Housing Market

A former Verizon call center in Upper Darby, Pa., has been acquired by a buyer with plans to transform the 84,000-square-foot property into office space.

The apartment market held up relatively well during the early stages of the economy's descent--but even it is now in decline. And while many investors are shying away, industry veterans Jim Butz and Greg Lamb are jumping in with both feet. The two former principals of leading multi-family developer JPI East have teamed with office and mixed-use developer Akridge to launch Jefferson Apartment Group with the intention of acquiring--and eventually--developing apartment properties in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.

The parallels are almost eerie. A world-famous singing sensation, known for his distinctive dance moves, glittery wardrobe and bizarre behavior, dies of heart failure amidst a pile of prescription drugs. Fans line up outside the gates of his estate—waiting to pay their respects to the King. It’s Michael Jackson we’re talking about though, not Elvis. But there is still plenty of speculation that Jackson’s famous home—Neverland Ranch—could become a tourist attraction ala Presley’s Graceland.

For days rumors swirled that his family was considering a public viewing of Jackson's body at Neverland, a 2,800 acre spread, located 33 miles northeast of Santa Barbara, Calif. News crews booked hotel rooms. AT&T and Verizon were allegedly moving in emergency cell phone antennas. The appearance of a cement truck at the ranch on June 30 had readers of celebrity gossip site TMZ.com speculating there may even be a crypt under construction.

The man who controls the ranch, real estate investor Thomas Barrack, is mum about the long term plans. Barrack’s Colony Capital bought the $22 million mortgage on the property just before it went up for auction last year. It’s now owned in a joint venture with Jackson’s estate, says Barrack spokesperson Joanne Lessner. She released an effusively worded letter from Barrack to local residents on June 30. Citing pioneering California missionary Junipero Serra, Jackson’s 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges and “a Western tradition of kindness and hospitality,” Barrack asks his neighbors to bear with the public onslaught and let the world take in the “magic elixir” of the Santa Ynez Valley.

Locals say it is highly unlikely Barrack or the Jackson family could get permission to build a Graceland-like tourist attraction at the site, however. Local real estate broker and long time area resident William Etling recently blogged about the issues that might prohibit such a development. The ranch, he notes, is zoned for agricultural not commercial use. After talking with a local mortician, Etling says it is unlikely that Jackson’s body could legally be buried on the property.

Then there is the issue of the community support. Last year voters in Santa Barbara County shot down a candidate for supervisor who was seen as pro-hotel development. Locals, including celebrity residents such as Bo Derek and David Crosby, have vigorously opposed expansion plans by the local Chumash Indian casino. Lately locals have taken to calling the ranch Never!-land.

As a real estate broker, Etling would seemingly have an interest in seeing more development of the bucolic region, which saw a surge in tourism five years ago after the movie Sideways was filmed there. But Etling says the largely wealthy area residents have no interest in opening more of their valley to John Q. Public. “It would depreciate our property to have that carnival,” he says. “It’s not that type of place. It’s very stable. There’s not a lot of mobility.”

Jackson’s ranch is located about five miles north of the tiny wine country hamlet of Los Olivos. It’s one of the most beautiful spots in the country, blessed with rolling hills, vineyards and cool, damp air from the nearby ocean.

It is a part of the world Barrack knows well. He’s owned a ranch and vineyard near Neverland for three decades. Last year he reached a settlement with neighbors that allowed him to open his Happy Canyon Winery to wine salespeople and critics but not for public wine tastings, which locals had opposed.

Retired venture capitalist Bob Field, who says his own property overlooks Barrack’s vineyard, has another suggestion for his neighbor—dismantle Neverland and take it piece by piece to Las Vegas, where Barrack’s company owns the Las Vegas Hilton and an interest in Station Casinos—a string of gambling joints aimed at local residents. “This is a small valley,” Field says. “We don’t have the roads, hospitals or airport. It will take him multiple years to develop anything here. It would cost him a fraction of that in Las Vegas. The day it opened, there would be many times the visitors.”

If a Neverland museum doesn’t get developed in Vegas or Los Olivos there are other cities that might welcome it. The mayor of Jackson’s hometown of Gary, Indiana is practically begging to have the star’s remains find a permanent home there.

As if celebrities didn't have enough problems--like paparazzi and wrinkles--along comes the housing bust to tarnish their silvery existence. a story by Laura Mann of Newsday. That's the tippy top of Christie's house, known as Tower Hill, in the photo. It's been on the market for $30 million ever since 2007. Don't feel too bad for the uptown girl, though. According to Newsday, she bought Tower Hill in the late 1990s for less than $3 million.

Omega Commercial Finance Corp. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority interest in EcoCalifornia L.L.C., a firm currently in the process of developing a golf resort and housing project in the Fresno, Calif., area.

Ory Schwartz, senior director of NorthMarq Capital's Los Angeles office, has arranged an $18 million first mortgage for Meadowridge Apartments, a 176-unit multi-family complex located in Santa Clarita, Calif.

The combination of a deep recession and widespread law-enforcement funding cuts will most likely spell a banner summer for burglars. If your house makes a good target - it's upscale, off the beaten path, and in or near a city - an alarm system is your best defense, according to Temple University economics professor Simon Hakim, who studies security and policing. Installing one will reduce your risk of a break-in by two-thirds. To determine what you really need, follow the guidelines below.

Are banks overwhelmed and understaffed for all the work coming out of the housing bust? On June 24, Ciitgroup said it was temporarily suspending new loans brought to them by independent mortgage brokers as it seeks to fix “quality control” issues regarding loan documentation. Rob Jenson, a real estate agent with the Jenson Group in Las Vegas says he’s been trying for eight months to get Bank of America to approve the sale of house for less than the loan amount, a so-called short sale that banks say they are working more diligently to accommodate. “It’s insane,” Jenson says. “It’s getting worse.”

The house Jenson is having problems selling was originally listed for $795,000 in November. It's a five bedroom, 4,500 square foot home in the Vegas suburb of Summerlin. Jenson immediately got a full-price, all-cash offer which he submitted to the bank late last year. “It took two to three weeks to get a workout negotiator,” he says. “Then they order an appraisal, additional documents from the seller.” Two months later the bank said okay to $795,000, but by then the buyer had moved on.

That started the process all over again. Jenson brought in another buyer, but this one needed to get a loan. By then the house had fallen in value. The property appraised at only $747,000 and the buyer couldn’t get a mortgage for the higher purchase price.

Jenson said the bank negotiator he’s been dealing with said she’s got 145 files that she is working on at once. “Bank could create some jobs,” a frustrated Jenson says. “They should hire more negotiators.”

Hartz Mountain Industries has agreed to a lease deal with Breeze-Eastern Corp., a publicly-traded designer of lifting devices for military and civilian aircraft.

The frozen credit market and shattered economy have caused the interruption or outright cancellation of development project after development project across the country, but such is not the case for an unlikely 1.8 million-square-foot mixed-use endeavor in Plymouth, Mass., about 40 miles south of Boston. Having just secured the Plymouth Planning Board's approval of a master site plan, developers of Plymouth Rock Studios can now proceed with on- and off-site activities for the fully funded, $500 million film and television studio compound.