Archive for the ‘Internet Real Estate’ Category

ZipRealty Announces First Quarter 2012 Results

EMERYVILLE, Calif. - May 8, 2012 - ZipRealty, Inc. (http://www.ziprealty.com) (ZIPR), the nationally ranked real estate brokerage powered by proprietary technology and effective online marketing, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012.

Conference Call Details A conference call to discuss first quarter financial results will be webcast live on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the investor relations section of ZipRealty`s website, http://www.ziprealty.com. Listeners may also access the call by dialing 866-804-6925, passcode: 51519705. A replay of the call will also be available through May 15, 2012 at 888-286-8010, passcode: 13734404.

About ZipRealty, Inc. ZipRealty is a leading national real estate brokerage and provider of proprietary technology and comprehensive online marketing tools for the residential real estate brokerage industry. For home buyers and sellers who increasingly want control, choice and a seamless, customized service, ZipRealty offers Internet-enabled, state-of-the-art technology and complete access to accurate, timely information via their website and mobile applications, which real estate professionals can combine with their own local knowledge and personal expertise to offer an exceptional start-to-finish client experience. For real estate professionals who seek more productive ways to conduct business, ZipRealty provides technology and online marketing tools to enhance their online sales channel, including lead generation, conversion and service of their clients.

The ZipRealty technology and online marketing products serve its full-service, owned-and-operated residential real estate brokerage business in 20 markets nationwide, as well as its Powered by Zip network of leading third-party local brokerages in eight markets.

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or for more information, visit http://www.ziprealty.comor call 1-800-CALL-ZIP.

Click here to see the 1Q 2012 Earnings Release:

The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: ZipRealty via Thomson Reuters ONE HUG#1609679

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ZipRealty Announces First Quarter 2012 Results

Soufun Holdings Limited to Report First Quarter 2012 Financial Results on May 15, 2012

BEIJING--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

SouFun Holdings Limited (NYSE: SFUN, SouFun), the leading real estate and home furnishing Internet portal in China, will report its unaudited first quarter 2012 results before the U.S. markets open on Tuesday, May 15, 2012.

SouFuns management team will host a conference call on May 15, 2012 at 8 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (8 p.m. Beijing/Hong Kong time).

The dial-in details for the live conference call are:

US: +1 718 354 1231/ 1 866 519 4004 International: +65 6723 9381 Hong Kong: +852 2475 0994 /800 930 346 Mainland China: 800 819 0121 / 400 620 8038 Passcode: SFUN

Please dial in 10 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin and provide the passcode to join the call.

A telephone replay of the call will be available after the conclusion of the conference call at 11:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time on May 15 through May 22, 2012. The dial-in details for the telephone replay are:

US Toll Free: 1866 214 5335 US Toll: +1 718 354 1232 Conference ID # 79535282

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on SouFuns website at http://ir.soufun.com.

About SouFun

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Soufun Holdings Limited to Report First Quarter 2012 Financial Results on May 15, 2012

Best U.S. real estate? Self-storage

The best real estate investment in the past decade was found at the opposite end from trophy resorts and office towers, in 5-foot-by-5-foot lockers.

Self-storage companies, which rent units to small businesses and consumers produced the best risk-adjusted return among 10 U.S. real estate investment trust indexes in the past decade, according to the Bloomberg Riskless Return Ranking. They had the highest total return and the third-lowest volatility, for a risk-adjusted gain of 10.6 percent. Owners of offices, hotels and warehouses fared among the worst, hurt by price swings.

Public Storage, CubeSmart, Extra Space Storage and Sovran Self Storage attracted investors with low debt ratios and steady cash-flow growth in a decade that saw commercial-property values soar to records along with sales of mortgage-backed bonds to finance a wave of takeovers. The debt- to-assets ratio for Public Storage, the largest in the group, is 22.5 percent, half the average 45 percent for REITs, said Michael Knott, managing director of real estate research firm Green Street Advisors, making the stock less susceptible to large price swings if the economy worsens.

Public Storage has incredibly low leverage compared to the average REIT, said Knott, whose firm is based in Newport Beach, Calif. Its typically not as volatile.

The Bloomberg REIT Public/Self-Storage Index topped gauges tracking healthcare REITs and regional mall REITs, which returned a risk-adjusted 8.4 percent and 7.5 percent, respectively, in the 10 years through April. Warehouse REITs, which had the highest volatility and the lowest total return during the period, joined hotels at the bottom, with a risk- adjusted gain of 0.8 percent.

Storage REITs release first-quarter earnings this week. Extra Space Storage said April 30 that first-quarter funds from operations rose 41 percent on higher revenue and cost controls. Sovran is scheduled to release earnings after the market closes today, and the other two companies in the group report tomorrow.

