ReloJournal: News

(February 19, 2008)

Metro Areas Show Greatly Mixed Home Price Performance; Half Show Gains

WASHINGTON, February 14, 2008 - Roughly half of metropolitan areas continued to show rising home prices in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to the latest quarterly survey by the National Association of Realtors®.

(January 28, 2008)

Massachusetts REALTORS® Report Modest Decline in 2007 Sales, Median Prices

Sales down for fourth straight month in December WALTHAM, Mass. - January 28, 2008 - The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported today that despite the troubles in the subprime market and the tightening of credit, 2007 finished as the eighth best year on record for residential home sales. Residential sales were down only 4.4 percent compared to 2006, while median prices were down less than one percent. On a monthly basis, single-family home sales and condo sales were down substantially in December at 20 and 28 percent respectively.

(January 15, 2008)

Surviving The Mortgage Crisis

The publication of Dan Immergluck’s From the Subprime to the Exotic: Exotic Mortgage Risk and Foreclosures explores the detrimental impact that subprime and exotic mortgages can have on local housing markets, and how planners must learn to respond to increasing foreclosures and minimise the social impacts that can arise.

(January 10, 2008)

Watson Wyatt Data Services’ Newest Report Covers Latest Trends in Board of Directors Compensation Policies & Practices

ROCHELLE PARK, N.J., (January 10, 2008) – Watson Wyatt Data Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Watson Wyatt Worldwide, today announced the publication of its 2007/2008 Survey Report on Board of Directors Compensation, Policies & Practices, now in its thirty-ninth edition.

(November 27, 2007)

S&P: 3Q Home Prices Fall by 4.5 Percent

By J.W. Elphinstone, AP Business Writer S&P Says 3rd-Quarter Housing Prices Dropped by Sharpest Rate in Index's 21-Year History

(November 6, 2007)

New England Relocation Associates: LOCAL LEARNING SERIES: Employee Relocation Council (ERC) Fall Conference Highlights

We're Bringing the Rockies to Boston on November 14! CRP/SCRPs - You will gain 2 CRP Credits (pending ERC approval) along with a bundle of knowledge that is guaranteed to knock the Sox off of your co-workers!

(October 24, 2007)

US home sales fall to fresh lows, glut of unsold homes rises

US existing home sales fell 8.0 percent in September as a persistent housing slump continued to weigh on the property market and the world's biggest economy, an industry group said Wednesday.

(October 2, 2007)

Nearly 90% of commercial real estate organizations surveyed awarded salary increases in 2006, Watson Wyatt Data Services Reports

Bonus payments for commercial real estate employees edge toward 100 percent, survey finds. Half of surveyed realtors offer long-term incentive plans to their employees.

(September 27, 2007)

Watson Wyatt Data Services Releases 2007/2008 Survey Report on Information Technology & e-Commerce Personnel Compensation

West Coast Region experiences highest salary increase among five geographic regions in matched sample. Retail and Wholesale Trade personnel receive largest bonus payments among industry sectors.

(September 18, 2007)

The Truth About the Mortgage Market

Subprime mortgages have now been credited for bankrupting well over 110 lenders and seriously damaging operations at many major mortgage firms. They've reportedly wiped out 5 hedge funds, tens of thousands of jobs, and have led to millions of foreclosures with millions more on the way. And, as if that weren't enough, subprime mortgages are also blamed for massive volatility in the stock, bond, credit, futures, and real estate markets here in the US and around the globe. Some say losses in the mortgage securities market alone could reach hundreds of billions of dollars this year. This means that, for any Americans looking to buy, sell, or refinance a home, they are confronting a very different market from the one that existed just 6-12 months ago.

(September 4, 2007)

Survey Sample Indicates Nearly Half of All Human Resources Personnel Receive Bonuses

Watson Wyatt Data Services Report Non-Durable Goods Manufacturing personnel receive largest bonus payments among industry sectors.

(August 27, 2007)

Existing Home Sales Slowest in 5 Years

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sales of existing homes dropped for a fifth straight month in July while the number of unsold homes shot up to a record level. Many analysts said the worst slump in housing in 16 years is likely to deepen in coming months, reflecting the recent turmoil in credit markets, which has caused lenders to tighten their standards.

(August 23, 2007)

Mergers and Acquisitions Executives Get Biggest Raises, Watson Wyatt Data Services Reports

Total cash compensation for executives jumps 9.3 percent this year. Northeast Region executives enjoy highest prevalence of bonus payments.

