Madonna has sold her New York apartment at a cut price

The property was purchased by the manager Deepak Narula for $ 19.5 million, a decline of 15% compared to the pop star initial request

The Madonna apartment in New York city

New York - In November last year, Madonna had put for sale her apartment in New York, but without receiving purchase orders for the set amount: $ 23.5 million. The property, that is on two floors overlooking Central Park, it was finally bought - as reported by the Wall Street Journal - from the manager Deepak Narula for $ 19.5 million, a cut of 15% compared to the American star initial request.

The apartment is located at the top at 41 Central Park West and it is not the first time that Madonna was trying to sell it. The star had already tried in 1996, but at that time the house had been withdrawn from the market because there was no available buyers to negotiate.

Crisis can be overcome with the energetic rehabilitation of the houses

Legambiente: "Is it possible to activate 3 billion euro of investments and 120,000 jobs per year"

Rome - The crisis can be overcome by the eco-renovation of houses and buildings thanks to which, according to Legambiente "can be activated 3 billion euro of investments and 120.000 jobs per year". For this reason, the Italian environmental organization has proposed - during a conference organized together with AzzeroCo2 - "a new system of incentives for energy improvement that allows to halve fuel consumption in the condo buildings".

"In light of the current situation emerges," according to Legambiente, "the need for new policies that may trigger a widespread  upgrading of the energy efficiency in buildings". With an eye especially for apartment buildings, where live about 24 million people in Italy and where very often the energy consumption are higher than the already high national average, especially if built after the 50's. According to estimates by Istat and Cresme, exists more than one million buildings with more than five rooms in which there is a condominium management. And, unfortunately for those who live there, hopes to reduce spending on energy bills are very few, given that the existing mechanisms are ineffective and often impossible to implement".

The aim of Legambiente is an average reduction of 50% of the housing consumption, certified by skipping energy class; based on a simulation carried out on condos in Milan, Rome and Bari average return through incentives varies between 31 and 36%, there would be a benefit in the bill and in the comfort both winter and summer, in addition, depending on the intervention, there could be a reduction in heating bills by about 50% within a maximum of 11 years for an amount that varies between 800 and 1300 euro per year.

The eclipse of real estate

Is the end near?

In the first quarter of 2012, direct investments in real estate in the world fell by 21% compared to the same period last year. The data have been published by the Consulting Agency Jones Lang Lasalle; the flow of global capital allocated to the sector decreased despite only in the USA there has been a 

+25% and +52% in Canada in the year. Poor performances for Europe, Asia and Middle East.

According to Juan Manuel Ortega, director of capital markets for Jones Lang Lasalle Spain, "this year will be dominated by the reactions of governments

Unrestored homes purchase +83%. Fashion is a ruin

The new trend of real estate, ruined houses for a market in crisis

They are called fixer-upper, more commonly slums, houses in poor condition sometimes to be rebuilt almost from scratch are the latest trend when it comes to real estate in New York.

The trend is becoming increasingly popular due to the decline of the houses on the market and lower prices of the houses in ruins, convenient despite the costs that the restructuring.

Jonathan Miller, head of the real estate firm Miller Samuel, told the New York Times that the purchase of housing conditions as "poor or very poor" rose in the City by 83% from December 2011 to December 2012.

"The properties for sale in Manhattan fell by 34% from the fourth quarter of 2011 - said Miller - touching its lowest level for 12 years now, and that's why those who want to buy a home has become more flexible."

The Italian real estate market crisis, merciless numbers

Translation of an interesting article from the Italian web based newspaper Nove da Firenze .

The figures released by FIAIP are really discouraging: in Italy in the period 2007-2012 real estate sales were down by as much as 40%. In the past year house prices also showed a decrease of 12% (25% if we compare the average prices of the previous year with those of 2008.).

And common clichés that keep the industry afloat we have thought in the past few years the only luxury properties, and this both in Italy and internationally.

According to the findings in the recent MEETIN - a real estate meeting in Naples, for example, this assumption seems confirmed in the Southern Italy.

Greece for sales: Athens sells 28 public buildings

Among the buildings, offices of ministries, public bodies and the police headquarters.

After months of unnecessary delay, which among other things are often caused irritation of the representatives of the international creditors of Greece, the National Agency for the Promotion of Property of the State (Taiped, privatization agency), has announced yesterday the international tender for the sale and leaseback by the state, 28 state-owned buildings that are now offices of government departments, public bodies and even the police headquarters in Athens.

Properties for sale will be divided into two groups of 14 properties each, while the total rents that derive, according to the Taiped, will amount to approximately 30 million euro per year. The time for submission of tenders from interested parties expires next April 19.

Thud of the real estate market in Paris, shaking the prices of the safe of Europe



Is the future of Paris grey?

Storm signals were on the horizon but the final amount were worse than expected. "Home sales in Paris, one of the world safest real estate markets, have fallen by 21% in one year" makes known the Chamber of Notaries of the Ile-de-france.

