Gerson Lehrman Group – New York,USA An increased transition toward green building construction in other states beyond California, as well as state and federal legislation in support of alternative and/or efficient energy sources such as compact fluorescent lamp, light emitting diode technology, solar, and geothermal energy, and national energy grid enhancements will lead to improved American energy efficiency, energy independence, environmental standards and green job creation, including industrial carbon emissions regulation, to reduce the impact or avoid future recessions such as the current one, which began in December 2007.

For real estate investors buying houses at discount prices, it could be a hot new trend. Instead of simply doing the usual renovations, paint jobs and landscaping to turn around properties for resale or rental, growing numbers of investors are emphasizing energy efficiency improvements to increase market values and cut marketing times. In Baltimore, A-Plus Neighborhood Homebuyers LLC is now acquiring central city rowhouses — spending thousands of dollars extra on eco-friendly upgrades they’d never done before — extra heavy insulation, bamboo flooring and high energy- efficiency appliances and lighting.

Bravo Health is expanding its corporate headquarters in Baltimore, creating more than 200 jobs. The Baltimore office currently employs 570. The Baltimore Development Corporation, the city’s economic development agency, worked with Bravo Health and broker Obrecht Commercial Real Estate to keep the company in the city. Founded in 1996, Bravo Health offers Medicare Advantage Plans in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington DC, as well as Part D Prescription Drug Plans in 46 states.

BALTIMORE, MD (July 10, 2009) – Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE), a leading real estate services and investment firm, announced today it represented Vanguard Equities, Inc. in the purchase of 63,694 square feet at Golden Ring Center (top right photo) located at 8823 Pulaski Highway in Baltimore, MD. Grubb & Ellis’ Matthew B. Cooper, senior associate, and Eddie Goldmeier, vice president, facilitated the transaction. Circuit City, the owner of the strip mall, was represented by DJM Realty.

Real estate research site Trulia.com says 24.6 percent of current homes on the market in the United States as of July 1, have had at least one price cut, totaling $27.1 billion in reductions. The average price-reduced home has had a 10.4 percent reduction, down slightly from 10.6 percent as of June 1. Some areas appear to be stabilizing quickly with the overall number and percentage of price reductions declining, including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.

July 10 2009 – Online real estate broker Redfin today announced at the Naked Truth panel that the company earned its first monthly profits in June 2009. The Naked Truth is a summer event that Redfin hosts with entrepreneurs, investors and journalists to offer pragmatic advice for startups; this year Michael Arrington, Damon Darlin, Fred Wilson and Fred Vogelstein joined entrepreneurs from Redfin, Urbanspoon, Picnik and Animoto to compare revenue models for Internet consumer companies; more than 500 people registered to attend.

Update 17.00 10th July: Digging around on the history of the Sealand Performance, the oldest of the ships in cold lay up at Loch Striven, we have discovered that she was part of the United States’ Maritime Security Program (MSP) from 1st October 2008 but was not listed in that fleet from 1st April 2009 when,presumably, she was already destined for lay up in Argyll.Several other Maersk ships in the MSP fleet on 1st October 2008 remained in it from 1st April 2009.Between January 1, 2003 and January 1, 2008, 63 current or former MSP ships participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Forbes.com has published its report on America’s Best and Worst Cities for Families. These are metros where people have enough money for everyday living and places where families’ daily budgets take a chunk out of their incomes. The study is based on the 40 most populated metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs or metros), geographic entities defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget which collects, tabulates, and publishes federal statistics.

Growing numbers of investors are emphasizing energy efficiency impr ovements to increase market values and cut marketing times. In Baltimore, A-Plus Neighborhood Homebuyers LLC is now acquiring central city rowhouses — spending thousands of dollars extra on eco-friendly upgrades they’d never done before — extra heavy insulation, bamboo flooring and high energy- efficiency appliances and lighting.

Growing numbers of investors are emphasizing energy efficiency impr ovements to increase market values and cut marketing times. In Baltimore, A-Plus Neighborhood Homebuyers LLC is now acquiring central city rowhouses — spending thousands of dollars extra on eco-friendly upgrades they’d never done before — extra heavy insulation, bamboo flooring and high energy- efficiency appliances and lighting.