(August 21, 2007)

The Number of Single-Family Homes Sold in Massachusetts Up in July

Median sales prices at highest level in over a year

(August 16, 2007)

Today's Release of New Residential Construction

Housing starts in July 2007 were 1,381,000, down 6.1% from June and down 20.9% from July 2006. Permits were 1,373,000, down 2.8% from the previous month and down 22.6% from the previous year.

(August 2, 2007)

Does Fixed Fee Equal Low Cost?

Fixed-fee relocation services have grown in popularity for companies attempting to reduce their exposure to homesale program risks and make their relocation costs more predictable. However, many fixed-fee enthusiasts assume that the lower risks of fixed-fee arrangements must equate to lower relocation costs, which Runnion argues can be a costly miscalculation.

(August 1, 2007)

Watson Wyatt Data Services Releases 2007/2008 Survey Report on Professional Administrative Services Personnel Compensation

Watson Wyatt Data Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Watson Wyatt Worldwide, today announced the publication of its 2007/2008 Survey Report on Professional Administrative Services Personnel Compensation, now in its 34th edition.

(July 27, 2007)

STB GRANTS COMPLIANCE DATE EXTENSION IN EX PARTE 656

Surface Transportation Board has granted a request from the HGCB Committee to delay the effective date for ending antitrust immunity for collective ratemaking in the interstate moving industry. The effective date of the new decision has been postponed to Jan. 1, 2008.

(July 17, 2007)

The Ural Real Estate Survey: Siberia and Ural are on the top positions

Siberia and Ural are on the top positions in Russia on the rate of building growth. Main factors providing rise of housing availability are growth of housing building amount, increase of the population cash income, enlarging of housing financing amount.

(July 17, 2007)

Average CEO gets $65K in Perks, Watson Wyatt Data Services Finds

* Average cost of providing CEO execs with perquisites tops $65,000 * Car allowances and financial counseling services head the list of most common non-qualified benefits provided to employees

(July 17, 2007)

Housing Ills Add to Relocation Expenses

As companies spend more to move employees, some are even - gasp - wading into the squishy property market

(July 12, 2007)

The 10 Benefits of Cross Cultural Training

Cross cultural differences can and do impede upon communication and interpersonal relationships. In the business world this occurs daily, where people from different cultures interact and are expected to perform and make decisions. Cross cultural training aims to develop awareness between people where a common cultural framework does not exist in order to promote clear lines of communication and better relationships.

(June 19, 2007)

Watson Wyatt Data Services 2007/2008 Survey Report on Employee Benefits

Based on responses from 587 organizations that provided benefit information on more than 4.3 million employees, the report provides a comprehensive review of the plan provisions and costs of the most commonly offered health and welfare benefit programs currently being provided by the employer community.

(June 18, 2007)

Moscow Tops Mercer's Cost of Living List; London is Close Behind

Moscow is the world's most expensive city for expatriates for the second consecutive year, according to the latest Cost of Living Survey from Mercer Human Resource Consulting. London is in second position, climbing three places since last year. Seoul moves...

(June 12, 2007)

Investing in Real Estate: Is Now the Time to Buy?

The bubble has burst! Foreclosures are at an all time high! Sub-prime lenders scandal! There has been no shortage of sensational headlines on the state of the real estate industry for the past 15 months.

(May 22, 2007)

Unique Online Tool Breaks New Ground for Real Estate Agent Marketing

Based in Bend, Oregon, nationally accredited Internet Marketing Firm Limelight Department has created RealEstateLimelight.com to provide Realtors®, agents and brokers with natural, organic leads from search engine optimization (SEO), while also giving them an exclusive web presence as the expert agent of choice in their city or town.

(May 17, 2007)

Is the Housing Market on the Road to Recovery?

Some interesting insight from a finance blog

(May 15, 2007)

Have International Assignments Lost Their Luster?

For potential expatriates, the prospect of an international assignment historically evoked pride and a sense of "having arrived" professionally. While they might have had some reservations-particularly if the assignment was to be somewhere with a very different culture-most paid more attention to securing the most attractive compensation package possible.

(May 10, 2007)

Effective Support for International Assignees

It seems that every individual or family that has ever been on an international assignment has a personal horror story. Beyond the challenges of any relocation "learning a new job, moving household goods, finding a home and tending to a family in upheaval.

(April 30, 2007)

Atlas World Group Survey

Atlas presents findings from its 40th annual survey of corporate relocation professionals.