Throughout the region the decrease compared to 2011 was 13%. Is therefore just the capital to suffer the most, so that prices historically high and untouchable, begin to give little signs of abating. In one year the costs are decreased by 1%, but with a tendency to get worse. The square meter value is still really expensive with and average of  8270 euro even for normal houses, not luxury villas or castles.

The bigger houses? Are the Australian's

Australians have bigger

The United States are famous for their architectural excesses: the boundless city, towering skyscrapers, monumental houses. We also saw that the U.S. can boast at least six of the ten most expensive homes for sale in the world. But it is news not too long ago that Australians have escaped the "cousins" Americans another record: that of the larger houses

According to research commissioned by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia National Institute of Statistics, for the first time in ten years the Australian houses of new construction have been awarded first place in the ranking of the larger houses in the world, thus relegating the new constructions American second.

Real Estate, optimism back with the Web: digital relocation

The new web frontier of real estate market, the dedicated real estate search engine

According to a survey, the benefits in terms of efficiency of the use of the Web for real estate portals are characterized by rapidity in providing timely information to customers, the ability to keep up with the competition and meet the demands of the market with significant time savings and money.

The web marketing can very well replace the obsolete forms of traditional advertising, such as newspapers and magazines, which in addition to being inefficient, requiring large amounts of money.

From the point of view of the purchasers, not only are praised all the characteristics of a digital communication, but also the speed to be able to take advantage of an estate portal in order to submit their ad, to be viewed also from a wider range of customers and international at affordable prices.

London: Battersea Power Station reborn, boom of luxury homes

The building made famous
by '30s cover Animals Pink Floyd

It's the fastest selling real estate of this kind recorded in London. 

In four days were sold real estate properties with a total value of 600 million pounds (nearly € 724 million) in the converted historic Battersea Power Station, the one with four colossal chimneys, in the south-west of London, the largest brick building in Europe remained unused for three decades.  An interesting example of luxury homes building boom.

They lined up starting at 6:30 am, reports the British press to grab a seat, large or small, preferably overlooking the River Thames, as this may become one of the largest urban corners 'cool' of the "new London" .

The building is considered one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in the '30s and was made famous by the album cover of Pink Floyd's "Animals" of 1977, the one with the pig flying between the white chimneys of the plant.

Asia, solid investor optimism in the housing market

Asia, solid investor optimism in the housing market

From the Real Estate Market Survey of RICS Global Commercial fourth quarter shows that the real estate market of northern Asia remains solid. In particular, China, Hong Kong and Japan have shown a sharp rise in sentiment in the rental market and investments. The Survey indicates, however, a more negative trend for the Singapore market, with some key indicators that showed further deterioration.

China

In China, demand for rentals has risen slightly after the slowdown in the third quarter, with net income up to +20. The availability of space is increased. Although expectations on rents remain on a positive territory, the increase in new construction will affect sull'outlook rents in the future. Even the confident investors saw a marked improvement, with a sharp increase in demands and expectations of transactions. The increased appetite for investment is spurring expectations on the capital value.

Six million euro for a castle in Bavaria offered for sale by Porsche

Schloss Bullachberg

When an investment becomes unproductive is the case to discard it and so Porsche has decided to sell his castle in Bavaria, purchased in 2006, for six million euro.

The automaker had in fact bought the castle, Schloss Bullachberg, close to Neuschwanstein Castle, the most famous of Bavaria, with the intention of turning it into a luxury hotel with 180,000 square meters.

Norway estate boom!

Norway big city skyline

The Norwegian regulators should impose more restrictive rules for the housing market compared to those in force abroad. This is because house prices and private debt have reached record levels, very different from those reported in the rest of the Old Continent. To make known, Bloomberg agency reported, was Morten Baltzersen, the number one of the Authority for the Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA) in the Nordic country.

"Our starting point is some concern for the growth of private debt and real estate prices in Norway," he said. And the measures taken will not be in line with the rest of Europe because - he said - the starting situation is very different.

A nice sit-com to about real estate agents

"Vendesi" - Main actors

Often we have heard that real estate agents are not a profession "funny". Without a doubt, this injury was aggravated during a period of great difficulty of the real estate market like the one we are living because, as pointed out by a survey conducted some time ago in the United States own a real estate agent, the dislike of the category comes most of the time not so much the lack of professionalism of the agent or real character of the individual components, but the fact that the real estate broker represents for many the personification of dreams and expectations dashed. On the one hand those of the owner that he wanted to get a higher price (even if unrealistic) from the sale of your property and, second, those buyers who may be forced to give up the house they wanted or discount which had aimed.

Economy. Journey to the roots of the crisis, European banks have been up to?

