Recently added articles from Journal of Property Management:

Technology in touch.(fromthetop)(Editorial)

May 01, 2008; Mullins, Regina T. ... As I take a brief respite from travel this year--having visited many of you at your local chapters, as well as those of you far away within our international chapters and partnerships--I realize how much business has changed for us with just a few advancements in technology. My own ...

IREM Members lobby Congress on energy-efficiency improvements.(insession)(Institute of Real Estate Management)(Brief article)

May 01, 2008 ... Climate change is the No. 1 environmental issue in Congress. In the next several years, the White House and Congress will likely make it a priority to pass legislation leading to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Such legislation could affect the cost of constructing new and ...

IREM requests natural disaster insurance for commercial properties.(insession)(Institute of Real Estate Management)(Brief article)

May 01, 2008 ... Affordable and accessible insurance is essential to the real estate market. Property and casualty coverage is an underwriting requirement for conventional, government-assisted and commercial mortgages. Unfortunately, the intensity of large natural disasters in recent years has made the ...

IREM supports leasehold improvements recovery period.(insession)(Institute of Real Estate Management)(Brief article)

May 01, 2008 ... Permanent federal law requires leasehold improvements to be depreciated over a 39-year period. A provision allowing those costs to be recovered over 15 years expired at the end of 2007. The 15-year life has been a "temporary" provision for several years. That rule is not controversial, but ...

Congress considers changes in capital gains and depreciation recapture.(insession)(Brief article)

May 01, 2008 ... Under current law, capital gains are taxed at a maximum rate of 15 percent. This rate is temporary and will revert to 20 per-cent as of January 1, 2011. When capital gains tax rates were reduced to 15 percent from 20 percent in 2003, the deprecia-tion recapture rate remained at 25 percent ....

Businesses continue technology expenditures.(knowitall)(Brief article)

May 01, 2008 ... U.S. businesses spent $250.7 billion on information and communication technology equipment, and computer software in 2006 --an increase of 6.3 percent from 2005 --according to the Information and Communication Technology Survey recently published by the U.S. Census Bureau. Many ...

Condo "reversions" increase with market slump.(knowitall)(Brief article)

May 01, 2008 ... As many condo developers are rapidly falling behind on their bank payments for construction loans, some are considering turning their condominium communities into successful rental apartment communities. According to research firm Foresight Analytics, based in Oakland, Calif., ...

Coldest winter increases costs for real estate market.(knowitall)(Brief article)

May 01, 2008 ... The United States and the world experienced the coldest average temperatures during climatological winter (December 2007- February 2008) since 2001, according to scientists at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. In ...

First house of worship gets LEED certified.(ecotalk)(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)(Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation )(Brief article)

May 01, 2008 ... The Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, III., is on its way to becoming the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum house of worship in the nation. The synagogue, designed by Chicago architect Carol Ross Barney, has already achieved 50 LEED ...

Energy upgrades money well spent.(ecotalk)(National Institute of Standards and Technology )(Brief article)

May 01, 2008 ... The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) engineers recently took a look at energy-related upgrades to their own quarters and found energy-related improvements were well worth the expense. The energy upgrades to the modified office included sealing air leaks and insulating ...

Trash to light troop camps in Iraq.(ecotalk)(American troops in Iraq may soon be using trash as a power source in their barracks)(Brief article)

May 01, 2008 ... American troops in Iraq may soon be using trash as a power source in their barracks. The army is preparing to send two 4-ton biobass refineries to Iraq that are designed to turn discarded items into electricity. Each runs roughly 20 hours on a ton of trash and produces enough power to ...

"Quotables".

May 01, 2008 ... "Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space." Ansel Adams, American Photographer "The four building blocks of the universe are fire, water, gravel and vinyl." Dave Barry, American ...

Making green great: ecological harmony at Aldo Leopold Legacy Center earns high marks.(Famous Properties)(Organization overview)

May 01, 2008; Mirel, Diana ... No one knows for certain if renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold knew the potential ecological harmony imminent in the dilapidated farmland he stumbled upon in Baraboo, Wis., in 1935. But, for just $8 an acre, Leopold purchased the land. He and his wife, Estella, and their five children, ...

Fast facts.(knowitall)

May 01, 2008 ... * On some Caribbean islands, oysters can climb trees. * Eggplants aren't vegetables--they're really fruits. * Only one book has been distributed in more copies than the Bible--the IKEA catalog. * Millions of trees are accidentally planted by squirrels who ...

Search me.(knowitall)(Website list)(Brief article)

May 01, 2008 ... www.americanwater.com Americanwater.com is produced by the self-proclaimed "experts in water conservation." Here you'll find everything from ways the company can help you manage the water flow at your buildings to information about water-saving toilets. You can also read success ...

Pulse points.(knowitall)(Brief article)

May 01, 2008 ... Log on to www.irem.org/jpm to answer this issue's online survey. Real-time results will appear on the site, and a final tally will be published in the next issue. Question Have you implemented any water conservation methods or technologies at your properties in ...

North and upper Midwest states eye upswing in development: population growth creates new building opportunities in mountain time zone.(regionaloutlook)

May 01, 2008; Parker, James G. ... The population in the states of Montana, Idaho and North and South Dakota swelled more than 20 percent between 1990 and 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This is double the overall population growth rate for North America. Skip Anderson, CPM [R], of Riverside Management Company, ...

Next level learning: technology can benefit all by building value.(marketfresh)(online education for real estate management)

May 01, 2008; Alter, Shannon ... Talent. Experience. Relationships. Skills. These are the ingredients to success for today's standout real estate professionals. Can these elements translate to your company's translate to your company's successful bottom line? Absolutely! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While ...

Sign of the times: when done properly, electronic signatures are binding.(legalease)

May 01, 2008; Fredericks, James A. ... Electronic signatures are the latest stride in the march of technology to expedite document execution and enforceability of the deal. It was not that long ago that we used typewriters and carbon paper, and documents were not enforceable in our courts unless they contained original ...

Learn to earn: continuing education helps property managers garner respect and money.(newyou)

May 01, 2008; Eppard, Roy F. ... Since achieving my CPM designation 20 years ago, I have continued my education in a number of areas. This continuing education has had a tremendous effect on my career. It has helped me become an expert in the eyes of vendors, fellow CPMs and industry leaders, and enabled me to positively ...