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...
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...
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...
The Coronavirus has created a unique financial situation. Unemployment rates are at record highs, with companies announcing long term downsizing. At the same time residential real estate is hitting new records and continues to increase in the face of the economic...
I wanted to highlight Atlanta, Georgia as it is one of the top ten metro areas in the country, we have an office there, and we are intimately familiar with the real estate market. Furthermore, it is a typical large city and a good indicator for the country as...
As I was working from home the other day on the deck, my dogs started barking and I look over my shoulder to see this guy staring at me… I’m looking forward to getting back to the office 😊 Most companies have now realized that they can work as...
The mortgage market is an interesting animal. Long term mortgage rates traditionally track the 10 year treasury and historically trade in a very narrow band, approximately one percent higher than the 10 year treasuries. This would put mortgages today in the low 2%...
Commercial property values were recently hitting peaks with investors rushing to invest in high quality commercial real estate as yields on other assets like treasuries continued to languish. Now the tides have turned with some high quality commercial property now...
When the shutdowns from the pandemic rippled through the economy, I saw statistics that up to a third of all mortgages could end in default. At the same time, home sales of previously owned homes just dropped to a 10 year low. What is going on in the housing...
Do you know where the next mortgage defaults will occur in your city? What cities and zip codes are most at risk during this recession? In every recession, there are two predictors of default/loss, collateral and equity. What does the data tell us today?...
Presidential nominee Biden has rolled out his proposed tax plan with two major pillars that will impact real estate pros. 1) Elimination of the 1031 exchange provision 2) elimination of long term capital gains. These two changes, if passed, will have huge...
From March 1 through the end of May, Americans deferred debt payments on more than 100 million accounts, according to credit-reporting firm TransUnion, a sign of widespread financial distress. Millions are out of work, yet house prices are increasing in most...
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...
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...
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...
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 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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
The Coronavirus has created a unique financial situation. Unemployment rates are at record highs, with companies announcing long term downsizing. At the same time residential real estate is hitting new records and continues to increase in the face of the economic...
I wanted to highlight Atlanta, Georgia as it is one of the top ten metro areas in the country, we have an office there, and we are intimately familiar with the real estate market. Furthermore, it is a typical large city and a good indicator for the country as...
As I was working from home the other day on the deck, my dogs started barking and I look over my shoulder to see this guy staring at me… I’m looking forward to getting back to the office 😊 Most companies have now realized that they can work as...
The mortgage market is an interesting animal. Long term mortgage rates traditionally track the 10 year treasury and historically trade in a very narrow band, approximately one percent higher than the 10 year treasuries. This would put mortgages today in the low 2%...
Commercial property values were recently hitting peaks with investors rushing to invest in high quality commercial real estate as yields on other assets like treasuries continued to languish. Now the tides have turned with some high quality commercial property now...
When the shutdowns from the pandemic rippled through the economy, I saw statistics that up to a third of all mortgages could end in default. At the same time, home sales of previously owned homes just dropped to a 10 year low. What is going on in the housing...
Do you know where the next mortgage defaults will occur in your city? What cities and zip codes are most at risk during this recession? In every recession, there are two predictors of default/loss, collateral and equity. What does the data tell us today?...
Presidential nominee Biden has rolled out his proposed tax plan with two major pillars that will impact real estate pros. 1) Elimination of the 1031 exchange provision 2) elimination of long term capital gains. These two changes, if passed, will have huge...
From March 1 through the end of May, Americans deferred debt payments on more than 100 million accounts, according to credit-reporting firm TransUnion, a sign of widespread financial distress. Millions are out of work, yet house prices are increasing in most...
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...
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...
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...
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 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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
