FHLB Council Maps Out Mortgage Credit Expansion Plan
President Trump’s executive order on mortgage credit gives the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) system a new legal footing to expand funding options. The Council of Federal Home Loan Banks, led by Ryan Donovan, outlined a roadmap that includes a letter‑of‑credit mechanism with the Federal Reserve to speed emergency liquidity for member institutions. The order also proposes easing Consumer Financial Protection Bureau restrictions on non‑qualified‑mortgage (non‑QM) loans, allowing community banks and credit unions under $30 billion in assets to tap FHLB advances. Additional proposals target rate‑buydown credits and builder‑assistance programs to bolster affordable single‑family housing.
Germany Logistics Investment Market Starts 2026 with €1.4bn Volume – CBRE
CBRE reports Germany's logistics investment market kicked off 2026 with €1.4bn (≈$1.5bn) of transaction volume, marking a rebound after a subdued 2025. Strong occupier demand for modern distribution centres is fueling new builds, acquisitions and joint‑venture projects despite lingering geopolitical...
Invel Secures €65m UniCredit Facility for Italian Hybrid Hospitality Growth
Invel has secured a €65 million (approximately $70 million) credit facility from UniCredit to fund its hybrid hospitality expansion in Italy. The financing underpins a joint venture with YellowSquare slated for a 2025 market launch. The loan will be used to develop...
Property Market Showing Signs of Resilience Amid Mortgage Rate Rises
UK housing activity remained surprisingly steady in March despite mortgage rates climbing to 4.57%, the highest since last April. The share of home movers accepting rates above 4% jumped to 83% from 58% in February, the sharpest month‑on‑month rise since...
International Estate Agencies Extend Global Reach with New Market Entries
Fine & Country announced its first Madrid office, targeting high‑end residential sales and lettings, led by architect Alejandra Santos and entrepreneur Carlos Rojo. Chestertons entered India through a partnership with BSE‑listed Justo Realfintech, forming Chestertons India Private Limited to serve...
Frasers Group in Talks to Acquire Two McArthurGlen-Managed Outlet Centres
Frasers Group is negotiating to buy two McArthurGlen‑managed outlet centres in York and the East Midlands from Aviva Investors. The sites total about 600,000 sq ft and host brands ranging from luxury label Paul Smith to mass‑market retailers such as H&M, Nike and...
Neutral Offloads Mass Timber Tower as Costs Mount Across Portfolio
Neutral sold its first completed mass‑timber project, Bakers Place, for $37.2 million—roughly half the $73.8 million loan used to build it. Chicago‑based Altitude Capital Partners acquired the 206‑unit building on March 31, assuming a portfolio riddled with more than $15 million in liens. The...
Top Brokers Aren’t Waiting — They’re Closing Deals in a Tough Market, Exec Says
Even as bond yields keep mortgage rates above 6% and existing‑home sales hit a nine‑month low, top mortgage brokers are still closing deals. Katie Fisher, EVP of broker strategy at Rocket Pro, argues that buyer demand persists but hinges on confidence...
Strategies to Climb the Property Ladder
Australian first‑home buyers face record‑high deposit ratios, prompting a multi‑pronged approach that leverages superannuation benefits. The government’s co‑contribution adds about $330 USD per year for low‑income earners, while the First Home Super Saver Scheme allows up to $9,900 USD in annual contributions...
TruAmerica Obtains Buckhead Apartment Tower At Steep Discount: The Atlanta Deal Sheet
TruAmerica Multifamily acquired The Tower on Piedmont, a 20‑story, 155‑unit apartment tower in Buckhead, for $44.8 M—about a 35% discount to the $69 M price paid in 2021 and far below the $85.8 M 2012 purchase price. The price is only slightly above...
Upper West Side Condos Dominate Manhattan Luxury Contracts
Upper West Side condos led Manhattan luxury contracts last week, with 12 of 38 $4 million‑plus deals. The most expensive contract was for a $23.5 million, 3,400‑sq‑ft unit at Extell’s 50 West 66th Street, featuring 14‑foot ceilings and Central Park views. Overall activity rose from 31...
Blackstone Nabs $154M to Refi Downtown Miami Office Complex
Blackstone secured a $154 million refinancing for the 2‑building, 339,000‑square‑foot MiamiCentral office complex in downtown Miami. The loan was provided by CIM Group’s private‑credit fund and brokered by Eastdil Secured. Blackstone bought the asset for $230 million in 2021 and now occupies...
CRE Pricing Notches Up in March; Near-Term Outlook Uncertain
The Green Street Commercial Property Price Index rose 0.4% in March, bringing its 12‑month gain to 2.6% but keeping it 15.5% below the 2022 peak. Investors hoped lower rates would boost prices, yet a brief dip in 10‑year Treasury yields...
