The 1% Rule of Real Estate Investing
The 1 % rule is a quick screening metric that requires a rental property's gross monthly rent to equal at least 1 % of its all‑in purchase price, including repair costs. Originating in an era of high mortgage rates, it helps investors rapidly filter prospects before detailed analysis. Today, elevated financing costs and soaring home prices make the rule harder to meet in major metros, prompting many to adjust the threshold or rely on complementary metrics. The rule remains valuable in affordable markets and as a first‑pass filter when paired with deeper cash‑flow calculations.
Foreclosures 'Could Signal Shifting Housing Market Dynamics'
Foreclosure filings rose to 118,727 in the first quarter, up 6 % from the prior quarter and 26 % year‑over‑year, according to Attom data. The increase is driven mainly by a rise in foreclosure starts, which are edging toward the 100,000 threshold....
A Strategic Playbook for Opportunity Zones 2.0
Opportunity Zones (OZ) have been made permanent and will roll out new regulations in 2026. Starting July 1, states and U.S. territories have a 90‑day window to nominate up to 25% of eligible tracts for the next decade’s Qualified Opportunity Zones...
Verus' Latest RMBS Deal Raises $733.8 Million
Verus Securitization Trust launched a $733.8 million residential mortgage‑backed securities (RMBS) transaction, series 2026‑4, backed by 1,433 moderately leveraged non‑prime mortgages. The pool has a weighted‑average loan‑to‑value of 69 % and a combined LTV of 70.5 %, with a weighted‑average coupon of 7.17 %. The...
China March New Home Prices -3.4% Y/Y (February -3.2%)
China's March 2026 home price data showed a continued year‑on‑year decline of 3.4%, slightly deeper than February’s 3.2% drop. However, Tier‑1 cities recorded a month‑on‑month price increase, while the downward pressure in Tier‑2 and Tier‑3 markets narrowed or stabilized. A...
JLS: Mortgages Are Attractive
Nuveen Mortgage and Income Fund (JLS) is a leveraged closed‑end fund that overweights RMBS and CMBS while maintaining a low‑duration profile. Recent interest‑rate volatility has depressed mortgage‑bond prices, creating a favorable risk‑reward balance for the fund. JLS trades near the...
E-Commerce Giant Signs at Panattoni Park Crawley in Largest South East Leasing of the Year
Panattoni Park Crawley, a 200,000‑sq‑ft grade‑A logistics campus in the South East, has been fully leased to an e‑commerce retailer believed to be Amazon under a 10‑year agreement. The lease, the largest such transaction in the region this year, covers...
Prime London Housing Sales Plummet 41% Year on Year, LonRes Finds
London's prime housing market saw a sharp contraction in March, with transaction volume plunging 41% year‑on‑year, according to LonRes data. Average achieved sale prices fell 5.5% versus the previous year and 7.5% compared with the 2017‑19 March average. By contrast,...
Bonus Season Goes Brick-and-Mortar: How Wall Street Pay Is Repricing US Property
Wall Street’s 2025 bonus pool surged to a record $49.2 bn, a 9% increase that lifted the average payout to $246,900. The windfall of liquidity is flowing into U.S. real estate, from trophy estates in the Hamptons—where sales topped $6.3 bn—to workforce‑housing...
Abacus Capital Scores $111M Refi on Danbury Apartments
Abacus Capital Group secured a $111.41 million refinancing loan for Abbey Lane Apartments, a 470‑unit Class A multifamily complex in Danbury, Connecticut. The loan was arranged by Newmark’s Multifamily Debt & Structured Finance team and funded by Fannie Mae. Abbey Lane offers...
Basel III Proposal Could Boost CMBS Demand
The Federal Reserve, FDIC and OCC have re‑proposed Basel III capital rules that lower risk weights for commercial‑mortgage‑backed securities (CMBS). Senior positions will see the minimum risk weight drop from 20% to 15%, while overall CRE risk weights could fall to...
Investment in European Serviced Apartments Hits €1.2bn as Demand Strengthens
Investment in European serviced apartments surged to €1.2 billion (≈$1.3 billion) this year, according to Savills. The sector’s demand growth is now outpacing the broader hotel market across key cities. Investors are attracted by higher yields and longer‑term leases, while developers scramble...
