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...
What is the best ski town investment
As everyone departs for the holiday season and many are hitting the slopes I wanted to share a survey I did of Colorado real estate experts on the best ski investments. As you can see there were some surprises. What huge changes occurred in Breckenridge and Vail to...
Taylor Swift tax on real estate coming to a city near you
A new push by states to tax the real estate of the wealthy is going nationwide with cities across the country looking at expensive second homes as the gold mine to solve all their social problems. What is the new “Taylor Swift Tax”? What are some of the new proposals...
Why will Real estate outperform in the next cycle
First, Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone has a great holiday season. As you sit around the table this year, there is plenty to talk about and debate (including this blog ). Check out the screenshot above of the headlines on Bloomberg. Depending on which headline...
Big changes in property rights from the election- what city made 100m from the election?
Although all eyes and media coverage was on the supposed “blue wave” on election day, the real story are the huge changes in property rights throughout the Country. Did Nantucket vote to continue an effective ban on nightly rentals? Did Vail pass a 17% tax on...
Fed drops rates, why did mortgage rates barely budge
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...
Airbnb just quietly changed the rules and the impacts are huge
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...
NY nightly rentals plummet 90%, rents skyrocket
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...
Foreclosures on the rise, is this a blip or trend?
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...
The War on Landlords
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...
Largest mortgage buyers required to use cryptocurrencies
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...
Is real estate “stuck” until 2026?
"The U.S. housing market is stuck, and we are not convinced it will become unstuck anytime soon," Bank of America economists Michael Gapen and Jeseo Park wrote in the Monday note. What is causing the real estate market to be stuck? Is being stuck actually the...
2025 National Real Estate predictions, what happens now?
2025 was set to be the big recovery in real estate with rates lowering setting us up for a great year. Instead, rates are hovering around 7%, inventory is rising, and long term treasuries are pointing to higher rates for longer. There is also a trade...
Rocket mortgage acquires redfin, what does this mean for real estate?
In a surprise move, Rocket mortgage is acquiring the real estate brokerage company Redfin for 1.8 billion. Why is a mortgage company interested in a real estate broker? What does this mean for realtors, consumers, and competitors? Will this purchase...
Can the government “take” you property for unpaid taxes
Over the last 100 years or so counties have operated under the assumption that if property taxes (or in some cases water/sewer, etc…) are not paid then the county can “take” the property for the unpaid taxes. A recent supreme court ruling radically alters this...
Secret mortgage blacklist, is your property on it?
Condominium owners across the country are facing a paralyzing problem: They can’t sell their properties because of a fast-growing and mostly secret mortgage blacklist. Don’t worry this is not some crazy conspiracy from the government. I’ve experienced this first...
My recession indicator flashing green: ready for bulls or bears
Are the bulls running or are the bears coming? Any business media you pick up is harping on the idea of a “recession watch” and the economy is basically coming to an end! On the flip side my proprietary lending data is giving me a radically different answer. What...
Does the stock market predict real estate prices?
For years, myself, and many others have thought that interest rates were the predictor of housing prices. Fast forward to post COVID where interest rates have doubled and yet housing prices remain high and are still trending higher in many markets. What other...
What do Tariffs mean for real estate and interest rates
70% of lumber and 30% of drywall comes from Canada which could be subject to tariffs, what does this mean for the average build cost of a house? What does the chart above have to do with Tariffs? Will tariffs meaningfully impact real estate build costs and...
Marry, the house, date the rate, ready for a shotgun wedding
In almost every real estate advertisement I receive, there is a common theme that prospective buyers should not focus on the rate as they will be able to refinance relatively soon at a much lower rate. How true is this theory? (hint anyone who bought into...
Closings surge in Q1 what does this mean for the rest of the market
Look at the graph above, what has caused my closing to surge in 2025 while overall real estate closing volumes have plummeted? What does this mean for real estate? Don’t get me wrong, I like to think the surge in closings is because I’m an amazing lender and a great...
Credit scores surge, why? what is hiding?
Wow, look at the huge increases in credit scores over the last 15 years. This has occurred even as student debt, auto debt, and credit card debt have all surged. Has the US all the sudden become much more credit worthy or has something else changed? What does this...
A hidden crisis in US Housing; are fish the root cause?
I took the pic above of a house after a small fire in CO. I’m amazed the house had made it. Unfortunately thousands of property owners in LA are not as lucky. The recent fires in LA are estimated to cost upwards of 50 billion making it one of the costliest...
Will Mortgage rates stay higher forever?
Wow, 2024 was definitely a surprise, at the beginning of the year, there were huge predictions of a rapid decline in rates, fast forward to 2025 and now rates are actually rapidly increasing even after the federal reserve cut short term rates. Why are rates...


























