Jury finds realtors conspired to keep commissions high

Jury finds realtors conspired to keep commissions high

A federal jury on Tuesday found the National Association of Realtors and large residential brokerages liable for about $1.8 billion in damages after determining they conspired to keep commissions for home sales artificially high.  Two major real estate companies have...
Fed has lost control of interest rates

Fed has lost control of interest rates

Housing industry urges Fed to stop raising rates, does it even matter? Top real estate and banking officials are calling on the Federal Reserve to stop raising interest rates as the industry suffers through surging housing costs and a “historic shortage” of available...
Job gains shatter expectation; impact on real estate

Job gains shatter expectation; impact on real estate

The economists forecasting the jobs data missed big time, with the recent jobs report almost double their predictions.  Why is job growth still surging while interest rates hit 20 year highs.  What does this mean for future interest rate increases?  Does this change...
16 percent drop in Luxury spending, I created a model to predict when real estate prices will fall.

16 percent drop in Luxury spending, I created a model to predict when real estate prices will fall.

In the past recessions, especially in 2008, just prior to the crash we saw a big pull back in luxury purchases.  This was an early indicator of huge drops in real estate prices.  Currently we are seeing a resounding change in luxury spending, does this mean luxury...
Soft Landing, Hard landing, does it even matter for real estate?  

Soft Landing, Hard landing, does it even matter for real estate?  

Earlier in the year most economists and myself predicted a recession by now, but the cards have changed with most now predicting the opposite, a soft landing.  What is a soft landing? Is a soft or hard landing better for real estate?  Does it really matter which...
4 banks fail, Close to 190 banks could collapse, according to study.

4 banks fail, Close to 190 banks could collapse, according to study.

  After the demise of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March, a study on the fragility of the U.S. banking system found that 186 more banks are at risk of failure even if only half of their uninsured depositors (uninsured depositors stand to lose a part...