Voters in eight U.S. states passed measures in the last election to offer some form of relief on property taxes, a sign of their mounting frustration with tax bills that have soared alongside huge jumps in home values. Many states will have property tax...
Last week I asked all of you what will mortgage be one year from now? The real estate pros have spoken and as you can see from the chart above, the majority (50%) think that mortgage rates will be 5.5 -6% while the second largest percentage put rates in...
The federal reserve lowers interest rates and signals two more reductions the remainder of the year. At the same time mortgage rates are barely moving. Why are mortgage rates having such a large disconnect with the Federal Reserve. Will rates continue...
Starting Sept 8th, Airbnb has radically altered the payment terms for all hosts. What was in the little change with huge impacts? How does this impact every property owner? Will it still be profitable for owners to use Airbnb? What are the three changes and what...
In every nightly rental discussion throughout the country, there is this theory that nightly rentals are increasing rents and pricing out locals. How true is this statement? What happened in NY when nightly rental were severely restricted? What has happened in...
Last week I asked all of you what impact does Phantom Debt (like buy now pay later) have on the economy and real estate? The real estate pros have spoken and as you can see from the chart above, the majority (58%) think that phantom debt is increasing credit scores...
Consumer spending in the world’s largest economy has been so resilient in the face of stubbornly high inflation that economists and traders have had to repeatedly rip up their forecasts for slowing growth and interest-rate cuts. How are consumers still spending...
Last week I asked all of you What will cause foreclosures to increase over the next 18 months? As you can see from the chart above, the majority felt that unemployment would be the culprit, which leads us to the chicken vs egg question. What will be the trigger?...
With fluctuating mortgage rates and economic pressure in the housing market, foreclosure activity Has continues to ramp up throughout the year. According to real estate data provider Attom, homebuyers may face more challenges heading into 2025. Why are foreclosure...
Last week I asked all of you is it a good idea to buy a condo as an investment? The real estate pros have spoken and as you can see from the chart above, the overwhelming majority felt there were some opportunities in condos at the right price points while...
I saw a recent ad for a Porsche electric Taycan that was less than 18 months old available for half of its original cost. What can this huge drop in prices over a short time tell us about an impending real estate problem? Why am I even looking at Porsche...
Last week I asked all of you how do house prices and incomes come back into historical alignment? As you can see from the chart above, the responses were not very clear cut but the consensus is that real estate is likely “stuck” for some time. How do house...
In every article I read about real estate they highlight that inventory is causing prices to fall, or high interest rates, or not enough demand. All of these items above are only symptoms. What is the real driver moving prices today? What does this mean for...
In my survey last week I asked if you should ignore national real estate statistics as they are not relevant to your particular neighborhood. It was not surprising it was almost evenly split on whether you should ignore National statistics (52% ignore national...
Check out the chart above. House prices this summer have hit yet another record? On the flip side, look at the chart below of Denver and Atlanta. Why the huge difference? What is happening in today’s real estate environment? Is the data above or below...
Wow, I was very surprised at the survey results of the fed firing. 67% of respondents think that the firing of Cook at the fed is going to end up badly while 23% think that something very bad will happen from the firing. If survey respondents are correct, what does...
What an insane 24 hours, a late night tweet on Tuesday announced the sudden firing of a Federal Reserve Governor essentially trying to eliminate the independence of the federal reserve while ensuring looser monetary policy. Ironically the opposite occurred and...
There was clearly a distinct trend in last week’s survey regarding the war on landlords with some very passionate responses. An overwhelming 95% felt that regulations have substantially increased to costs of being a landlord which in turn has increased the costs for...
Since Covid, Landlords have been portrayed as the big bad wolf and the root cause of pretty much any housing woe you can think of. Legislatures have jumped on the bandwagon essentially declaring war on landlords with the number of tenant laws doubling in three...
In my last blog post, Largest mortgage buyers required to use cryptocurrencies. There was a clear consensus of whether the government should or should not be embracing crypto. But the responses were thought provoking and the results were not as...
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the largest buyers of mortgages, effective immediately are required to count cryptocurrencies as an asset for mortgages. This is a profound shift in policy. How will this impact real estate lending? Will Cryptocurrency radically alter...
In my last blog post, Will real estate fall to 2020 values, I launched my first survey to see what the readers of my blog thought about the direction of the real estate market, the results were astounding. There was a clear consensus of where real estate prices are...
The real estate market has drastically shifted. Look at the chart above, sellers are rapidly outpacing buyers which means only one thing; the law of economics will rule, and prices will fall. What is causing prices to fall now in many markets, and will this...
There is a ton of negative news in real estate. Interest rates are remaining high, inventory is rising substantially, prices are coming off their peaks, commercial real estate is facing a reckoning, and the list goes on. Regardless of all the negative news, where...
