Nike is a bellwether for the retail industry and general economy generating over 40 billion in annual revenue making it one of the largest athletic retailers in the world. Since 2006 revenue has consistently increased every year. In June, Nike announced that sales...
Hard Money Blog
Did housing market pull a V and defy all odds?
Happy summer to everyone, hopefully you are taking some time to get outside with your friends and family to de stress . Last week, I wrote about the general economy not following a V shaped economic pattern, which I still believe, but housing seems to be marching to...
V-shaped recovery? 106 million people say No.
The stock market has been pricing in a fast and rapid V-shaped recovery, yet 106 million people and various businesses like United Airlines are painting a radically different picture. As Alan Greenspan, the former fed chief, famously said: markets can exhibit...
2020 was already tough for real estate, then Coronavirus hit, what is the impact?
We are still funding in cash. Before the Pandemic, the United States economy was on track with the longest running bull market, record low inflation wages increasing, record low unemployment, and historically low mortgage rates. Even with all this good news, there...
2020, the year of the moose; will you survive?
2020 is now the year of the moose! Why the moose? Wrong place wrong time; 4 tips to survive. Last week, I got up early for a quick run. I grabbed my shoes and Luna (my Siberian husky) and hit the trail (pic of trail above). About a mile into the run I hear...
NY Bans real estate fees: residents leave, will your state/city be a winner?
NY city is changing the real estate game implementing a ban on the NYC rental broker fee and making a host of other changes. At the same time New York leads all U.S. metro areas as the largest net loser with 277 people moving every day. What are the new laws? How...
Unemployment hits all time highs yet house prices continue to rise; Why?
We are in an interesting economic cycle. In the last recession, house prices plummeted up to 60% in some areas. We currently hit the highest unemployment rate since the great depression yet house prices continue to appreciate. This is exactly the opposite of what...
I’ll bet your life rates are going down
Would you bet your life on interest rates? Life insurance companies are making a huge gamble on rates, they are willing to bet their life and yours on the direction of interest rates. Why are life insurance companies suspending new policies? What does this mean for...
Actual vs perceived risk, how does this impact real estate?
I'm doing my part for social distancing! As I’m working from home, I looked out the window and noticed a lone biker weaving while riding down the road. They suddenly came inches away from hitting a parked car. Were they drunk? No, they were wearing a mask and their...
Did the fed accidentally trigger a housing market crash?
I hope everyone is doing well in light of the recent events. I was recently asked: “Did the Federal Reserve trigger a housing market crash?” What happened? The Coronavirus struck, the fed had to act swiftly to mitigate the damage, but by flooding the market with...
Will Airbnb & WeWork go out of business, Mickey Mouse turns off the lights, impact on real estate
Disney World closes, ski resorts shut down, Hawaii quarantines all visitors , and travel comes to a screeching halt. What happens to the “sharing economy” when people stop sharing? What does this mean for Airbnb and companies like WeWork? For almost 60% of people...
GDP decline 30%, 22 million jobs lost, is this the real story?
I always love spring in the Rocky Mountains, to see the pull of the seasons with snow and flowers starting to bloom. Eventually spring always wins 🙂 If you read the news, it sounds like the world is crumbling with 22 million jobs lost and a predicted 30% GDP...
Banks intentionally lower credit scores
We are still lending in cash! It is amazing that the federal reserve has flooded the markets with cash enabling banks to borrower at historic rates. Furthermore, banks are considerably healthier today than they were in 2008. Unfortunately, this is not translating to...
2020 summer Olympics moved; impact on US real estate, 153 Billion lost?
We are still funding in cash! The 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo have officially been rescheduled to 2021. As the world copes with the Coronavirus pandemic, cities and countries around the world have shut borders and ordered stay at home orders to stop the spread of...
The new real estate drug, coming off this high will be tough
Like many of you I had a “rocky” ride in the last real estate recession and successfully learned many “million-dollar” lessons that were very painful. One of the key takeaways from the last recession is that risks lurk in plain sight. Hindsight 20-20 it was...
Coronavirus lending 101: What do you need to know to get funding
The Coronavirus pandemic has thrown the economy off a cliff leaving many equity rich property owners with no cash flow. The pandemic has caused many residential and commercial tenants to defer or totally miss payments as the economy shuts down. Property owners are...
