The Kaufmann House, a 1946 glass, steel and stone landmark built on the edge of this desert town by the architect Richard Neutra, has twice been at the vanguard of new movements in architecture — helping to shape postwar Modernism and later, as a result of a painstaking restoration in the mid-1990s, spurring a revived interest in mid-20th-century homes.
Now the California homeowners who undertook that restoration hope Neutra’s masterpiece will play a role in a third movement: promoting architecture as a collectible art worthy of the same consideration as painting …

The State Government is estimated to have made more than $24 million in stamp duty yesterday as a record 1320 properties were auctioned in Victoria.
Estate agents shared more than $11 million in sales commission from yesterday’s results.
Almost 9300 properties have been auctioned in the past three months – an increase of 85 per cent on the same period three years ago.
Despite the market’s ongoing strength, agents said there was little sign the bull run was near an end.
South Yarra agent Philippe Batters, of Williams Batters, said the strong economy, stockmarket …

A 400-acre parcel will go up for auction next week at the Arizona State Land Department, one of the largest parcels the department has put up for sale north of Loop 101.
The land in question is north of the Reach 11 Sports Complex and tucked behind two cemeteries, including National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona. It sits just west of the Desert Ridge master-planned area.
Assessed value of the land is $100 million, less than half of the value of Desert Ridge land about a mile away that sold in …

The head of the Auctioneers Institute has blamed the slowdown in the property market on Irish Finance Minister Brian Cowen.
Robert Ganly, President of the Irish Auctioneers and Valuers Institute, said the current stamp duty regime was overcomplicated, and that it and uncertainty over future plans was discouraging mobility within the market.
In his annual address to the Institute in Dublin this lunchtime, Mr Ganly accused the Tánaiste of ‘lacking the courage of his predecessors’ on tax reform.
He also criticised a recent RTÉ documentary on the property market, which he claimed had …

Over 40,000 government-foreclosed housing properties for disposal
Government is disposing to the public over 40,000 foreclosed housing units of its key shelter agencies (KSAs) nationwide.
Vice-President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Chairperson Noli de Castro said the government is prepared to offer these properties at six percent interest rate and with an amortization period of up to 30 years.
“We’re even offering 20 percent discount on cash payments,” he said Tuesday during opening of the three-day 2007 Housing Fair at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.
He said authorities are optimistic …

Press Release
Is It Time To Buy?
“If you are working with someone who really knows how to negotiate”..says Scott Partridge of Community Real Estate. When Scott is working with a client he figures what the price of the home will be in the next 8-12 months or more”I do not care what the price of the home has already been dropped! We have a little way to go yet before this market starts to turn, and I’m going to make sure that my clients are well protected”.
The homes that are moving …

A house in one of the city’s most desirable addresses sold for a record €2.15million when it went under the hammer on Friday, prompting a city auctioneer to claim that Galway is bucking the national trend of a slump in the market.
Last year, a similar property on the same road sold for €1.5m at auction.
Bidding on the refurbished five-bed terraced property on St. Mary’s Terrace, Taylor’s Hill began at €1.3million.

Press Release
The new boom in real estate is the home auction business, which is sweeping the U.S. by storm at an unprecedented pace, according to a new report by Housing Predictor.
All time record foreclosures caused by the melt down in the mortgage business have led lenders to make more foreclosures than ever before in U.S. history. Already 1-million homes have been foreclosed in 2007, and Housing Predictor forecasts at least another 2-million homes will be foreclosed through 2009. The forecast may be increased substantially unless Congress steps in to intervene …

Rainbow City’s RealtyBid.com reported record third quarter numbers for its online real estate auction Web site.
The company said it had more than 4,000 homes listed for auction on its Web site in the third quarter. That’s a 136 percent increase over the number listed in the third quarter of 2006.
It also reported that the number of homes sold on its site increased by 145 percent in the third quarter, compared to the same period last year.
The company provides online real estate auctions and accelerated marketing programs for sellers, agents, builders …

Movie Gallery Inc said on Wednesday it will conduct an auction for leases on 508 stores it had previously earmarked to close in an effort to shave about $70 million in annual costs.
The No. 2 U.S. video rental company filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, and requested in a motion filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Richmond, Virginia to schedule the auction for Nov. 15.
The company said rental payments and other costs associated with the stores were an “unnecessary drain” on its resources.
Dothan, Alabama-based Movie Gallery, which operates some …