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 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...
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...
Airbnb down 40% impact on real estate
After peaking around 215 dollars, Airbnb stock has taken a tumble of almost 40%. At the same time occupancy of nightly rentals has plummeted from its peak while available listings continue to grow. What does this mean for real estate prices? The two...
Does the Trump election matter for Real estate; Homes sales lowest since 95
Regardless of how you voted, at the end of the day for real estate in particular, does the election of President Trump radically change the trajectory of real estate? What happens to real estate volumes? Will interest rates rise or fall? What happens to values? Why...
Will realtors’ settlement lower home prices?
The big premise of the commission lawsuit against the national association of realtors is that high commission fees were one of the leading drivers of real estate prices. How true is this statement? Will the new commission structure for realtors lead to a reduction...
Is inflation really coming down?
We have heard a ton of good news recently regarding inflation. Inflation has come down dramatically from its peak and the market is pricing in almost a 100% probability of an elusive soft landing. Is inflation really coming down as fast as the consumer price index...
Federal government now considers $1.2m low/moderate income housing
What do the increased conforming loan limits mean for real estate? The federal government (aka you the taxpayer) now backs mortgages up to 1.15m. The maximum size of home-mortgage loans eligible for backing by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has jumped sharply over the...
The largest buyer of mortgages not buying a soft landing; what are mortgage rates in 2024?
Both the stock and bond markets are partying like its 99 again. Fannie Mae, the largest buyer of US mortgages, is not buying into the theory that a soft landing is the base case for the economy. What is Fannie Mae predicting for inflation and in turn interest rates? ...
Why do consumers keep spending and how does this impact real estate
According to a recent Federal Reserve Report, fourteen million mortgages were refinanced during the COVID refinance boom, and these refinances will have effects on the mortgage market, real estate, and the general economy for years to come. An astonishing 430 billion...
2023 real estate predictions update: Mortgage rates decline, banks fail, impact on real estate prices
A lot has changed since my year end update, four major banks have collapsed, and the market is now signaling a recession with interest rates beginning to fall. What does this mean for real estate in the second half of the year? Are there any big changes to my...
Soft landing, brace for a much better spring real estate market
In only a couple of months, the world has changed substantially. In December, inflation was supposedly decreasing rapidly and the odds of a soft landing were non existent. Fast forward a few months and inflation is running hot, consumers are spending like crazy,...
Big changes to Freddie seasoning requirements: how will this impact the housing market
Beginning in March of 2023, Freddie Mac, the largest buyer of mortgages is drastically changing the seasoning requirements for any loans it purchases which basically means any new conventional conforming loan will have to follow the new rules. What big changes are...
60k laid off, The middle is squeezed how will this impact Real estate and the recovery
Purchasing power from paychecks fell 2.9% for middle-income households in 2022 compared with 2021, while rising 1.5% for the bottom fifth of households and 1.1% for the top, according to the Congressional Budget Office study. Furthermore, nearly 40 percent of...
Mortgage demand plunges 13.2% to end 2022, are higher interest rates the only culprit
The market currently has a fixation on interest rates. Essentially whatever interest rates do the market reacts accordingly. For example if rates rise, sales fall and vice versa. Are rates really the driver of the slow down in real estate sales? If rates...
Proposal for National rent control, what does this mean for prices and supply, why are rents increasing
It is no secret that rent has skyrocketed throughout the country. Nationally rental growth peaked at 17.45% year over year in March of 2022. Some markets like NY and FL have exceeded over 31% rent growth annually. What are the three causes of huge jumps in rents?...
Nightly rental market following in footsteps of Colorado Pot market
Data from AirDNA, a short-term rental analytics firm, show as of October 2022, the number of future nights booked—a real-time indicator of the health of the short-term rental industry—was up 15.8% year-over-year. At the same time, anyone in the short-term rental...
National Association of Realtors predicts rising prices in 2023; fed predicts drop
In 2023, NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun expects home sales to decline by 7%, while the national median home price will increase by 1% in his recent 2023 market update. On the flip side the most recent federal reserve economic commentary classifies the current...
What happens to nightly rentals as real estate market turns
We are in a new paradigm for real estate. With talks of a recession getting louder, what does this mean for real estate. In 2008/9 real estate was radically different than today. Companies like VRBO and Airbnb were not even around. How will the next recession be...
Will the golden handcuffs of low rates save real estate in this cycle?
The prevailing theory is that this real estate cycle will be considerably better than others as so many people locked in rock bottom rates which will serve as “golden handcuffs” and prevent a meaningful increase in inventory. How accurate is this theory? What is the...
10k of student loans forgiven; what does this mean for real estate and mortgage rates?
As of the writing of this article, President’s Biden’s plan is to forgive 10k in student loan per each borrower and further extend the payment pause until year end. How will this forgiveness impact real estate prices, mortgage rates, and prospective purchasers? What...
Haircut prices surge, what does this mean for real estate prices?
If you haven’t gotten a haircut in a while, you are in for a surprise. Haircut prices like many other services in the economy are experiencing large increases. What does the increase in haircut prices mean for the economy and in turn real estate? Why are haircuts...



























