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...
2026 real estate predictions
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...
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...
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...
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 Pre Covid levels? Have they already?
During the Covid real estate boom everything with 4 walls took off in price. Are these price gains sustainable? Will real estate fall back to Covid values, wiping out huge gains in real estate prices? Have prices already adjusted to pre covid levels in some...
Rents plummet, is this a trend or blip?
Rents have made a quick U turn. After rising substantially over the last decade, they are quickly reversing course. Why are rents now falling? Is this just a trend or a blip. Look at the chart below, how does this alter the predictions on rents? ...
New flood and fire risk scores radically alter values
Recently Realtor.com and Zillow have been promoting “risk scores” for properties to reflect environmental risk from fires and floods. These new scores are radically altering real estate prices. What is included in the new scores? Are you impacted? How accurate...
What is hiding in the real estate market?
The housing market has a multi-billion dollar problem that nobody is talking about. Since the last recession economists harp on the fact that underwriting is so much better now than it was leading up to 2008. This is correct except for one lender, the federal...
Is Stagflation dead, what happens now
There has been considerable talk about stagflation now mirroring the 70s with high energy prices and low growth. Recently, all the data seemed to be pointing in this direction other than one metric. The economy keeps growing exceeding pretty much every...
Big changes to how real estate is bought and sold
Like many of you, I hate it when I see headlines like above and am always a bit skeptical. Real estate has basically operated pretty much the same way for the last 20 years or so without any real structural changes, but a recent lawsuit against Zillow...
91 percent probability real estate will be okay through 2026
Last week I asked all of you what happens to real estate prices the remainder of 2026? I posed this question in order to gauge reader thoughts on the Iran war, inflationary pressures, etc.. to see if these items would radically alter prices the...
2026 real estate predictions, what happens now?
2026 was set to be the big recovery in real estate with rates lowering, setting us up for a great year. Instead, the Iran war kicked off driving energy prices and in turn inflation up. The rate narrative has made a U-turn with the question of when to...
When will there be a major reset in real estate prices
Last week I asked all of you when we would see a major reset in real estate prices? The real estate pros have spoken and as you can see from the chart, the overwhelming choice was there will not be a major reset in the next four years. Do you...
When will real estate crash or will it?
Look at the chart above of consumer delinquencies? We are now in line with 2017, but is that the real story? Look at 07 what do you notice? Will the economy mirror the 08 reset or has something else fundamentally changed? With the current delinquency rates...
What does the Iran war mean for real estate?
I was a bit surprised at the market reaction, check out the 10 year treasury (above) on the Monday after the war began. I would have predicted the opposite reaction with yields falling. What are the three primary reasons rates are now rising? What impact does this...
Supreme court nullifies tariffs, 3 big changes to real estate
The supreme court throws out president Trump’s tariffs. What does this mean for real estate building costs and interest rates? Why is the chart above so important? Will this decision drastically alter the real estate market one way or another? What happens...
Will real estate prices rise? Are the predictions wrong?
Every major economist is predicting real estate prices remaining flat to falling modestly in 2026. How accurate are these predictions? Is there a scenario where prices buck every prediction and rise later this year? A prior survey shows a radically different...
Bitcoin plunge impact on real estate and economy
Bitcoin has had a wild ride, declining over 50% in over a month plummeting from a high of 120k to 60k. Check out the chart above. Why the sudden drop in cryptocurrencies? What does this mean for real estate prices? Looking at the chart below, how will interest...
Where should you invest in real estate in 2026?
The pandemic turned the real estate market upside down with real estate values surging throughout the country. With values rising everywhere, everyone seemed like a winner. Unfortunately, the boom town days are coming to an end. Real Estate fundamentals or lack...
How to increase mortgage defaults
The Biden Administration took steps to enable less credit-worthy borrowers to qualify for mortgages to support the housing market. Now the Trump team is doing the same in the name of boosting home ownership and lowering costs for borrowers. Why is the...
Gov’t gives away trillions, yet subprime borrowers surge
Does anyone else find it a bit ironic that the US government gave away 4.6 trillion including direct payments to individuals and yet the number of subprime borrowers has surpassed precovid levels. Why are more borrowers now classified as subprime and what does...

