Builder Sentiment Posts Notable Decline on Economic Uncertainty
Builder confidence for new single‑family homes slipped to 34 in April, the lowest reading since September 2025, according to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. The decline reflects persistent high mortgage rates, rising material costs tied to higher fuel prices, and...
Mortgage Activity Picks up for First Time in Five Weeks as Rates Fall
Mortgage demand in early April rose 1.8% after five weeks of decline, driven by a modest dip in 30‑year fixed rates to 6.42%. Refinance activity jumped 5% and now accounts for 45.5% of all applications, while purchase applications slipped 1%...
Warehouse Automation Expands Real Estate Value as Adoption Accelerates, Notes Prologis Report
Prologis’ new report links rising warehouse automation to higher demand for well‑located, technology‑enabled logistics real estate. Automation now powers roughly 30% of U.S. warehouses, up from 20‑25% five years ago, and is projected to hit 50% by 2035. The study...
A Billionaire Beach Party: Mark Zuckerberg’s $170 Million Florida Purchase Tops March’s Most Expensive Home Sales
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan bought a waterfront estate on Indian Creek Island for $170 million, making it the most expensive U.S. home sale in March and the priciest ever in Miami‑Dade County. The purchase tops a list dominated by coastal...
Saudi Arabia’s Hotel Boom Has a Catch: Rates Are Falling Fast
Saudi Arabia’s hospitality sector exploded in 2025, with licensed hotel facilities expanding 34.2% year‑over‑year. At the same time, average room rates slipped 11.7% between Q4 2024 and Q4 2025, even as occupancy and visitor numbers rose. Tourism already accounts for about 5%...
Suntec Reit Eyes Injection of 9 Penang Road From Sponsor Into Portfolio
Suntec REIT’s new sponsor, Tang Organization, is evaluating the re‑injection of the 9 Penang Road office‑retail tower, a property the trust sold in 2021 for about S$89.9 million (≈$66.5 million). The REIT currently trades roughly 30% below its net asset value, though the discount...
Iran War Helped Freeze L.A.'s Housing Market. Some Hope Ceasefire Will Bring More Sales
The Iran‑War‑driven surge in mortgage rates pushed Los Angeles’ housing market into a deep freeze, with only 3,072 homes sold in January—the lowest monthly total in three years. Rates climbed to 6.46%, sidelining first‑time buyers and extending median listing times to...
GPE Reports Record Leasing Activity and £490m Disposals
GPE announced a record leasing year, driven by unusually strong demand for office space in Central London. The firm’s leasing activity eclipsed previous benchmarks, signaling renewed confidence among tenants despite broader market uncertainty. In parallel, GPE disposed of assets worth...
Merryn Talks Money: The Contrarian Case for London (Podcast)
Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek note that UK house prices have barely outpaced inflation over the last ten years, with London’s real‑price values actually declining. Guest Daniel Austin, CEO of ASK Partners, argues that despite high transaction costs and policy uncertainty, prime central‑London...
Brent Cross Town Secures £188.7m Refinancing of First BTR Assets
Related Argent secured a £188.7 million (≈ $236 million) refinancing from HSBC and Barclays for the first two build‑to‑rent assets of its Brent Cross Town masterplan in north London. The assets, branded The Maple, will deliver 540 homes alongside a 25 m pool, gym, co‑working...
Segro European Logistics Partnership Prices €500m Senior Unsecured Bond
Segro and its PSP Investments joint venture has priced a €500 million senior unsecured bond. The bond, equivalent to roughly $545 million, is aimed at financing the partnership’s European logistics portfolio. The JV’s assets now total €6.8 billion (about $7.4 billion), spanning key markets...
Auction Market Strengthens in March as Sales and Values Rise
Auction activity in the UK surged in March, with 2,897 lots sold—a 20.3% year‑on‑year increase—and total funds raised climbing to £559.1 million (about $710 million), up 16.6%. The overall success rate stayed near 68.6%, indicating demand kept pace with the larger supply....
Auction Market Outlook Is “Cautiously Optimistic” – Propertymark
The NAVA Propertymark Advisory Panel sees the UK auction market as "cautiously optimistic" after a strong start to 2026. In the first quarter, roughly 90% of lots offered were sold, with entry levels holding steady despite broader economic uncertainty. Data...
