Pulte to ax nearly 1,900 jobs

After downsizing, builder to employ only 300 in Mich.

Pulte Homes Inc., in the latest major downsizing by a Michigan-based company, announced late Tuesday that it was cutting about 16 percent of its work force, or nearly 1,900 jobs.

The Bloomfield Hills-based company, one of the nation's largest and most successful homebuilders, has been hit hard by the nation's slumping housing market.

U.S. home prices fall for first time since 1991

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. home prices dropped 1.4% in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, the first year-over-year decline in national home prices since 1991, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller index released Tuesday.
A year ago, home prices were rising at an 11.5% pace. Prices have been falling for the past three quarter

A Closer Look at Panama Real Estate Market

The Panama real estate market is something that is interesting to many investors as well as individuals that are looking to buy property abroad. Panama offers beautiful beach front properties as well as properties that are just as beautiful, but not on the water. Not only are many of the properties beautiful, but they can also be very affordable for investors and individuals alike. In addition to being affordable, most of these properties, when kept up, appreciate very quickly, allowing those that buy them to invest and then sell for a profit in relatively little time.

One of the things that draws many home and property buyers to the real estate market in Panama is not only the surroundings, but also the tax incentives. There are many tax breaks for those that buy in Panama, and for many the tax benefits are enough to have them consider Bocas real estate as well as real estate in other areas. When you buy property in the area and you plan on building a new dwelling you will benefit as there are no taxes on the dwelling for 20 years! What this allows for individuals to do is buy property that has not been built on quite cheaply. Then, the individual or investor can build a beautiful home or business office, and then sell, all without paying taxes! This will allow for the property to be sold for much more than it was purchased with the benefit of never paying taxes.

Bocas del toro is a beautiful place to buy real estate, though it's being bought up quite quickly. The property that has already been purchased is worth more than it was just six months ago, because supply and demand simply are not balanced. There is still property for sale in this beautiful province, and it includes residential as well as commercial property. This means that there is something for everyone, and this will always be a great place to buy as well as sell property. This province on the Caribbean will continue to be a great place to buy Panama real estate in the future, though the prices will probably continue to rise as more and more people want to buy and there is less and less in the way of available property. Panama real estate has never been more prime, and when you buy in an area such as Bocas you are almost guaranteeing a successful investment.

Apartment Buildings How To Make Them More Desirable by Kevin Cox

When renting out an apartment building there are certain things you can do to get more people to want to live in your apartment building. One thing you can do to make an apartment building more desirable to live in, is if you buy new appliances for each apartment. Some of these appliances you can buy are new refrigerators and new stoves. These appliances can bring out the beauty of each apartment and give it a more welcoming feeling.

Another thing you can do to make am apartment building more desirable to live in, is to put in a new bath tub. If the family or the person who is looking to rent out the apartment sees a brand new bath tub, it can show them that you really care about the building. Sometimes if a person or a family sees things in an apartment that looks kind of old in their mind they can think of the apartment of being cheap.

One last thing you can do to make an apartment building more desirable to live in, is to get wifi internet for the whole building. If the person or family who is looking to rent out the apartment knows they can get free high speed internet, it will make them more eager to live there. When adding new things it is important that you don't over spend so much that the rents don't cover the expenses. If you add some of these things to an apartment building, it is a good way to charge more in rent. Most of all when you add new things to the building, it will show you care and people are more likely to take good care of your place.

A good web site where you can see more information on topics like this is Real Estate Facts which is highly recommended. You can also Add This Article to your web site or blog.

U.S. Home Prices to Drop in 2007, First Since 1930s

U.S. home price declines this year are going to be steeper than earlier forecast because of the drop in subprime mortgage lending and the adoption of stricter lending standards, the National Association of Realtors said.