Blogger Noah Rosenblatt leaves Halstead Property (Animation by Derek Zahedi)

Well-known blogger Noah Rosenblatt has left his post as an associate
broker at Halstead Property to focus more attention on his popular real
estate analysis Web site, UrbanDigs.com, and launch a new consulting
business. Rosenblatt will continue to work as a real estate agent for now, but
his license is now being held by the newly founded company associated
with his Web site, UrbanDigs Analytics and Consulting. Over the next six to eight months, Rosenblatt and his partner, Jeff
Bernstein, will also redesign the Web site “to make it more social and
interactive,” and add a suite of analytical tools to help buyers and
sellers assess the state of the real estate market, Rosenblatt said. [more]

From the June issue: In the easy lending climate of recent
years, it seemed almost anyone, no matter how much money they had in their bank
account, could become a real estate developer. But in the post-boom
world, lenders are hinging much of their decision-making on something
that was previously off-limits: a developer’s personal wealth. Real
estate financial experts say sponsors now must display evidence of
tremendous riches to qualify for a loan, as lenders examine everything
from borrowers’ cars to their vacation homes and their kids’ college
tuitions. As a result, real estate development has transformed from a
great equalizer, an industry offering opportunities for a wide range of
entrepreneurs, to the exclusive province of the rich and famous. [more]