ft Editorial Staff | firsttuesday Journal

Conflicting media reports about 4Q 2010 home price trends

Posted by ft Editorial Staff | Mar 16, 2011 | Real Estate |

Home prices rose in about half of U.S. metropolitan areas during 4Q 2010 according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), but home prices declined in all 28 major U.S. metropolitan areas during 4Q 2010 according to the...

Fire sprinkler systems mandatory for new home construction in California

Posted by ft Editorial Staff | Mar 15, 2011 | Real Estate |

Fire sprinkler systems are now required on all new California single family residences (SFRs) and...

Bargaining for justice: arbitration and the loss of judicial review

Posted by ft Editorial Staff | Mar 8, 2011 | Feature Articles, Real Estate |

This article is the initial installment in first tuesday’s ongoing article series analyzing the use of arbitration in real estate transaction disputes. What follows is an historical analysis of arbitration within the context of real estate transactions, paying particular attention to arbitration’s chief defect — the lost right of judicial review.

The home mortgage tax deduction: inducing debt and stifling mobility

Posted by ft Editorial Staff | Mar 8, 2011 | Feature Articles, Real Estate, Tax |

This article identifies the origin of the tax loopholes used to implement the nation’s housing policy, and proposes a tax benefit which rewards homeownership without first requiring a mortgage debt or resale.