A black cloud over the world

The chronicle and political force us daily to deal with words and concepts related to economic matters. Terms and expressions borrowed from the colorful jargon of finance or economic doctrine, have become commonly used on the basis of the violent changes in place for some years, but their meaning is often shrouded in the mists for those not into the matter.

TOXIC AND MALE INCOME SECURITIES

Never like today is very timely, as a result of recent developments in the case of European banks, hear about "derivative" investments classified as financial products created in 1920 and in the years to come, purchased by banks around the world. It should, however, do so clearly on the subject to understand what a derivative and by whom it has been used over the years by dragging the entire global financial system to the economic meltdown. The term "derivative" or "derivate" refers to a financial product identified as speculative title contains within itself a large number of subtitles at great risk. This appears to be the result of a finance called "creative" that produced disastrous effects on markets and financial centers defined strategic, among them New York and London. The already dangerous product itself has become devastating when it has approached banks behaviors unclear and even little lawful. And 'the beginning of the new millennium that some of codeste banks gave start to what today we can clearly define "economic decline". It all started with the U.S. such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, banks defined sisters, and the famous Lehman Brothers founded by two German brothers. Once again the "families" in American society are confirmed carriers of dangerous mishaps despite the same America you define in the eyes of the world, a big family.

Luxury villas and homes, sales increase in Italy

A luxury house with pool

The luxury real estate market does not seem to have suffered from the crisis, indeed.

The analysis conducted by an indipendent observatory analyzed the sales of luxury real estate in Italy (here some examples of luxury homes and villas in Italy), recording an increase of 16% between 2011 and 2012.

You can buy real estate property and more throughout the boot and especially from abroad, particularly from Russia. Data that bode well for the industry in a time when other properties are still on the other hand if not in decline: ISTAT has photographed the real estate market in the same period that saw a decline in sales of 23.6%. Italy thus confirming land of beauty, able to attract foreign investors, attracted by the beauty of our country and the most exclusive houses.

Black numbers for housing market. Crisis!

Crisis make me cry

ITALY - Black for the housing market crisis, which also affects a small part of the demand for mortgages.

A enderlo known is the Fiaip Federation (estate agents referring to cercacasa.it) which publishes the data on the year 2012, emphasizing a reduction of 11, 98% of real estate prices and a reduction in the number of sales of 17.22% compared to 2011.

Italy - Black year for the housing market, house prices collapse: Rome -15%

Italy - Black year for the housing market

Fiaip: in contrast Taranto. For the first half of 2013 the market still

Rome, February 15 (TMNews) - Black Year, 2012, for the housing market: the sales fell by 17.2% and housing prices have fallen by 11, 9%. To provide the data is Fiaip (Italian Federation of Professional Real Estate Agents) which released the report on the progress of urban real estate market scenarios for 2012 and 2013.The 2012 "closes with a market stagnation in a context in which the indicators marked a decline in real estate prices in the residential and commercial real estate market," said the Federation. For the trades "there is an average trend of falling prices of '11.98% for houses, while falls the number of sales that amounted to -17.22% in 2012." Sharp decline, then the price for leases for housing and commercial leases -5.60% -12.5% ​​compared to 2011.

London: investigation of luxury property Vatican

Saint Peter - vatican

ITALY - Sharp decline in sales and the housing market crisis black as evidenced by the data released by Fiaip.

From Bulgari shop on New Bond Street in a building in the sophisticated section of St. James's Square, at the corner of Pall Mall. Property have been discovered by the Guardian of the best quality (and price) in London are headed to the Vatican.

Real Estate in the Smart City

Improve the town to get to improve the quality of life of citizens: in summary, this is the principle behind the Smart City project, started by the EU to promote the creation of shareholder virtuous among government, private businesses and research institutes, in order to give substance to plans that promote the sustainable improvement of urban centers.

Whether for purely historical, artistic and architectural, that for reasons related to management of the property usually controversial, afflicted with extreme superficiality and reckless urban expansion, going back to the time scale of economic growth after World War II), also think about defining a brand new Italian towns, can be an task challenging, but, however hard, it is clear that should be addressed when we truly want to make the journey to reside in urban areas more eco-friendly. Regarding Italy, the Lioness is, yes, distinguished by having been given a grant of 20 million - by the EU - to pursue "smart", but therefore far, nothing has moved to put at the center of 'attention to the problem of creating the town public and private, with a view to probable (and desirable) redevelopment to have, in fact, a "smart city".

Eight million pounds in an ancient castle in Scotland (ghost included)

How much would you pay for a real ghost?

One of the oldest still inhabited castles in Scotland is on sale for eight million pounds, about 9.1 million euro.

The Blair Castle located in Dalry, in Ayrshire, is a real piece of Scottish history, inhabited by the same family for nearly 850 years: the whole structure, such as a thousand acres of land owned are in perfect condition, without sacrificing modern conveniences, as the heated pool. The building dates back to 1100, a period in which it was made even the Norman tower, part of the family that Blair was given the title of barons by King William the Lion.