01.01.70

Around 140,000 homes and businesses were still without power this morning in the greater Los Angeles area, and many parks and buildings remained closed amid concerns of what today's red flag warning would bring.

Just how disruptive the windstorms have been was illustrated by the Los Angeles Fire Department trip record, which reported its crews responded to 2,197 incidents during the 24-hour period ending at 11:59 p.m. Thursday compared to 1,022 incidents during a normal day.

A red flag warning for much of the area will take effect at 6 a.m. and last until 2 p.m. Sunday.

"The potential exists for another round of gusty northeast winds this afternoon into Sunday over Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with very low humidities," according to a National Weather Service advisory.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl L. Osby ordered 290 additional personnel and other resources pre-deployed in preparation for today's predicted high winds and increased fire danger.

Source: Patch.com

by Suzy Cunha

The Real-estate Market For Apartments In Rio De Janeiro Continues To Rise

In eighties, Brazil’s economy’s soaring inflation over 50% monthly triggered real-estate investment flats to be a rather poor investment given that lease contracts gave rise to important discussions about how to alter the rent value. From the year 2010 onward, nonetheless, the new Rent Legislation was put into law to regulate and modernize urban property rent concerns, which has been a significant factor for the real estate investment market progress.

The announcement that Rio de Janeiro will sponsor the Olympic Games in 2016 and the 2014 World Cup will be held in Brazil, blended with the impressive takeover of the shanty towns by federal police thus making Rio de Janeiro and regions including Copacabana and Ipanema a lot less hazardous, these events have drastically increased the value of real estate apartment homes in Rio de Janeiro’s property market.

Contemplating the astounding revenues the Olympic Games and World Cup will generate for Brazil, many international buyers are now concentrated on the real-estate property market in Rio de Janeiro for high rise apartments or condos. Specifically, the areas which have benefited the most for example Ipanema, Copacabana and Leblon....

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by Zacks Investment Research

, An apartment-only real estate investment trust (REIT), has recently increased its quarterly dividend payout by 5.2% to $0.66 per share or $2.64 on an annualized basis. The dividend is payable on January 31, 2012 to shareholders of record on January 13, 2012.

MAA is among a select group of companies who have maintained an uninterrupted dividend payout even during recession, when most companies have suspended the same. The company has historically paid cash dividends for 72 consecutive quarters and the present dividend hike signifies its continued strong operating performance, despite a challenging macroeconomic environment.

Investors looking for high dividend yields are increasingly favoring REITs like MAA. Solid dividend payouts are arguably the biggest enticement for REIT investors as the U.S. law requires REITs to distribute 90% of their annual taxable income in the form of dividends to shareholders.

Since its inception in 1994, MAA has evolved as a publicly owned company from a portfolio of 6,000 apartments in the Mid-South area to a portfolio of 48,927 high-quality apartment homes spread across the Sunbelt region of the U.S.

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