The results topped Wall Street’s expectations.

The real estate investment trust said its funds from operations, or FFO, rose to $487.7 million, or $1.38 a share, in the three months ended June 30, from $313.1 million, or 96 cents a share, in the year-ago period.

FFO, which adds such items as amortization and depreciation back to net income, is considered a key measure of strength for real estate investment trusts because it provides a more accurate picture of cash performance.

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Funds from operations per share and quarterly revenues grew and topped analysts’ expectations. Additionally, the company affirmed its earnings forecast for the full-year 2010.

Mall owners and real estate investment trust or REITs in the U.S. are facing multiple economic headwinds amid the recession. The market for commercial mortgage-backed securities has taken a hit, while rents and occupancies have weakened, though it is now showing some improvement amid the economic recovery.

“Our positive momentum from the first quarter continued. The improvement in business conditions extended into the second quarter as demonstrated by higher occupancy and sales,” Chairman and CEO David Simon said in a statement.

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Cary, NC (PRWEB) August 4, 2010

Bandwidth.com, a nationwide supplier of voice and data communication services to small and medium sized businesses, today announced the latest release of Phonebooth Free, the first free business-grade phone system. The new release adds several new features, significant usability and performance enhancements and the ability to purchase additional minutes, beyond the 200 free minutes included with every Phonebooth Free system, for half the previously announced price.

Since the launch of Phonebooth Free and Phonebooth OnDemand in March 2010, more than10,000 small businesses, free agents, consultants and professional firms have signed up for PhoneboothFree and close to 4,000 users are now on the more robust Phonebooth OnDemand paid version as well.

The latest release of Phonebooth Free includes:

• A free local phone number
• Business voicemail
• 200 free inbound minutes each month
• PBX call-routing features
• Free voicemail-to-email transcription (with message sound-file attached)
• Improvements to call groups, offering better interoperability with mobile users
• Direct-to-voicemail transferring
• Smart defaults during initial set-up
• The ability to purchase additional minutes within the product interface for 3 cents per minute (50 percent lower than the of the original market level 6 cent-per-minute rate)
• Dozens of other usability enhancements directly based on user feedback
• System performance upgrades

“Smartphones are ubiquitous across the SMB landscape, and these businesses are increasingly looking for ways to use new IP-based cloud communications tools to improve their productivity and grow their business,” said Todd Barr, VP Marketing of Bandwidth.com, the creators of Phonebooth. “If you are a start-up or small virtual company, your mobile phones might be your only phone today. Phonebooth Free ties it all together with a business phone number and smart call routing to your existing mobile phones or Google Voice number. Many of our users now think of Phonebooth as a phone system for the modern, mobile SMB.”

Phonebooth’s latest update addresses two of the top user requests (as observed in our growing UserVoice forum) by greatly improving group functionality and adding smart defaults to make first-time set-up extremely quick and simple. Additionally, the Phonebooth team has made dozens of usability, performance, and voice quality enhancements to improve the overall value and user experience for Phonebooth customers.

“We’re very pleased with the latest release of Phonebooth,” said Jim Mulcahy, VP of Product Management at Bandwidth.com. “Because we built our own nationwide voice network and our own cloud-based unified communications platform, we are able to manage the entire customer experience from software usability to voice quality to customer support. This release is a great example of the type of innovation and value we can bring to our customers on an ongoing basis.”

Get started with Phonebooth Free now

Not only is Phonebooth Free the first truly free cloud-based phone system for SMBs, it also includes 200 free minutes per month of inbound phone service to get you started (purchase additionally minutes right on the Phonebooth interface for an industry-low 3 cents per minute). Phonebooth Free is available right now at http://phonebooth.com/free, where you can literally reserve your local number online and be up and running in minutes.

For SMBs that require inbound and outbound service and/or office phones with full PBX call-routing features, Phonebooth OnDemand is among the best values in the phone service market at $20 per user for unlimited inbound and outbound domestic calling.

Configure your Phonebooth OnDemand package now at: http://phonebooth.com/ondemand.

