Home Depot slides, house prices stabilize, consumers will keep spending

Home Depot slides, house prices stabilize, consumers will keep spending

  Interesting times we are in.  Consumers keep spending big on services like travel and eating out, but on the flip side Home Depot just reported its first drop since the pandemic.  On the other hand Target tops earnings estimates.  What is driving the continued...
Consumer debt passes $17 trillion for the first time despite slide in mortgage demand

Consumer debt passes $17 trillion for the first time despite slide in mortgage demand

  Households added $148 billion in overall debt, bringing the total to $17.05 trillion, according to a report released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Monday. Balances are now $2.9 trillion higher than just before the pandemic.  What categories are...
Commercial real estate falls first time since 2011; what is causing the decline?

Commercial real estate falls first time since 2011; what is causing the decline?

US commercial real estate prices fell in the first quarter for the first time in more than a decade, according to Moody’s Analytics, heightening the risk of more financial stress in the banking industry.  What property types are declining? (hint not just office...
2023 real estate predictions update: Mortgage rates decline, banks fail, impact on real estate prices

2023 real estate predictions update: Mortgage rates decline, banks fail, impact on real estate prices

A lot has changed since my year end update, four major banks have collapsed, and the market is now signaling a recession with interest rates beginning to fall.  What does this mean for real estate in the second half of the year?  Are there any big changes to my...
64% living paycheck to paycheck; what is the real estate impact?

64% living paycheck to paycheck; what is the real estate impact?

  The share of Americans who say they live paycheck-to-paycheck climbed last year, and most of the new arrivals in that category were among the country’s higher earners (greater than 100k), a new study shows.  Furthermore 24% had issues paying their bills in...
Higher credit score borrowers pay more under new government rule

Higher credit score borrowers pay more under new government rule

No this is not a joke, I had to read the recent Fannie Mae press release multiple times to actually believe what I was reading.  Who would have ever thought that someone with a high credit score above 740 would be penalized for having a high score.  Under a new rule...