The chief economist of the National Association of Realtors, Lawrence Yun, has released his 2025 and 2026 predictions for residential real estate and they were a huge surprise. What is Yun predicting for real estate prices, interest rates, and appreciation? How...
Will realtors’ settlement lower home prices? (September 2024 update)
With the realtor settlement now implemented nationwide, the question now is will a reduction in realtor fees lower house prices? The big premise of the commission lawsuit against the national association of realtors is that high commission fees were one of the...
Property Insurance rates set to jump by 50%; why and who pays?
The mortgage industry should be prepared for large increases in insurance premiums up to 50% according to the Situs Whitepaper. Jennifer Rasmussen, one of the reports authors stated that the average homeowner “was not cognizant of the sheer magnitude of these...
Who is better for real estate Harris or Trump ?
Wow, it is amazing how quickly tides have changed. Look at the chart above of the betting market on the next presidential election right after the assassination attempt. Fast forward and another twist happened over the weekend with President Biden stepping...
Warning sign? sales drop 34%, impact on real estate
The economy is currently in a “transition” phase. To determine if the sun is setting on our current cycle, it is critical to watch for leading indicators of where we might be heading. One of the strongest predictors of a recession is consumer purchases of one...
How will student loan restart impact real estate
As part of a debt-ceiling agreement forged by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, monthly student loan bills will resume September first. What does the restarting of student loans mean for real estate, interest rates, and the overall economy? How...
New Senate bill, predatory investing, to curb corporate investors from buying up single-family homes
Lawmakers introduced a bill Tuesday aimed at curtailing investor activity in the housing market that they say is driving up home prices. The Stop Predatory Investing Act is targeting single family investors. What is in the newly proposed bill and how will this impact...
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...
Supreme court rules against the national association of realtors, suit could rock the industry; why are pocket listings not allowed?
I’m usually skeptical that lawsuits will totally alter an industry but the recent suit against the National Association of realtors, various multiple listing services, and many large real estate brokerages could be a bombshell. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday...
30 year mortgage rates plummet, will they return to pandemic lows
It has been a wild ride in the treasury market. Rates spiked to 7.5%, but recently have plummeted back to below 6%? Now they are rising again. What does this mean for real estate sales? Will the lower rates be enough to turn around the slowing market? Will rates...
Year of the Bear, are you ready for 2023 and a 20% decline, what happens to interest rates, economy, etc…
Since Covid it seems like traditional patterns have been broken. I hear time and time again that X or Y is different and there have been fundamental changes. Is this true, is everything “radically” different now? Is a bear walking around in the snow a sign (zoom in...
Consumer debt soars to the highest on record, why is this good and bad news for real estate
The federal reserve bank of NY recently published a report showing consumer debt jumping to the highest levels ever recorded with every category growing from mortgages, autos, credit cards, lines of credit, etc… Is some consumer debt better/worse than others for the...
Fannie-Mae-sees-dark-days-ahead-for-the-housing-market;
It will get much worse for the housing market and the mortgage industry. That’s the takeaway from a group of economists at Fannie Mae who slashed their forecast for 2022 home sales this week. Federal Reserve chairman Powell recently threw even more cold water on their...
Back to office, ready to pick your seat? 3 traits that will identify the winners & losers
First, the pic above was the leading picture for a listing I looked at. I guess they were stressing the work from home conveniences in the office Unfortunately this could lead to some “interesting” conversations with coworkers. With the back to office trend in full...
Trucking hits the Brakes; what does this mean for real estate?
There has been an unexpectedly sharp downturn in demand to truck everything from food to furniture since the beginning of March and rates in the overheated segment that deals in on-demand trucking jobs - known as the spot market - are skidding. Why are trucking rates...
A “reckoning” is due. Atlanta overvalued by 58%, Denver by 39%
“A reckoning is due. Home prices and rents can’t separate as significantly as they have from their long-term fundamental trends without major issues arising in the marketplace,” said Ken Johnson, an economist at Florida Atlantic University, in an analysis. “Few...
Fed makes colossal mistake. Labor productivity plummets. Are you ready for 6?
The Federal Reserve just raised interest rates .5% as expected. The market originally rallied and then plummeted 5% the next day. The fed made a colossal error and the stock and bond markets are not buying their guidance. What did the fed say at the meeting that...
Interest rates soar; property prices continue to rise; Game of Musical chairs has stopped
The average time someone spends in a home has increased from 8.7 years in 2010 to over 13 years in 2020; a whopping 50% increase. How is this impacting house prices? What caused the “break” in the game of musical chairs leading to the inventory shortage? How are...
Zillow’s predictions in 2022 show house price surge of 25%, how accurate are there predictions?
According to Zillow, house prices will continue to skyrocket in 2022 with hot markets posting gains of 25% plus. What factors are driving these predictions? How accurate are Zillow's 2022 predictions for appreciation? How does Zillow’s estimates compare with the...
Buy now pay later included on credit reports, impact on real estate financing
Buy now pay later included on credit reports, impact on real estate financing Buy now Pay Later loans are a million-dollar industry and yet until now these loans were invisible to lenders. This is all changing as Equifax is now adding buy now pay later payments to...
Ukraine invaded; impact on the economy, interest rates, and real estate
Initially when Ukraine was invaded the stock market dropped precipitously over 800 points during the day only to make a huge rebound into positive territory. What does this volatility mean for interest rates and in turn real estate? Does the invasion change the path...
NY and Boise real estate both hitting records, is a ???? brewing
New York City’s housing market is undergoing a powerful rebound, fueled by New Yorkers trading up, out-of-staters moving in, and others looking beyond the pandemic’s aftershocks to make a long-term bet on the city. On the flip side, Boise prices are up 25% year over...
Stocks plunge, what does this mean for real estate prices? What happened during the dotcom bust?
It has been quite the year for the stock market. As I am writing this blog, the market has already plunged 10% to kick off the year. Morgan Stanley just warned that stocks are more overvalued than the tech bubble. How will this impact real estate? What happened...
Inflation highest in 40 years, mortgage rates touch 4%
Inflation plowed ahead at its fastest 12-month pace in nearly 40 years during December, according to a closely watched gauge the Labor Department released Wednesday. The stock and bond markets are suddenly awake, with mortgage rates skyrocketing almost 4% from a low...


























