Last week I asked all of you: Will house prices defy the odds and actually increase? The real estate pros have spoken, the majority think (600%) think that real estate prices will fall, while 20% felt no impact on prices and 20% think that real estate...
Will house prices rise and defy all odds
The consensus among major economists is that there will be a slight reset in house prices primarily due to higher interest rates. We are already seeing this with the median home price (chart above). Even with rates staying high, are the economists wrong and will we...
High tax wealth flight accelerates; should you follow the money?
IRS data show that taxpayers keep fleeing high tax states; should you follow the wealthy residents with your real estate investing? Is the sudden shift in residents to lower cost states a blip or a new trend? Take a look at the two charts below, what is the...
What do 7% rates mean for real estate prices
At the beginning of the year, the consensus was that rates would fall below 6%, fast forward and rates are now at or close to 7% with the 10 year treasury surging to a 19 year high. At the same time the real estate market is like two stuck bulls with neither buyers...
How will the fed rate increase impact real estate prices?
Last week I asked all of you: How will the recent Federal Reserve increase of rates impact real estate prices? The real estate pros have spoken, the majority think (&0%) think that real estate prices will fall, while 18% felt no impact on prices and...
Federal reserve raises rates yet mortgage rates fall; why?
What a week it has been in the economy. The federal reserve is still struggling to contain inflation and as a result increased the federal funds rate. After the announcement stocks roared back in a huge “relief” rally and mortgage rates fell. What do all these...
interest rates surge: Frightening bond market change
Look at this chart above, over the last 5 years long term rates have continued a steady climb higher; now compare the chart above to the one below, see a correlation. When rates surged, the treasury tried to step in and a profound event happened that radically...
Kelly blue book (KBB) or your house, how accurate?
We have all used Kelly blue book values to see car values, now KBB is getting into the house business creating a “blue book” value for your house. How accurate is the new KBB value? How is this different than the Zestimate; realtor.com estimate, or any other...
Can Aspen and Telluride predict real estate prices?
I think most real estate pros would agree that the recent run up in prices in many areas throughout the country is concerning. Are there leading indicators of what could be to come? Take a look at charts of two high end ski towns Aspen and Telluride, CO from...
What is the root cause of plummeting condo prices
I was recently interviewed in Mortgage Professional America and one of the key questions was “what is the root cause of the condo crisis”. It seems like everyone is just now talking about the crisis in condos and attached dwellings, but this should not be a surprise...
More homeowners now underwater: what markets are most at risk
The real estate market has rapidly changed. The number of owners who are underwater is small but growing, and they have recently been concentrated in pandemic boomtowns such as Austin, Texas, Cape Coral, Fla and Denver, CO. A rapid rise in prices in these...
Is Stagflation the new risk for the mortgage market
Weinberg told Mortgage Professional America ” the July jobs report was the turning point in how I think about where the economy is heading. After months of strong headline numbers, the report showed a sudden loss and downward revisions.” After watching inflation pull...
Did the Supreme court take away property rights
In a controversial ruling the Supreme court made a groundbreaking ruling on property rights that has implications for property owners throughout the country. The ruling regarded tax liens and answers the question of whether a city can “seize” a property for unpaid...
Bear at treeline, what does this mean for you and the economy
As I was hiking with my family almost at treeline in Colorado, one of my dogs suddenly went on point. To our surprise there was a brown bear sauntering through the field (sorry looks like a brown sheep as we are a good distance away on a ridge). In 30 years we...
HOA Foreclosures jump 40% : Fairview featured in the Wall Street Journal
In case you missed it, I was recently quoted in the Wall Street Journal: Homeowners foreclosing on more residents. Did you know foreclosures in HOAs have jumped 40% in the last two years? Why? The WSJ did a great article focusing on the root causes of the distress...
HOA bankrupted, is now the time to buy?
With rising insurance costs and litigation HOAs across the country are coming under pressure financially. This is leading to more HOAs declaring bankruptcy. Why is a recent lawsuit against an HOA so important? What does this mean for property owners? What are the...
Think your property taxes are high, are you ready for a 40% increase?
Look at the picture above, in 2018 these buildings sold for 40 million, in 2026 they just sold for 8 million a stunning 78% loss in value. This will lead to an enormous loss in tax revenue for Aurora, CO. The same is happening throughout almost every major metro area...
Is credit score useless to determine risk
Last week I asked all of you: Is the credit score a useless tool to determine risk? The real estate pros have spoken, the majority think (66%) think that the credit score is not the best tool to determine risk, while 34% still think that the credit...
Is your credit score useless
I recently looked at two loan files, one had a 650 and one had a 750, which one was actually a riskier borrower (not the one with the higher score)? How can you now easily inflate your credit score? Is the score now useless? Why the huge changes in credit...
Fannie/Freddie amp up risk, what does this mean for real estate
First, yes above is yours truly, hopefully you were not expecting Tom Cruise behind the keyboard 😊 In case you missed it, I was recently quoted in a Mortgage Professional America article: Fannie and Freddie are taking on more risk than anyone is admitting. ...
Buying and selling a condo just got harder thanks to Fannie Mae policies
Many don’t know but the overwhelming majority of all loans originated are ultimately sold to governments sponsored entities like Fannie or Freddie that package the loans and sell as mortgage backed securities. This means that whatever Fannie and Freddie...
What happens to mortgage rates the rest of the year
Last week I asked all of you where will interest rates be at the end of 2026? The real estate pros have spoken, the majority think (85%) that rates will stay about where they are at or head a little higher. Take a look at the chart below of interest...
Interest rates jump again, are they going to decline?
It seems like all the economists are surprised that inflation continues at elevated levels and suddenly the market is in a panic about higher inflation. Am I the only one in the world that buys groceries, fills up my gas tank, goes out to eat, etc… Anyone...
Will real estate fall to Covid levels, the results will surprise
Last week I asked all of you will real estate prices fall back to Covid levels? The real estate pros have spoken, I was floored at the results. My prediction is that it would be evenly split, but the results were just the opposite with 88%...



























