You're OK, We're OK, They're Locked Up !

Hi Folks,
   I hope all is well.

   Not many companies have the audacity to say this publicly, however, if you cannot be honest when speaking to the good people who visit your website and blog, to which you've dedicated over a decade working on and enjoying...well, then is it all really worth it? With all of that babble out of the way, we had some malware hit our site last weekend. Immediately, I know this question would be on the minds of at least 99% of you: We had no compromise of personal data. This was not a breach, but more of a nuisance than anything else.

   I'm not one for acting like a parrot, but let me repeat that line above: We did not experience any compromise of personal data. This was not a breach, but more of a nuisance than anything else.

   This particular type of malware was a low-level one, which would redirect you to advertising for things that could be considered moderately vulgar, and if you've experienced any weird pages ("Redirects") via our site last weekend, I personally apologize, however, we have not received any reports (yet, we prefer to err on the side of caution!).

   Thankfully, the good folks at Hostway, the company that hosts our web server/web site (they are referred to as a "hosting company"), maintain our website on a PCI/Secure server, and they snapped into action to help us rid the pesky code that caused the issue. Kudos to the whole team at Hostway!

   Now, some of you who feel infuriated by those that make such malicious attempts on websites, such as the ones perpetrated against Apple and GoDaddy just recently, will take solace in the following updates I will now provide you with, so keep reading!

   We have been in business for 10 years, and we have an extensive reach into many emerging markets that are ripe for the "Rent to Own Home" model to stoke their Housing Markets and Economies. One such market region is Eastern Europe/Ukraine/Russia. With some well-cultivated local contacts, and along with the U.S. Consulate Offices in 2 different countries (and yes, a few Federal Agents in the family doesn't hurt, either!), we have been able to locate the source of this intrusion via traffic/timing pinpoint, and have apprehended the group of snot-nosed teenagers (18-20 year olds) who did this. If I had time, I would fly there for their trial, and spit in their faces! However, I believe in our system of justice, and we model ourselves on not being barbaric and crude as many others tend to be.

   The sad thing here is that with the amount of work they put into their devious art, and with their intelligence, they could have collectively worked with us to advance their Economies, and make even more money. Well, I certainly hope they will enjoy their jail cell, which I have been made aware of the physical locations they are being held. I did a quick Google search on these places, and I think they'll be paying quite well for their sins. To this, I smile, and I say, "May all of those out to disrupt our economy enjoy the comforts of a rotten filthy jail cell". Hey fellas, here's a tip for your stay behind bars: Don't drop the soap !!

   We bring you truth, whether it's admitting a bump in the road, or showing you how powerful our site is in helping you Buy a Rent to Own Home or Sell a Rent to Own Home.

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Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #malware #redirect #blog #website #renttoown #home #hosting #webserver #website #housingmarket #Europe #Ukraine #Russia

Expensive to Build in The USA? Not Even Close!

Hi Folks,
   Welcome back.

   We often hem and haw about prices, and how expensive things are, but if you lived in Switzerland, you might think differently about things! True, it's a beautiful country and has a reputation for delectable chocolate, but it also topped the list of the "Ten most expensive countries in the world to build", in a recent article.

   According to a story on InternationalEat.com, "Switzerland remains the most expensive place in the world to build new properties", with data pulled from the latest EC Harris report. Using UK prices as a baseline, construction costs in Switzerland are more than 25% higher than anywhere else in the world (the story adds that the "price of construction in Switzerland is 71% higher than in the UK"). Mathew Riley of EC Harris said that he was not surprised to see Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries as the most expensive places to build, since "high labour costs and the need to import materials are all combining to drive prices up."

   Taking a step back, Europe came in as the most expensive continent in which to build, with 8 European countries populating the Top 10 list. The other two countries were both Australia and Canada. The cheapest countries to build in? It was a tie between India and Sri Lanka (construction costs estimated to be 72% cheaper than the UK baseline).

   If you are a builder or a contractor, you have seen your profit margins get slimmer and the competition on the rise, and the results of this report point to the need for Western economies to, "start planning ahead now to guarantee access to the raw materials needed for future construction projects."

   As for North America, the report finds that the average construction costs in the US are around 10% lower than in the UK, however, as the economic recovery progresses, these costs are likely to rise.

   In terms of construction spending during August 2011, we were at $799.1 billion (Up 1.4% from July and almost 1% from August 2010). Public Construction was on the upside, at 3.1% above July, and more specifically, Educational construction and Highway construction both posted gains of 3.5% and 4.3%, respectively. Private Construction Changes were negligible to minor.

   Penny for your thoughts...