The risk-adjusted return, which isnt annualized, is calculated by dividing total return by volatility, or the degree of daily price variation, giving a measure of income per unit of risk. A higher volatility means the price of an asset can swing dramatically in a short period of time, increasing the potential for unexpected losses.

The ranking compares 10 of the 11 property index types within the Bloomberg REIT index. It excludes single-tenant REITs because that index contains just four mostly smaller members whose business of retail leasing is reflected in broader indexes.

Storage REITs had twice the cash-flow growth of REITs in main property types from 2001 to 2011, according to Green Street. Net operating income for storage facilities open at least one year rose an average 3 percent a year during that period, compared with 1.5 percent on average for other REITs.

Companies such as Public Storage of Glendale, Calif.; Salt Lake City-based Extra Space; and CubeSmart, of Wayne, Penn., rent storage space by the month. The facilities can range from basic 5-foot-by-5-foot (1.5-meter-by-1.5-meter) units to climate-controlled rooms of 25 feet by 25 feet where people can stash goods such as furniture, tools and skis, a salesperson can store product samples, or a small business can keep items as in a mini-warehouse. Demand tends to be driven by life changes that entail moving, such as college graduation, job changes, divorce or death.

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Best U.S. real estate? Self-storage

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. to Present at JMP Securities Research Conference

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -05/08/12)- Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (the "Company" or "ARI") (ARI) today announced Stuart Rothstein, the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, is scheduled to present at the Eleventh Annual JMP Securities Research Conference on May 15, 2012 at The Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco, California. The ARI presentation is scheduled to begin at 11:00am PT (2:00pm ET).

The presentation and question and answer period will be broadcast live over the Internet and can be accessed by all interested parties through the Company's website at http://www.apolloreit.com in the investor relations section. There will be a replay available following the presentation which will remain on the Company's website for thirty days.

About Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (ARI) is a commercial mortgage real estate investment trust that primarily originates, invests in, acquires and manages senior performing commercial real estate mortgage loans, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other commercial real estate-related debt investments throughout the U.S. The Company is externally managed and advised by ACREFI Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and an indirect subsidiary of Apollo Global Management, LLC, a leading global alternative investment manager with $75 billion of assets under management at December 31, 2011.

Additional information can be found on the Company's website at http://www.apolloreit.com.

Forward-Looking StatementsCertain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Forward-looking statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond the Company's control. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of the Company's business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans and objectives. When used in this release, the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "may" or similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Statements regarding the following subjects, among others, may be forward-looking: the return on equity; the yield on investments; the ability to borrow to finance assets; and risks associated with investing in real estate assets, including changes in business conditions and the general economy. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements, and other risks, uncertainties and factors are based on the Company's beliefs, assumptions and expectations of its future performance, taking into account all information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking statements are not predictions of future events. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. to Present at JMP Securities Research Conference

Treasurer distributes real estate tax bills

SYCAMORE The DeKalb County Treasurers Office distributed 39,000 real estate tax bills this week.

This years bill was mailed in a letter-size envelope and has the phrase This is Your Tax Bill in large, white letters highlighted in a green box on the front, according to a news release from the treasurers office.

The treasurers office will collect a total of $193,354,167.18, which will be distributed to various taxing entities, including the county, townships, municipalities, the forest preserve, school districts, community college districts, park districts, library districts, fire districts, drainage districts and tax increment financing districts.

A property tax information guide is included with the tax bill.

Taxpayers are asked to examine their bills carefully upon receipt. The first installment is due June 4 and the second is due Sept. 4. Taxpayers receive one bill annually with two payment stubs, which are located on the bottom of the bill. Residents should return either the first or second installment stub with the corresponding payment or both stubs if they are paying both installments, according to the news release.

The bar codes on the stubs will allow the treasurers office to scan payments into the property tax collection system. Taxpayers are asked not to mark on the payment stubs.

Taxpayers can pay with Visa, Master Card, American Express or Discover credit cards via the Internet or in person at the treasurers office. A convenience fee, charged by the individual credit card company, will be added for those paying by credit cards, according to the news release.

Taxpayers also can pay online with a direct debit from their bank account by visiting http://www.dekalbcounty.org. Taxpayers will be able to enter payments online up to 30 days before the date they want the payment to be deducted from their account and will receive email confirmation their payment has been sent.

They also can pay their taxes at most banks in DeKalb County during the banks normal business hours, on or before the due date of the installment. Taxpayers should bring the entire statement to the bank and put their parcel number on their check.

If paying by check, taxpayers should make the check payable to DeKalb County Collector. Make sure to include the parcel number on the check, that it is signed, and that the numeric amount matches the dollar amount that is written out.

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Treasurer distributes real estate tax bills