Mortgage rates drop, then rise; what should you do?
We are still lending as we fund and hold our loans in cash! If you have been watching the mortgage market, your head is likely spinning. Last week, a mortgage rates drop for 30-year fixed mortgages hit a record low of 3% less than a week later rates have...
Coronavirus raises your property taxes, are you ready for a 3.8 billion dollar property tax bill?
First, I wanted to give a hats off to this guy for taking social distancing to the next level. He hiked out about a mile on thin ice to ensure he was doing his part 🙂 Coronavirus has caused the Federal Reserve to drastically cut rates to almost zero due to the...
Labor market strong. Markets drop 20 % in a week.
With the labor market looking up, we decided to "hire" a new employee, Luna. She will be working out of our Colorado office and focusing on property inspections (and anything that has to do with snow). Please welcome her to the team 🙂 The Labor Department...
Mortgage rate increase, still funding in cash
First, I hope everyone is doing okay with everything going on. As many banks and other lenders pull back thru the pandemic and the mortgage rate increase we are still funding. We fund and hold all of our loans in cash without leverage so we will continue to...
Markets tank from coronavirus scare
The picture above is a bit more relaxing to look at as opposed to the media barrage of the coronavirus and stock market (do you know where I took the pic, hint in CO, email me if you know). The Coronavirus has caused stock markets around the world to quickly sell off...
60% chance mortgage rates plunge: The fed disagrees!
We are at an interesting crossroads in the economy. The Federal Reserve and economic data show that the economy is very strong with consumer spending and confidence at all-time highs. At the same time the bond market is portraying a different picture after a new...
Vail resort visits down 8%, one in foreclosure
Vail recently announced that skier visits through January 5th are down 7.8% across all its resort properties while lift ticket revenue was flat. With prices not increasing, how are visits down yet revenue still flat? What does this have to do with one ski resort in...
How to Invest in ski real estate: Are you a Costco or Walmart investor?
It is ski time in the Rocky Mountains with over 250 inches in many of the resort communities. Do you know where the picture was taken (hint it is a "Costco" resort, email me if you know)? Although there is plenty of snow and cold weather, mountain...
Nike sales plunge 40%, Microsoft closing all their stores, What about real estate? Who will win?
Nike is a bellwether for the retail industry and general economy generating over 40 billion in annual revenue making it one of the largest athletic retailers in the world. Since 2006 revenue has consistently increased every year. In June, Nike announced that sales...
Did housing market pull a V and defy all odds?
Happy summer to everyone, hopefully you are taking some time to get outside with your friends and family to de stress . Last week, I wrote about the general economy not following a V shaped economic pattern, which I still believe, but housing seems to be marching to...
V-shaped recovery? 106 million people say No.
The stock market has been pricing in a fast and rapid V-shaped recovery, yet 106 million people and various businesses like United Airlines are painting a radically different picture. As Alan Greenspan, the former fed chief, famously said: markets can exhibit...
2020 was already tough for real estate, then Coronavirus hit, what is the impact?
We are still funding in cash. Before the Pandemic, the United States economy was on track with the longest running bull market, record low inflation wages increasing, record low unemployment, and historically low mortgage rates. Even with all this good news, there...
2020, the year of the moose; will you survive?
2020 is now the year of the moose! Why the moose? Wrong place wrong time; 4 tips to survive. Last week, I got up early for a quick run. I grabbed my shoes and Luna (my Siberian husky) and hit the trail (pic of trail above). About a mile into the run I hear...
NY Bans real estate fees: residents leave, will your state/city be a winner?
NY city is changing the real estate game implementing a ban on the NYC rental broker fee and making a host of other changes. At the same time New York leads all U.S. metro areas as the largest net loser with 277 people moving every day. What are the new laws? How...
Unemployment hits all time highs yet house prices continue to rise; Why?
We are in an interesting economic cycle. In the last recession, house prices plummeted up to 60% in some areas. We currently hit the highest unemployment rate since the great depression yet house prices continue to appreciate. This is exactly the opposite of what...
I’ll bet your life rates are going down
Would you bet your life on interest rates? Life insurance companies are making a huge gamble on rates, they are willing to bet their life and yours on the direction of interest rates. Why are life insurance companies suspending new policies? What does this mean for...
Actual vs perceived risk, how does this impact real estate?