About Phonebooth

Phonebooth is a cloud-based phone system for SMB’s. Phonebooth Free is the industry’s first free phone system to offer business-grade features including smart call routing, business voicemail and an auto-attendant. Phonebooth OnDemand is a low-cost, full-featured business phone system for businesses that need desk phones and unlimited inbound and outbound domestic calling. Follow Phonebooth at twitter.com/phonebooth

About Bandwidth.com

Phonebooth is brought to you by Bandwidth.com, the leader in the business VoIP market. As a complete business communications provider, Bandwidth.com offers IP voice (VoIP), hosted VoIP, data and managed network services, powered by our nationwide, 100% IP voice network. For more information call (800) 808-5150, and follow us at twitter.com/bandwidth.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2010/08/prweb4348694.htm

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) August 4, 2010

Windermere Exclusive Properties celebrated Community Service Day 2010 with a heartfelt Fair to benefit a dozen local and international charities. The Fair surpassed expectations and is being touted as an outstanding success for Windermere and San Diego County.

“The goal of Community Service Day is to provide support for those in need,” said Linda Schechner, Community Service Chair for Windermere San Diego. “This year our Fair generated record amounts of donations. Our biggest problem was having too many volunteers!”

The charities that participated were: The American Red Cross, San Diego Blood Bank Bone Marrow Donor Registration, Friends & Family Community Connection, Leez PJ’s 4 Kids, Rady Children’s Hospital, Child ID Services, Interfaith Services in Escondido, Community Resource Center in Encinitas, E-World electronic recycling, Shred-it, Helen Woodward Animal Center and the Zarina Rahman Foundation.

“You can’t help but feel moved when you see your coworkers and friends rolling up their sleeves and doing their part. Every tent was full of volunteers; people were packing food, donating blood; and recycling electronic waste. The energy was amazing,” said Steve Rodgers, President/Owner of Windermere Exclusive Properties.

In a partnership with Friends & Family Community Connection, Windermere set up an elaborate food packing assembly line to box up meals for earthquake victims in Haiti and local shelters. “We expected to pack 20,000 meals, but our 200 volunteers were so fast they packed an additional 3000 meals,” said Schechner.

The American Red Cross Blood Bank set up two bloodmobiles, collecting enough blood to save the lives of 129 people and the San Diego Blood Bank registered 10 new Bone Marrow Donors. At a time when resource centers are fighting through their slowest season for donations, Windermere agents and friends collected nearly 400 bags of food. The Community Resource Center and Interfaith Shelter were thrilled to receive such an extreme contribution for summer.

While Fair guests enjoyed a live DJ and the company of animals from the Helen Woodward Animal Center, they shredded more than 80 boxes of old documents and dropped their old electronics off for safe recycling. Leez’s PJ’s 4 Kids collected almost 90 pairs of pajamas and several visitors were so moved by the organization they are making plans to hold their own PJ Parties. There were piles of art supplies, crayons and coloring books donated to the Rady Children’s hospital and lines of parents brought their kids to get Child IDs and fingerprints. Everywhere you looked, the community was having fun and giving back.

“Community Service Day is a unique tradition that really captures the spirit of Windermere,” said Mark Loscher, CEO. “We love San Diego and will continue to do our part to make it a fabulous place to call home. After all, our work is not about houses. It’s about people.”

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebcommunityserviceday/fair/prweb4344924.htm

Tampa Bay, FL (PRWEB) August 4, 2010

With the Tampa Bay real estate market making a slow return, The Hayslett Team, covering theTampa Bay market, has sold $2 million property 26 Sunset Bay in Belleair, Florida. The luxury property sold in just 5 days and is the highest sale in Belleair in the past 18 months. The quick sale is credited to the Hayslett Team’s experience and sound business practices combined with aggressiveinternet based marketing tactics.

“We will continue to see downward pressure on pricing in the Tampa Bay luxury real estate market for the months to come due to the disproportionally high level of inventory and defaults,” said Realtor Kenny Hayslett. However this does not mean a luxury home cannot sell – it just takes aggressive marketing, accurate pricing and appropriate positioning.

