A New Era for Oakland's Jack London Square

From the PU Blog, October 23, 2012:

With major changes under way at Oakland’s Jack London Square, some are calling the area "a beacon of light" for the city of 400,000.

New buildings have gone up at the square over the last few years as part of a 350 million dollar redevelopment project that began almost a decade ago. With major tenants moving in and the Jack London Square Market scheduled to open next year, city officials are predicting the site will attract even more visitors and residents to Oakland.  Read more . . .

Home Affordability at 50%

Courtesy of Interest.com, October 17, 2012:

A median-income household can only afford a median-priced home in 14 of the nation’s 25 largest metropolitan areas.  Atlanta, Detroit and Minneapolis-St. Paul are the most affordable cities, according to Interest.com’s first Home Affordability Study.  San Diego, New York and San Francisco are the least affordable.

With home prices down an average of 30% from their peak in 2006, and mortgage rates at record lows, there’s a lot of talk about how homes are more affordable now than they’ve been in decades.
In some places, that's true.  But in many cities, it’s not.  Read more . . .

Housing Recovery May Finally Be Here

Courtesy of CNNMoney:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)--It's been a long time coming, but economists surveyed by CNNMoney believe the nation's housing market has finally turned the corner.  Of the 14 economists who answered questions about home prices in the survey, nine believe that prices have already turned higher or will make that turn later this year.  Read more . . .