The Melbourne Suburb Transforming with More New Apartments than Any Other
South Melbourne is emerging as Melbourne’s most active apartment precinct, with eight new residential projects currently under construction. The surge is tied to its proximity to the massive Fishermans Bend urban renewal zone, which is reshaping the city’s south‑west corridor. Recent...
California’s Housing Market Is Still All Over the Clock—Despite Years of Reform
California’s housing market remains fragmented despite more than 180 land‑use reforms since 2017. The Realtor.com Market Clock shows metros ranging from an early seller’s market in San Francisco to early buyer territory in Riverside. Permit issuances dropped to about 101,500 units...
Edmond De Rothschild Looks to Sell £71m Resi Rental Portfolio
Edmond de Rothschild Real Estate Investment Management is marketing a portfolio of 405 rental homes across Glasgow, Nottingham, Newcastle and Leicester for more than £71 million (about $90 million). The four buildings, known as the Coyote Portfolio, comprise 235,973 sq ft and were constructed...
China’s Data Centers Are Plugging Into REIT-Style Financing Wave
China’s data‑center operators are turning to a nascent asset‑backed security format, raising over $1 billion from yield‑seeking investors. The holding‑type real‑asset‑backed securities, introduced less than three years ago, have accelerated rapidly, with nearly 70% of total issuance occurring in the past...
Development Site Sale Sets Carroll Gardens Pricing Record
Marcus & Millichap closed the sale of 101‑103 Luquer St. in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens for $5.25 million, translating to $503 per buildable square foot—a record price for the neighborhood. The 5,217‑square‑foot lot provides roughly 10,434 buildable square feet, suitable for condos, townhouses or rentals,...
Jumbo Loans Are Creeping Into Non-QM, HELOC Securities
Bank of America Securities reports that loans of $1 million or more are increasingly showing up in private‑label residential mortgage‑backed securities, even outside the traditional jumbo market. The average balance for second‑lien and HELOC securitizations rose from $88,000 to $95,000, while...
The Senate Housing Bill Still Isn't Law, But It Has Already Paralyzed The Build-To-Rent Market
The Senate’s 21st Century Road to Housing Act, passed on March 12, includes a seven‑year forced‑sale rule for large build‑to‑rent (BTR) developers. The provision has triggered an immediate freeze in BTR financing and sales, with major lenders such as Fannie Mae...
Gen Z, Millennial Homeowners Struggle with Mortgage Payments
A 2026 ServiceLink State of Homebuying Report shows nearly half of Gen Z homeowners and 44% of millennials risk missing a mortgage payment, with 14‑15% facing repeated missed payments. LendingTree data reveals Gen Z borrowers allocate 24.5% of monthly income to mortgage...
Manhattan Sees Strongest Quarter of Property Sales Since 2021: Report
Manhattan recorded its strongest quarter of property sales since 2021, with total deal volume rising 33% quarter‑over‑quarter to $3.7 billion across 92 transactions in Q1 2026. Multifamily led the surge, accounting for 44% of the market and generating $1.07 billion, while office...
Phoenix Hotel Developers Building To Make Up For Lost Time
Phoenix’s hotel market is entering a rapid expansion phase, with developers slated to open 3,650 rooms across 22 new properties in 2026—an increase of 117% from the prior year and second only to New York in volume. The surge is driven...
Home Addition vs Moving: Raleigh Investment Guide 2026
Raleigh’s housing market in 2026 is marked by soaring prices, limited inventory and homeowners clinging to low‑rate mortgages. Faced with high moving costs and fierce competition, many are turning to home‑addition contractors to expand their existing homes. Additions offer predictable...
Morningstar DBRS Assigns Credit Rating to the Mortgage Loan Made to BGN Properties Palm Gate, LP
Morningstar DBRS assigned an A (high) rating with a Stable trend to a $14 million, 2.860% interest‑only mortgage loan due 2032 for BGN Properties Palm Gate, LP. The loan is secured by the Palm Gate Apartments, a 264‑unit multifamily complex in...
