The Real Deal‘s Alex Ulam spoke to WNYC’s Richard Hake today about one-stop shops, businesses that provide real estate salespeople, financing, inspections and home appraisal through one company. A high percentage of homes sold through New York City’s one-stop shops end up in foreclosure. Ulam discussed how he found out about the problem; where homebuyers find one-stop shops, which are particularly prevalent in outer borough neighborhoods; and how these all-in-one real estate companies inflate neighborhood prices. Ulam explored these companies in The Real Deal’s June 2008 issue.
 

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Real estate appraisers are struggling to find new working methods in this market because not enough transactions are taking place to create comparables. These comparables are how units’ and buildings’ values are most frequently appraised. While both residential and commercial appraisers have been affected, the problem is particularly acute for commercial property. Other techniques appraisers are now trying instead include looking at deals that have fallen through and at buildings’ internal rates of return.