The Hayslett Team has continued to defy the odds, reporting over 100 real estate sales in 2009; many of which were priced in excess of $500,000. In 2009, The Hayslett Team also sold 810 Eldorado Ave in Clearwater Beach, FL in less than a week on the market for $2,767,500. The team represented both the buyer and seller; this sale was the highest dollar sale by any agent in 2009 in all of Clearwater, Dunedin, Largo, Belleair, Belleair Beach, Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs. This is just one representation of the Hayslett Team’s strong and growing presence in the Tampa Bay luxury real estate market.

The Hayslett Team of Re/Max recently released their analysis for the Pinellas County luxury real estate sector. Some of the key findings include:

• An overall decrease of 15% in luxury real estate transactions in 2009 vs. 2008
• The sharpest decline was in the 750K-1M price range, where sales fell close to 40%
• The high end luxury market ($3M+) fell by 60%

Although it is a bit early to fully gauge how the rest of 2010 will fair in the Tampa Bay luxury real estate market, some interesting trends are emerging. In Q1 and Q2 combined, there were 211 total residential sales over $500,000 which is comparable to 219 for the same period of 2009. There has been only 1 sale over $3,000,000 or higher in these first two quarters and the average days on the market are 148; down from 176 for 2009. These are promising trends showing that homes are selling faster but still at lower prices.

The luxury real estate market in Pinellas County is clearly experiencing significant challenges. Fewer lenders are loaning jumbo and super jumbo loans which makes it more difficult to obtain conventional financing. That is why the Hayslett Team is seeing more cash transactions and owner financing deals.

About The Hayslett Team

The Hayslett Team of Re/Max is Tampa Bay’s top selling real estate team and has been serving the real estate needs of the Tampa Bay community since 1984. They are an authority in luxury real estate in the Tampa Bay area. Led by Kenny Hayslett, The Hayslett Team is comprised of a highly experienced staff of 5 Realtors with over 50 years of combined experience who support the marketing, operations and processes associated with dozens of successful real estate transactions per month. Learn more at www.hayslettteam.com

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2010kennyhayslett/08tampabayrealestate/prweb4350434.htm

Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) August 4, 2010

In a time of financial uncertainty, one Costa Rica real estate project is showing investors who have funds tied up in IRAs, retirement plans and Health Savings Accounts, how they can unlock those accounts through non-traditional investments.

“Everyone is scared to death with what’s happened on Wall Street and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight,” said investment guru Michael Starkey, vice president of sales and investments at Hacienda Matapalo. “So what we’ve done is enable investors and those who want to purchase property in Costa Rica with the ability to do so through non-traditional means.”

On Thursday, August 12, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time, Starkey promises to “unlock all the secrets of the ultra-wealthy” by presenting a free online seminar on the subject. Being joined by Hacienda Matapalo’s Director of Operations Marcy Seay, who is assisting with the group’s commercial center in Costa Rica, the pair will:

• Reveal “secret” tax advantages and tax-free accounts that legally help taxpayers avoid capital gains and income tax
• Describe to taxpayers how they can lower the cost of health insurance and set up a tax-free account to cover medical expenses AND get a tax deduction for doing it.
• Explain to taxpayers how to invest with professional management that has MORE at risk than they do, forcing accountability.
• Detail how taxpayers can own a large piece of commercial property with a modest investment, no liability risk and no management headaches.
• Show taxpayers how to make big returns investing in Limited Liability Partnership (LLPs) and Private Placements.
• Demonstrate to taxpayers how they can release their IRA, qualified retirement plan or Health Savings Account for non-traditional investments.

“The online seminar will answer a lot of new questions that are constantly being raised by taxpayers and investors alike,” Starkey said. “Because the economy is in a constant state of change, that means new opportunities arise every day – and as long as there is an opportunity available, there is a way to turn that into a profit.”

Starkey, who is the author of the free guide “How to Make Several Million Dollars,” has been cheerleading non-traditional investments for years.

“There are many people who have all the tools available to them to survive the global economic crisis we are facing, but they don’t know which tools to use or how to do it” Starkey explained. “Profiting from economic trends is not unheard of. You just have to know and understand the system.”

