The Federal Reserve has bought $982 billion of the mortgage bonds since March 5, 2020. As Federal Reserve officials discuss how to eventually scale back their easy-money policies, they are debating whether to start by reducing purchases of mortgage-backed securities...
Is there a real estate bubble brewing?
As I look around the real estate market, you cannot help but notice the craziness. On my personal house in Colorado, my value is up around 50% in two years. These same trends are unfolding throughout the country, with appreciation hitting records. Is the real...
The Fed surprises the markets – rates jump
With the craziness in the market, I at least wanted to ease everyone into it with a relaxing picture 🙂 I wrote last week about rate increases coming down the pipe, but like everyone else I was surprised by the last federal reserve meeting and how quickly they changed...
Inflation jumps to highest levels since 1982
Inflation alert: It is usually not a good sign when Fed Vice Chairman Richard Clarida said after the consumer price index report “I was surprised”. I am not sure what rock people are living under, but everything has increased in price from gasoline to restaurant...
Long term capital gains, 43.4%, impact on real estate & 1031 exchange
President Biden has proposed an increase in long term capital gains from their current 15-20% to 43% for the wealthiest. This would be the highest tax paid on income. What is in the new proposal? What does this proposal mean for real estate? How will the 1031...
Zillow gets into the dating game: Your Zestimate is now a cash offer
For years Zillow has been buying houses, but they have refused to use the Zestimate as their purchase price. The cards have now turned with Zillow announcing that the “Zestimate” is now the price they will pay for your house. How will this change allow Zillow to...
Mortgage Firms Warned to Prepare for a ‘Tidal Wave’ of Distress
There is a tidal wave of distressed homeowners who will need help,” Dave Uejio, the CFPB’s acting director, said in a statement; companies “that are unable to adequately manage loss mitigation can expect the bureau to take enforcement or supervisory action.” At the...
New Proposed tax plan will hit property owners and cost you millions.
I am always amazed at how out of touch our elected officials are with what happens in the real world. The new tax plan circulating through Congress is no exception with the supposed target high net worth taxpayers, but middle class, small business...
Alcohol sales decline for first time since pandemic, Huge impact on real estate, the pandemic trade is over
For the first time in a year, since Covid-19 began spreading across the United States forcing Americans to stay home, retail alcohol sales have fallen almost 2%. Why the change in alcohol sales? No, people are not consuming less alcohol. What does this mean...
10 year treasury soars, mortgage payments could rise 33%, How high will rates go?
Before getting into the details, I can quickly answer the first question with 100% certainty. Will Mortgage rates rise substantially in 2021? Yes they already have and will go even higher! Why are mortgage rates rising while the federal reserve pledges to keep rates...
BOA predicts a housing “mother of all asset bubbles”
As a result of the current loose monetary policy and additional stimulus coming down the pipe, “imbalances” within the economy are starting to form. BofA predicts a 10% drop in stock prices. What are other experts saying on the stock market? How will this impact...
How does a national $15 min wage impact real estate?
Within the new proposed Covid relief proposed by the president is a requirement that the minimum wage increase nationally to fifteen dollars an hour. What impact will this have on housing affordability? How will this increase in minimum wage affect commercial and...
“this time is different” Vaccines rollout, good news abounds, 75% probability you are wrong
There has been a flurry of good news with stocks reaching records, talks of more stimulus, and vaccines rolling out. Small stocks like Gamestop and AMC have been off the charts minting new millionaires every day. What does all this mean for real estate? How will...
Work from home impact on real estate values; pay cuts coming, 75% want to return
Over 50% of workers are 100% remote with another 20% sometimes working remotely due to the pandemic. Will this trend reverse this year with the rollout of the vaccine? How will this impact real estate in the short term and long term? What will be the primary driver...
5 Permanent Changes to real estate from Coronavirus
The Coronavirus has impacted businesses throughout the economy and real estate is not immune from the radical changes caused by social distancing and lockdowns. How will the real estate industry adapt to the changes? What does this mean for the future of real...
Treasury yields jump to highest since March. What does the GA senate race mean for real estate?
Happy new year to everyone. It is crazy that we are still talking about the election … it seems like it is never ending. Fortunately the Georgia senate runoffs were the last of this cycle. As Georgia flipped Democratic, treasury rates jumped to their highest since...
2021 real estate predictions: What happens to residential and commercial values and interest rates
What a year 2020 has been! The pandemic struck, unemployment has hit records, there was a nice rebound in the summer, and recently a downward trend due to the spike in Coronavirus cases. What does 2021 hold for the economy, interest rates, and residential and...
841 billion in forbearance, who will be left holding the bag? Will 2020 be a 2008 repeat?
Almost 10% of all government sponsored mortgages entered mortgage forbearance which accounts for almost 841 billion dollars in loans. 4 in 5 workers say they live paycheck to paycheck, with around 30 million people unemployed, the numbers could be daunting. Yet the...
Covid Vaccine, impact on real estate, biggest real estate risk on the horizon
Pfizer announced that their Covid vaccine in trials was 90% effective at preventing infection. The stock market took off and traders began reshuffling their pandemic bets with Zoom down 20% and Disney, hotels, and cruise operators up substantially. Will there be a...
What does the election mean for real estate? 5 impacts
The pic above has nothing to do with the election, but this bear was about 10 feet from me when I was doing a zoom call on the back deck. I didn't notice him until the meeting participants eyes got big as he walked up behind me. Talk about an interesting coworker...
Wall street the new landlord: one in ten properties
We are seeing interesting economic times; throughout the economy there is huge consolidation within industries as the big get even bigger. Real estate is following a similar trajectory to big technology companies. What is causing the huge changes in real estate? ...
Should appraised value be arbitrary? Is location important in value?
There is a new legislative proposal to radically alter the appraisal industry. Should the use of comparables be arbitrary when establishing appraised value? Do appraisers need to better “appreciate” a neighborhood (what does this even mean?) Should an appraiser use...
Large mortgage defaults on the horizon, are you ready for a 100 billion dollar March Madness?
FHA has placed a moratorium on foreclosures from mortgage loan defaults and offered any borrower that requests it an extension to not make payments for a year (HUD). This effectively kicks the can down the road and pushed out any impending actions until March of...
Will interest rates stay low forever? What did the fed just announce?
If you have been tracking interest rates in the mortgage market, your head is likely spinning. Mortgage rates hit a record low of 3% less than a week later rates have risen again. What is causing the drastic swings? Is now the time to lock in or refinance? What did...






















