Three Housing Economists Walk Into a Conference Room in Miami. No Can Openers Involved.
At the NAREE 60th Annual Real Estate Journalism Conference in Miami, three leading housing economists—CBRE’s Matt Mowell, NAR chief Lawrence Yun and Cotality’s Selma Hepp—converged on a common view of a market in transition. Mortgage rates have stalled near 6.5%, keeping affordability improvements modest while future moves hinge on oil price swings and Federal Reserve policy. A “lock‑in” effect sees pre‑2022 owners holding low‑rate mortgages, limiting resale activity, and 13.1 million homeowners face capital‑gains tax exposure that could double with further price gains. Regional price trends diverge sharply, and commercial real‑estate valuations present a rare buying opportunity with projected 7‑8% returns through 2030.
The Oldest Real Estate Trick in the Book — And How It Could Make Homeownership Affordable
Jubilee Homes offers a ground‑lease model where buyers purchase only the structure while the company retains the land, financing the building with a conventional mortgage and charging a monthly lease payment. By removing land, which can represent 40‑75% of value...
My Family Isn't Rich but I Have $2 Million in Company Stock. How Much Should I Sell?
A former employee who helped build a startup now faces a $2 million equity windfall after the company’s IPO. The author asks how much of the stock to sell and how to allocate the proceeds, citing both financial and emotional concerns....
America's Households Are $18.8 Trillion in Debt. That's $154,152 per Person. Here's How It's Affecting the Spring Market.
U.S. household debt surged to a record $18.8 trillion, or about $154,000 per person, driven largely by mortgages. At the same time, mortgage delinquencies are climbing, with FHA loans hitting an 11.5% delinquency rate and distress spreading across income brackets. The...
My Parents Have Made Some Horrible Financial Decisions.
A reader asks how to stop his parents from draining their retirement savings to fund an unemployed brother, his wife, and four grandchildren, despite a vague promise that a grandparent’s estate will eventually be shared among the grandchildren. The advice...
My Parents Gave Us $30,000 for Our Daughter’s Education. I Can’t Believe How My Husband Wants to Spend It.
The couple received a $30,000 education trust for their two‑year‑old daughter after the grandparents sold stock. The husband’s brother was arrested, and the husband is urging the wife to divert $15,000 of the trust for bail. The wife worries the...
Boomers Own the Housing Market. Everyone Else Is Getting Priced Out
The National Association of REALTORS released its 2026 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends report, revealing that first‑time buyers fell to a record low of 21% of all home purchases. Baby Boomers dominate the market, making up 42% of buyers...
I’m About to Give My Daughters a Lot of Money.
A parent plans to give each of his two daughters $100,000 from an inheritance. For the older daughter, the choice between a cash gift or paying contractors directly has no tax difference, but any gift over the $19,000 annual exclusion...
The Housing Market Is Shifting Under Our Feet. Here's What That Means for You
John Burns Research + Consulting warned that U.S. housing demand is being reshaped by a dramatic drop in immigration and a cooling of domestic migration. H‑1B visa applications fell 87% and net immigration is down 82% year‑over‑year, hurting buyer traffic...
Your Blueprint for Resilience: How to Thrive When the Ground Keeps Shifting
The post urges freelancers and gig workers to treat their careers like adaptable businesses, emphasizing diversification, a CEO‑style revenue mix, and relationship capital. It shares the author’s 30‑year pivot journey and outlines a four‑pillar blueprint: map income streams, define irreplaceable...