The investment guru said what the U.S. government and Wall Street doesn’t want taxpayers or customers to know is the key to understanding how to make money during these times.

“Most people cannot become financially independent by merely trading hours for dollars,” Starkey clarified. “People need to make their money work for them. However given the recent bond and equity market performance coupled with low interest rates, this can be a formidable task.”

Starkey said that there are all sorts of programs and loopholes that every day turns the wealthy into the ultra-wealthy. “Owning residential or commercial real estate in your IRA is just one example of this,” he said.

To learn more about Michael Starkey and Hacienda Matapalo, visit haciendamatapalo. com or click here to register for the free online seminar.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebcostaricarealestate/creativeinvesting/prweb4342704.htm

Mesa, AZ (PRWEB) August 4, 2010

It’s a fact, as small business owners push through this economic downturn, crime is up, all kinds of crime. Employee theft and break ins for businesses are common in big cities. Remember that protecting business on a budget can be done by calling a professional locksmith service.

Locksmith Laura from ASAP Lock & Security suggests that business owners take the time to understand what type of keys they use on their doors. It’s usually the case that people just do not notice their keys, of course until they lose them. That’s when locksmiths become very popular.

When thinking about office or building security, a professional locksmith should encourage that, at the very least, the business should have keys that are clearly stamped “Do NOT Duplicate” is the least one can do. However, these types of stamped keys only act as a deterrent.

In Phoenix and Mesa Arizona, there are shops, mail office stores and small hardware stores, staffed with busy, multi-tasking people who will cut new keys regardless of how the key is stamped. Albeit inadvertently, this habit includes that of the distracted kid behind a key-making kiosk at a large home improvement store.

Business owners, in this economy, understandably don’t want to spend a lot of money on anything security based that doesn’t immediately glare up as an issue. Contact a local locksmith service like ASAP Lock & Security, and they will inform that there is no need to break the bank to, at the very least, have control of keys. The best way to have control is having restricted keyways for building entry. A key that truly cannot be duplicated is a really important security feature.

Once a restricted key system in place, then truly, keys cannot be duplicated in common shops. It’s very simple as they won’t have the keys for duplication. Only a manufacturer’s issued locksmith and the manufacturer to which the lock was made will have the proper keys for duplication needs.

Another way to help improve security is to adopt a formal administrative process to require employees to turn in all issued Hi-Security keys. To help with this task, perhaps after a locksmith installs key-restricted, hi-security locks, have employees sign off on the keys inclusive of a clause of monetary penalty for not handing them in when requested.

When restricted keys are all accounted for and back in management’s hands, then one can be confident and relaxed that there has not been, and will not be, a security breach. No need to call a locksmith if someone has been let go and they have turned in their key.

Another great way to control keys is to NOT widely distribute keys. Consider installing access control locks that can be coded with a keypad or a key-card system in which entries and exits are audited, codes can be changed easily when a card is lost, etc. These systems are more costly, but they are quite convenient and easy to use.

Sadly, ASAP Lock & Security attends to some of their clients after they’ve had a security breach. This usually happens because the business owner wanted to save money and not upgrade locks. However, when thousands of dollars of equipment walk out the back door and insurance rates go up because someone had the keys, saving money is not what happens.

One cause for a break in on a building is due to having residential or sub-standard locks on a commercial building. These types of locks can be easily bypassed by common criminal techniques. Popular criminal covert methods such as Picking or “Bumping” cannot happen with an upgraded lock system. And thus, properly installed locks make it virtually impossible for criminals to manipulate hi-security.

Choose a locksmith service that can be contacted for questions or concerns at any time and one that takes the time to understand building lay-out and company methods and schedules. Security consultation before choosing a key system is a must. ASAP Lock & Security has many business clients that have purchased key control systems even in this economy. It’s an economical idea to think of a trusted locksmith service as an extension of a security team to the point that prevention is always the best proactive security measure.

