validating the enterprises compliance with security policies. Mike [...]