Canada’s Mall Redevelopment Boom Hits a Wall
Canada’s mall‑redevelopment boom is stalling as a weak condo market, rising construction costs and tighter credit curb mixed‑use projects. High‑profile plans such as Cloverdale Mall’s 4,000‑unit tower have been cancelled after pre‑sales fell below the 70 % threshold. Lenders are pulling...
New-Home Purchase Applications Hit Record High in March
New‑home purchase applications surged 11% year‑over‑year in March, the strongest pace since the MBA’s 2012 inception. Volume jumped 26% from February, pushing the builders index to a record high and lifting annualized sales estimates to 717,000 units. Despite higher mortgage...
HighBrook Recapitalizes Dutch Last-Mile Logistics Portfolio with StepStone
HighBrook Capital Partners has recapitalized a Dutch last‑mile logistics portfolio owned by CityLink. The transaction brings fresh equity alongside StepStone Group, which joins as a co‑investor. The new capital will be used to accelerate CityLink’s expansion across core European urban...
Trinity and UBS Secure $600M Refi for Diplomat Resort in South Florida
Trinity Investments and UBS have refinanced the 1,000‑room Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida with a $600 million loan led by J.P. Morgan Chase ($420 million) and Citi ($180 million). The new mortgage pushes total debt to $600 million, up $148 million from the prior...
Residential MBS Issuance Declines Slightly in First Quarter
Residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS) issuance slipped modestly in the first quarter, suggesting a slight cooling in mortgage financing after a year of robust growth. A planned “major housing announcement” by FHFA and HUD was postponed, leaving market participants awaiting guidance...
Lender Selling $140M Downtown D.C. Office Loan With 'Path To Ownership'
JLL is marketing the sale of a $140 million loan secured by the 306,000‑square‑foot office building at 700 Sixth Street NW in downtown Washington, D.C. The loan, originated in May 2019 by Principal Real Estate Investors, carries a 3.7% fixed rate and...
Single-Family Permits Decline Sharply to Start 2026
Residential construction entered 2026 with a stark split between housing segments. Single‑family permits dropped 15.2% year‑over‑year to 62,034 units, reflecting higher borrowing costs and tightening affordability. Multifamily permits held steady, slipping only 0.5% to 38,215 units, showing resilience amid regional...
Pair of Townhouses Leads Brooklyn’s Luxury Contracts
Brooklyn’s luxury market saw 20 contracts worth $71 million last week, down from 26 deals totaling $79 million the prior week. The median asking price was $2.7 million and the average price per square foot $1,434. The top deal was an $8.5 million townhouse...
Paul Hastings’ Partner on Increased Importance of Cross-Border Tax for REITs
Chris Mangin Jr., a tax partner at Paul Hastings, told Nareit’s REITwise 2026 conference that cross‑border tax considerations are becoming pivotal for REITs seeking overseas capital to fund infrastructure, AI and data‑center projects. Public‑market constraints are pushing REITs toward private equity,...
Expats Returning From Middle East Face Mortgages Hurdles in the UK
Returning expatriates from the Middle East are encountering significant obstacles when applying for UK mortgages. Lenders view the lack of recent UK credit history and foreign‑currency income as high‑risk, often steering borrowers toward specialist expat mortgage products. These niche loans...
NYC’s Top Deals: Pro Tennis Player Drops $5M on Co-Op at the Dakota
From April 10‑13, New York City recorded 158 transactions worth $240 million. The most expensive commercial sale was a 142‑unit building in Fort George for $10.1 million, while the residential market saw a $12 million Tribeca penthouse and a $25.1 million Central Park West condo change hands. Former...
A&o Secures £761m Refinancing to Pave Way for Ambitious Growth Plans
European hostel operator a&o Hostels has secured a €874 million (≈ $952 million) refinancing facility from Apollo‑managed funds, replacing its prior loan. The new senior multi‑year loan is collateralised by its portfolio of 44 hostels in 32 cities and funds the second €500 million...
Spring Purchase Activity Jumps Despite Climbing Rates
Purchase activity surged in March, with mortgage locks up 38% from February and 20% year‑over‑year, despite 30‑year rates climbing to 6.35%. Buyers made up 71% of locks, while adjustable‑rate mortgages rose to 12% of production, the highest since Oct 2022. Total...