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Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes Blog: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com

TAGS: #constructioncosts #Switzerland #Europe #UK #builder #contractor #constructionprojects #rawmaterials #public #private #educational #highway

More Real Estate Bubble Talk

Hi Folks,

   Hope you had a nice weekend, and I'm honored to have you back with me!

   Last week, we took a look at Canada and where it stands in terms of a Housing Bubble (Canadian Housing Bubble Or An Exception To The Rule) vs. our busted bubble. Today, let's expand our reach and look at a few countries around the globe to examine whether their Housing Bubble has burst yet.

   Any conversation about Real Estate and Housing would not be complete without discussing China. In a recent Investopedia story that was aptly named, "China's Real Estate Bubble", Arthur Pinkasovitch looked at the average home prices in 2007, which, "slipped from $221,900 to $219,000" and then had a "massive 21% drop over the next two years." In contract, the author said that Chinese real estate "maintained its value through the Great Recession as property values tripled between 2004 and 2009." However, he says that "major cracks are beginning to surface within the Chinese real estate market as speculation about the collapse of the bubble has started to emerge.", and points to a drop from "stable" to "negative" by Standard & Poor's ("in anticipation of a "sharp correction" for real estate prices. Analysts are forecasting that home prices will fall by 10% within the next year.")

   Pinkasovitch points to oversupply of residential and commercial real estate in the country, and says that in order to maintain GDP growth, "the Chinese government has continued to over invest in large infrastructure projects focused on real estate development. At an average wage of $7,400 people are neither able to purchase the basic $100,000 apartments units nor invest into small businesses around the new developments.", and names some cities with residential apartment occupancy rates of only 30%. On the Commercial Real Estate end, he discusses the "Great Mall of China" which, "contains 9.6 million square feet of floor space", but, "less than a dozen active shops remain in the mall".

   Additionally, the Author points to the following fact; "According to The Atlantic, residential housing investments contributes to 6% of GDP, the same level as U.S. real estate at the peak of the housing bubble". He also says that the current prices are too high, and that "property prices in major metropolitan areas have risen to unsustainable levels".

   Robert Rubin, Editor of Safe Money Products, corroborates this, and says that China is already full of "empty cities, malls, and airports. That’s why China may not be the place for long-term safe money, despite its boom.". Rubin says that Local governments around China formed “Local Government Funding Vehicles” (to lend money to developers), but says that the finances of these "unofficial banks" are off-record, and says that the government of China "recently estimated 26% of these loans are bad, and 50% will be repaid only with difficulty.". Rubin also says that the real estate bubble "may pop when its government raises interest rates to control inflation."

   Putting the China "Bubble" on hold for a moment, let's take a look at a few other countries.

   In the Middle East, and specifically in Saudi Arabia, "A leading Saudi architect has warned that the Kingdom’s ambitious housing programmes could be scuppered by a looming real-estate bubble", says an article in Construction Week, titled, "Kingdom faces real-estate bubble, says Saudi Diyar". "The real-estate sector is ridiculously overpriced; it is a bubble", says Saudi Diyar principal Hisham Malaika on an Arab News interview. Additionally, says the Diyar from the oil rich nation that seems to build endlessly, "The cost of real estate is over inflated, and it is prohibitive for real-estate developers to finance projects for low- and medium-income families".

   In Europe, the Bulgarian Real Estate Market will return to an uptrend imminently, says an article titled, "Limited Return' of Bulgarian Real Estate Market 'On the Way'" and the "Bulgaria Real Estate Report Q3 2011" of Business Monitor International (BMI). The report cites data that an "average of 1 550 property auctions took place a month in January and February 2011, compared with a monthly average of 750 in 2010."

   The story sums up the Bulgarian market and says that the market "has a long way to go to recover before BMI sees anything like the growth of the previous decade", and that "a fundamental improvement in Bulgaria's economy has yet to be seen that would prompt BMI to upgrade the report forecasts and therefore the 2011 real GDP growth expectation is left virtually unchanged".

   Although the countries discussed here appear to be at differing stages of Bubbles and recoveries, we live in a Global Economy, which is not a cliché. As Rubin points out regarding the Chinese market; "The great threat isn’t to China, but to the commodity producers around the world that feed Chinese construction. China is the largest commodity consumer in the world. If Chinese construction wanes, demand for commodities will plunge. Commodities, stocks of commodity producers, and currencies of commodity producing nations will all be hit hard." The ripple effects of each country ultimately effects all of us, either directly or indirectly.

   What are your thoughts on this story?


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Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes Blog: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com

TAGS: #Canada #ChinaRealEstate #HousingBubble #realestateprices #commercialrealestate #MiddleEast #SaudiArabia #Europe #Bulgaria #GDP