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Housing Market Recovery Uneven in States
The sale of this California home is pending. The San Jose and San Francisco markets are among the leaders in the housing recovery while Baltimore and Philadelphia lag. The real estate agent’s mantra of “location, location, location” for setting the value of a home is also determining which housing markets are rebounding the fastest. Housing […]
Israeli Technology Draws U.S. States
Governors are flocking to Israel as a hub of innovation and potential trading partner. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, left, meets Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv during a visit to Israel this summer to discuss ways to increase trade and investment opportunities. (Photo courtesy of governor’s office) Israel has become a popular destination […]
Mortgage Delinquencies Drop Across States
President Barack Obama tours a home framing assembly in Chandler, Arizona, on Tuesday. Arizona saw the country’s largest decline in mortgage delinquency rates over the last year. (AP) In another sign that the housing market is recovering, a new report shows that mortgage delinquencies dropped in every state and the District of Columbia from a […]
States Already Targeting Manufacturing Tax Burden
President Obama greets workers in Tennessee before laying out his proposals to boost private job growth and strengthen the manufacturing sector. He spoke at an Amazon warehouse facility in Chattanooga. States likewise have targeted manufacturing. (AP) President Barack Obama’s proposal to cut corporate taxes and boost manufacturing may face an uphill battle in Congress, but […]
Has U.S. Manufacturing’s Comeback Stalled?
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, center, and Lenovo President for North America Jay Parker celebrate the company’s opening of a ThinkPad production facility in Whitsett, N.C. last month. Apple and Motorola Mobility also are opening U.S. plants (AP) Everywhere you look, there is buzz about U.S. manufacturing’s comeback, including in the high-tech sector. Motorola Mobility, […]
Home Flipping Up; Profits Soar in Some Markets
A “sold” sign sits outside a home in Florida. Several Florida metro markets saw an increase of homes bought, fixed and quickly resold for profit. (AP) The real-life version of “Flip This House” is making a comeback. In the first half of 2013, house flipping was on the rise in more than two-thirds of housing […]
Delays in Foreign Worker Visas Hit States Hard
A worker from Mexico removes the meat from crabs for a seafood company in Maryland. Seasonal companies like these often rely on foreign workers, but this year the visas were delayed because of litigation over higher wages. (AP) From Cape Cod innkeepers to the seafood industry in Louisiana, employers who depend on seasonal foreign workers […]
Foreclosures Down 35 Percent, But Auctions Climb
A prospective bidder examines the exterior of a home up for auction in New Jersey. The state has seen a 103 percent increase in the number of foreclosed homes up for auction. (AP) The number of foreclosures nationwide dropped last month to the lowest level since December 2006. But the problem is still severe in […]
Does the Country Have Too Many Casinos?
A casino worker at Harrington Raceway & Casino takes bets at the roulette wheel. The casino is one of three in Delaware that faces stiff competition from neighboring states. (AP) States are still betting big on gambling. New York and Massachusetts are eyeing new, flashy resort-style casinos. The owner of one of the largest casinos […]
$64 Billion in State Incentives to Lure Business
A supervisor observes work on the assembly line at a Chrysler plant in Detroit. In 2010 Michigan gave the company state tax credits valued at $1 billion, one of the state’s 29 “megadeals” in the past 35 years. (AP) Michigan has given large tax breaks and subsidies toemployers more often than any other state, according […]
How Did States Create Jobs?
A Boeing employee works on an aft fuselage for the 787 Dreamliner at a Boeing plant in North Charleston, S.C. South Carolina gave Boeing $120 million in incentives to help it expand its in-state operations and create 2,000 jobs. (AP) States this year awarded tax breaks to businesses, touted worker-training programs and even poached jobs […]
Georgia Has Highest Percentage of Foreclosure Sales
A real estate sign is seen outside a California home. Nearly one- third of all residential sales there involve foreclosed homes. Only Georgia and Illinois were higher. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Foreclosure sales accounted for 35 percent of all home sales in Georgia, the highest percentage in the nation. Other states with a high percentage […]