Apartment City

Lake Village Apartments is one of two Ann Arbor complexes bought this month in a record- setting deal involving The Habitat Co. Chris Asadian | AnnArbor.com Two of Ann Arbor ’s largest commercial properties were bought for a combined $85.7 million this month by an entity of the Chicago-based company that had been managing them. The Habitat Co. LLC acquired Windemere Apartments and Lake Village of Ann Arbor from Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company . The deals set records in the Ann Arbor market for the price paid per unit, signaling local impact of the national multifamily market experiencing a rebound. Sources said the Windemere deal is a record $92,083 for the 1980s-era property on the city’s north side near Nixon Road. And the Lake Village deal , at $115,277 per unit in the complex on South Main Street , is the highest in the market, based on information available to Habitat, said Matt Fiascone , senior vice president of finance and investment. “We think it’s the high...

RENO, Nev. (AP) — It's a journey that most people eventually take. Fifteen years ago , Anne Carte decided to leave the familiar comforts of home and family to move out on her own. For Carte, who was 20 years old at the time, moving to the Biggest Little City from San Jose, California, represented an exciting and crucial juncture in her life. "I moved to Reno to grow up and be an adult," Carte said. The year 2002 had its fair share of memorable moments. That same year, "Star Wars: Episode II" debuted in theaters, Tiger Woods won the 66th Masters Tournament and "American Idol" premiered on television. One thing Carte specifically remembers was the cost of rent. Back then, the monthly rate for Carte's first studio in Sparks was only $495. For a young person who just moved out of home and landed an entry-level job at Target, an affordable place to stay was not a luxury. It was a b...

Damonte Ranch area is a sign of the city's need for housing in Reno, Nev. The recent influx of new workers combined with near-zero residential development during the recession gave birth to a classic supply-and-demand scenario that saw the cost of housing skyrocket in the Biggest Little City." title="In this March 24, 2017 photo shows a new apartment complex in the Damonte Ranch area is a sign of the city's need for housing in Reno, Nev. The recent influx of new workers combined with near-zero residential development during the recession gave birth to a classic supply-and-demand scenario that saw the cost of housing skyrocket in the Biggest Little City." src="src" /> In this March 24, 2017 photo shows a new apartment complex in the Damonte Ranch area is a sign of the city's need for housing in Reno, Nev. The recent influx of new workers combined with near-zero residential development during the recession gave birth to a classic supply-a...

If you work in retail — or know someone who does — here’s a scary statistic: Between 20 percent and 25 percent of U.S. malls will close in the next five years, according to predictions from financial analysts. It’s not just jobs that are at stake; sales tax revenue used to pave roads, hire police and light up City Hall is in jeopardy, too. Topping the most vulnerable list: Generic indoor malls of the 1970s and ’80s that have fallen victim to changing consumer tastes and online shopping (thanks, Amazon). But standalone stores aren ’t immune from the downturn, as we’ve seen on the Central Coast. Consider, for example, the Madonna Plaza/SLO Promenade shopping area off Highway 101. The behemoth that once was Gottschalks and later, Forever 21, is vacant (though some of the space will be occupied by a Sprouts market). Other large spaces, including Sears , HomeTown Buffet and Staples, are vacant as well. Not that all the news is glum; major chains like Best Buy, Petco and Kohl’s continue t...