ASAP Lock & Security is a woman owned, LLC locksmith service located in Mesa, Arizona.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebasaplocksmithservices/mesaaz/prweb4346284.htm

The country is enjoying a heady rate of growth. The Bank of Korea on Monday reported a 7.2% year-to-year jump in second-quarter gross domestic product, driven by exports and facility investment.That figure followed marginal performance over the past two years.

But amid that vibrant turnaround, government officials for months have been wrestling with a stagnating housing market, a politically difficult challenge in a country where most people have their wealth tied up in real estate. Last week, government finance and land agencies clashed over ways to boost sagging home values and put off a final decision.

On Tuesday, Korea Land & Housing, the state-run funder of home and government construction, canceled or delayed dozens of planned projects, citing mounting debt and its limited ability to tap the bond market. Some local newspapers reported that 120 of 138 planned projects will be ended, but a spokesman for the firm, known simply as LH in South Korea, said Thursday that a precise number hasn’t been set.

The resignation of Prime Minister Chung Un-chan also is tied to a real-estate controversy. Mr. Chung, an economist and former university president, argued when he took office last September that a plan to build a taxpayer-funded, $20 billion city as a second center for national government offices was expensive and inefficient.

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Warren Friend, a managing director who ran the New York- based division, may be leaving the bank, said the people, who declined to be identified because the move hasn’t been announced. The bank is seeking to find positions for affected employees, including Friend, one of the people said.

“Commercial real estate is becoming part of our credit and emerging markets business,” spokesman John Gallagher said in an e-mailed statement. “The group is very much open for business.”

Deutsche Bank is pulling back from advising clients on real estate financing as it grapples with losses on transactions struck before the credit crisis, such as Station Casinos Inc. and Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino, both of Las Vegas. The Frankfurt-based bank said July 27 it took a 124 million euro ($161 million) impairment charge for the quarter on Cosmopolitan.

Friend, who worked at Morgan Stanley prior to joining Deutsche Bank last year, didn’t return phone calls seeking comment.

While closing the division, Deutsche Bank will continue to originate commercial mortgages for sale as Wall Street attempts to revive the $700 billion market, the people said.

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Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) July 30, 2010

AppFolio announces Caviness and Cates Communities has selected AppFolio’s web-based property management software to manage their growing portfolio of apartment communities. Caviness and Cates is known for their commitment to quality and providing the highest levels of service for the residents that reside in their portfolio of over 1,000 apartment homes. After an extensive evaluation process that lasted more than a year and included a review of all of the top software providers, they chose AppFolio’s web-based property management software because it was so intuitive and easy to use and provided a complete set of features and functionality that would help the company increase growth in the coming years.

Bill Nye, PhD, is the CEO of the Caviness and Cates Property Management division as well as a leading educator for property managers delivering training, seminars and keynote sessions across the country. Bill is also a speaker for The Apartment All Stars, a national seminar tour featuring top professional apartment speakers and apartment marketing consultants.    “With my speaking and training commitments I’m always on the road. It is amazing that I can manage our portfolio from anywhere in the country,” says Bill.

Another very important reason for selecting AppFolio is the significant cost savings now that online resident rent payments are included in the monthly fees and completely integrated with the accounting records. “We were paying $80K every year to allow our residents to pay rent online. With AppFolio’s solution we don’t have to pay additional fees – we can now invest this money in our business growth and still offer this valuable benefit to our residents. I am so impressed by the technology behind the scenes that makes such a comprehensive software so simple to use.”

“At AppFolio, we focus on making our customers more successful in their businesses,” says Brian Donahoo, AppFolio CEO. “We are very proud to work with Bill and his team and to be part of the continued success of Caviness and Cates.”

About AppFolio

Headquartered in Santa Barbara, AppFolio was started by a team of technology leaders with proven experience creating software that businesses love to use. AppFolio creates complete, easy-to-use, web-based solutions for multiple vertical markets and the first AppFolio product was specifically created for small and mid-sized residential property managers. With investors including Cisco Systems, BV Capital and the Investment Group of Santa Barbara, AppFolio has secured $30 million in funding to date.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2010/07/prweb4327584.htm