I'm doing my part for social distancing! As I’m working from home, I looked out the window and noticed a lone biker weaving while riding down the road. They suddenly came inches away from hitting a parked car. Were they drunk? No, they were wearing a mask and their...
Did the fed accidentally trigger a housing market crash?
I hope everyone is doing well in light of the recent events. I was recently asked: “Did the Federal Reserve trigger a housing market crash?” What happened? The Coronavirus struck, the fed had to act swiftly to mitigate the damage, but by flooding the market with...
Will Airbnb & WeWork go out of business, Mickey Mouse turns off the lights, impact on real estate
Disney World closes, ski resorts shut down, Hawaii quarantines all visitors , and travel comes to a screeching halt. What happens to the “sharing economy” when people stop sharing? What does this mean for Airbnb and companies like WeWork? For almost 60% of people...
GDP decline 30%, 22 million jobs lost, is this the real story?
I always love spring in the Rocky Mountains, to see the pull of the seasons with snow and flowers starting to bloom. Eventually spring always wins 🙂 If you read the news, it sounds like the world is crumbling with 22 million jobs lost and a predicted 30% GDP...
Banks intentionally lower credit scores
We are still lending in cash! It is amazing that the federal reserve has flooded the markets with cash enabling banks to borrower at historic rates. Furthermore, banks are considerably healthier today than they were in 2008. Unfortunately, this is not translating to...
2020 summer Olympics moved; impact on US real estate, 153 Billion lost?
We are still funding in cash! The 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo have officially been rescheduled to 2021. As the world copes with the Coronavirus pandemic, cities and countries around the world have shut borders and ordered stay at home orders to stop the spread of...
The new real estate drug, coming off this high will be tough
Like many of you I had a “rocky” ride in the last real estate recession and successfully learned many “million-dollar” lessons that were very painful. One of the key takeaways from the last recession is that risks lurk in plain sight. Hindsight 20-20 it was...
Coronavirus lending 101: What do you need to know to get funding
The Coronavirus pandemic has thrown the economy off a cliff leaving many equity rich property owners with no cash flow. The pandemic has caused many residential and commercial tenants to defer or totally miss payments as the economy shuts down. Property owners are...
Mortgage rates drop, then rise; what should you do?
We are still lending as we fund and hold our loans in cash! If you have been watching the mortgage market, your head is likely spinning. Last week, a mortgage rates drop for 30-year fixed mortgages hit a record low of 3% less than a week later rates have...
Coronavirus raises your property taxes, are you ready for a 3.8 billion dollar property tax bill?
First, I wanted to give a hats off to this guy for taking social distancing to the next level. He hiked out about a mile on thin ice to ensure he was doing his part 🙂 Coronavirus has caused the Federal Reserve to drastically cut rates to almost zero due to the...
Labor market strong. Markets drop 20 % in a week.
With the labor market looking up, we decided to "hire" a new employee, Luna. She will be working out of our Colorado office and focusing on property inspections (and anything that has to do with snow). Please welcome her to the team 🙂 The Labor Department...
Mortgage rate increase, still funding in cash
First, I hope everyone is doing okay with everything going on. As many banks and other lenders pull back thru the pandemic and the mortgage rate increase we are still funding. We fund and hold all of our loans in cash without leverage so we will continue to...
Markets tank from coronavirus scare
The picture above is a bit more relaxing to look at as opposed to the media barrage of the coronavirus and stock market (do you know where I took the pic, hint in CO, email me if you know). The Coronavirus has caused stock markets around the world to quickly sell off...
60% chance mortgage rates plunge: The fed disagrees!
We are at an interesting crossroads in the economy. The Federal Reserve and economic data show that the economy is very strong with consumer spending and confidence at all-time highs. At the same time the bond market is portraying a different picture after a new...
Vail resort visits down 8%, one in foreclosure
Vail recently announced that skier visits through January 5th are down 7.8% across all its resort properties while lift ticket revenue was flat. With prices not increasing, how are visits down yet revenue still flat? What does this have to do with one ski resort in...
How to Invest in ski real estate: Are you a Costco or Walmart investor?
It is ski time in the Rocky Mountains with over 250 inches in many of the resort communities. Do you know where the picture was taken (hint it is a "Costco" resort, email me if you know)? Although there is plenty of snow and cold weather, mountain...