REAL ESTATE

U.S. stocks wrapped up a second straight week of gains as the euro zone's latest plan to fix its debt crisis overshadowed some disappointing forecasts from big U.S. companies. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 187 points, or 1.6%, to 12184.26, undoing most of the previous day's sharp losses.

A survey of more than 360 internationally renowned real estate professionals, including investors, developers, property company representatives, lenders, brokers and consultants has revealed the emerging top earners for the real estate sector in 2012.

Prolink Finance Solutions’ Muzi Dandachli will be postponing holidays until late January or early February to cope with demand which is having his business colleagues ‘chasing their tails’.

Suncorp has introduced year-one trail commissions amid other changes it says will simplify its commission structure.

Top brokers believe falling home values could spur buyers into action in 2012 as prices become "more realistic".

Not even wealth and fame could shield them from the financial crisis gripping homeowners in the United States. Celebrities were also victims of bank foreclosures and lost millions invested in properties acquired when real estate was booming.

House prices in the country are rising again, as buyers become optimistic about the Philippine economy.

NAB Broker's John Flavell has defended the separate positioning of Homeside products and the bank's branch-based offerings.

Funding pressures mean non-banks won't be able to compete on price in 2012, but Firstfolio's Mark Flack has said this is nothing new for the industry.

The global property markets are imploding, and fast. The strain that first found its footing in the U.S has now truly gone viral. From Dubai to Denmark, developers have been left reeling, while national exchequers struggle to hold ground.

Unbelievable.That is the only word fit to describe the fact that the world's tallest, most luxurious, lavish and downright most expensive single-family home has been left lying empty for what is now more than a year since its completion.

Another indicator, the hedonic price index rose 2.0% y-o-y to August 2011 (-0.42% in real terms) according to Hypoport AG.

The world's housing markets had a weak third quarter of 2011, according to the latest survey of world-wide house price indices prepared by the Global Property Guide. During the year to end Q3 2011, house prices fell in 25 countries, of the 44 countries for which quarterly house price statistics are available, and rose in only 19 countries.

Sydney is ranked as the third most favourable market in the Asia Pacific region for commercial real estate investment next year, largely due to the resiliency of the Australian economy, according to Emerging Trends in Real Estate® Asia Pacific 2012, a real estate forecast jointly published by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Homeowners in financial stress are receiving advice from what may seem an unlikely source: the Australian Bankers' Association.

The administrator of Refund Home Loans has claimed the business could sell before Christmas.

Refund Home Loans' administrator has assured franchisees that a wind up resolution will only affect a shell company, not Refund Home Loans' businesses.

NextGen.Net has announced the appointment of Tony Carn as its new sales director, with Greg Mitchell stepping in to fill a combined general manager of sales role at Homeloans.

NAB Broker will pay 65 basis points up-front to all brokers from 1 January 2012, as part of a wholesale change to its broker channel segmentation strategy.

NAB's major bank competitors have all reacted to NAB Broker's commission restructure by saying they plan no immediate changes to their own broker remuneration structures.

Floods triggered by heavy rains have isolated two towns in northern New South Wales and swept away a boy leading to his death.

The Chinese authorities have succeeded in making good on their promise to lower property prices, but this bid to make housing affordable for the greater half of the Chinese population mightprove particularly costly for the Chinese economy as a whole.

Low-doc lenders need to provide brokers with better education, Pepper Home Loans has said.

Homeloans expects to fund as much as 25% of new business through its recently launched Accelerate product.

TV reality sensation Kim Kardashian has signified interest to purchase property in Dubai after her recent visit to the UAE with mom Kris Jenner. Will it be a good investment for Kim? Ibtimes.com.au tries to scrutinize the property investment scenario for the Kardashians in Dubai.

Mining areas have proven the big winners of the Queensland property market, dominating the state's growth suburbs.

A new Italian government headed by Mario Monti, a respected economist and former European Commissioner, has replaced the government of Silvio Berlusconi, who had dominated Italian politics for 17 years.

The Canadian housing market continues to function in a consistently insensitive manner. It's like it fails to realize that the rest of the free world is hurting, and this persistent, and seemingly abnormal, growth is bound to cause more offense than awe.

They want the auction to be as peaceful and as successful as possible. Hollywood's Julien's Catalogue.com would not want to brandish the name of the former owner of the antique pieces of furniture and other art works from a mansion in Holmby Hills Estate.