New flood and fire risk scores radically alter values

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...
House prices hit another record, should you even care?

House prices hit another record, should you even care?

  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...
What do Tariffs mean for real estate and interest rates

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...
Year of the elk, are you ready

Year of the elk, are you ready

The above is a picture of my windshield after a chance early morning encounter with an elk; I walked away while my car was basically totaled.  Why is 2025 the year of the elk as elk should typically be the least of your worries?   What does this mean for the upcoming...
Pretend and extend, will commercial real estate take down the economy in 25?

Pretend and extend, will commercial real estate take down the economy in 25?

There is a mantra being used in small/regional banks that is “survive until 2025”.  In essence the theory is that rates will drop precipitously and basically “bail out” many banks’ portfolios.  Banks are in turn pushing out maturity dates hoping for a market bail out....
Is inflation now driving housing prices higher?

Is inflation now driving housing prices higher?

The conventional wisdom is that inflation causes higher interest rates which in turn causes lower housing prices.  We are now seeing an interesting phenomenon where housing prices continue to stay high and in some markets head even higher with interest rates double...