Why Lenders Could Be Tightening HELOC Requirements in 2026
Home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) surged 16% year‑over‑year between Q3 2024 and Q3 2025, driven by record‑high U.S. homeowner equity of roughly $17.8 trillion. In 2026 lenders—especially non‑bank and fintech firms—are tightening terms, often demanding borrowers draw 50%‑100% of the line upfront....
Houston Mixed-Use, Urban Core Development Pace Is 'Off The Charts'
Houston’s urban core is experiencing a surge in mixed‑use development, with firms like Perkins & Will reporting record proposal volumes across all sectors. Developers are embracing “blended‑use” projects to blur traditional boundaries and offset rising infrastructure costs. Capital is abundant, and the...
Existing Home Sales Fell in March
Existing home sales in March dropped 3.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million, the lowest level since June 2025. Tight inventory rose modestly to 1.4 million units, creating a 4.1‑month supply, while median home prices climbed 1.4% to $408,800, marking...
Sovereign Partners, HudsonPoint Capital to Buy 575 Fifth Avenue for Roughly $385M
Sovereign Partners and HudsonPoint Capital have signed a contract to acquire the 40‑story 575 Fifth Avenue office tower in Midtown Manhattan for roughly $385 million. The 544,000‑square‑foot building includes about 504,000 sq ft of office space and 40,000 sq ft of retail, currently anchored by...
US Home Buyers 'Frozen' As Sales Slump over Iran War Fears
U.S. home‑buyer activity stalled in March as mortgage rates jumped to 6.37% amid the US‑Israeli conflict in Iran. The National Association of Realtors reported a 3.6% month‑over‑month decline, with 3.98 million existing‑home sales—the lowest level since June. Median home prices rose...
Existing-Home Sales Fall to Nine-Month Low as Prices Rise
Existing-home sales in March dropped 3.6% to an annualized 3.98 million, the lowest level since June. The median selling price rose 1.4% year‑over‑year to $408,800, while inventory crept to a four‑month high but remains tight. The National Association of Realtors cut...
Home Sales Fell in March as Weak Job Growth Dampened Buyer Confidence
Existing‑home sales fell 3.6% in March, slipping to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million as weak job growth and higher mortgage rates dented buyer confidence. Condo transactions dropped 7.9% year‑over‑year while single‑family sales were essentially flat. Despite the sales...
The New Mixed-Use Must: Data Centres
UK real‑estate giants are embedding large‑scale data centres into mixed‑use developments to capture AI‑driven demand. Projects such as Reef‑UBS’s Elevate campus in Stevenage will deliver up to 110 MW of power, while Aermont’s £1 bn (£1.25 bn) Pinewood Studios plan adds a 150 MW...
First-Time Buyers Fall Close to Their Lowest-Ever Market Share in Texas
First‑time homebuyers in Texas slipped to just 21 % of all purchases in 2025, barely above the 20 % low recorded a year earlier. The median buyer age held steady at 58, matching an all‑time high and underscoring a market dominated by...
Zara’s Billionaire Cofounder Is Now The World’s Richest Real Estate Baron
Spanish retail magnate Amancio Ortega, the co‑founder of Zara, has become the world’s richest real‑estate baron after spending roughly $3 billion in 2023 on properties across ten cities and expanding his portfolio to an estimated $25 billion. His holding company Pontegadea now...
India’s Data Centre Market to Double, Crossing $22 Billion by 2030: Vestian
Vestian projects India’s data‑centre market to more than double from roughly $10 bn in 2025 to $22 bn by 2030. The surge is driven by expanding internet and telecom subscriptions, enterprise cloud migration, AI and high‑performance computing workloads, and the rollout of...
Why Timing the Bottom of Canada's Roller-Coaster Real Estate Market May Be Harder than You Think
Canada’s housing market has shed nearly 20% of value since February 2022, with the average resale price falling from C$816,720 (≈US$604,000) to C$663,828 (≈US$491,000). Experts say timing the market bottom is tricky because price trends vary by segment—condos remain oversupplied...
America’s Rising Debt Could Keep Mortgage Rates High—And Housing Expensive
Washington’s $38 trillion debt, rising by roughly $2 trillion each year, is emerging as a key driver of higher mortgage rates. The Trump administration’s FY2027 budget offers no clear long‑term strategy to curb the deficit, leaving investors uneasy about future Treasury financing....
Mortgage and Refinance Interest Rates Today, April 13, 2026: Will We See Sub-6% Rates Again Soon?
Mortgage rates edged lower this week, with Zillow reporting a 30‑year fixed average of 6.15%, down seven basis points. The 15‑year fixed fell to 5.64% and the 5/1 ARM sits at 6.44%. Refinance rates are slightly higher, with the 30‑year...
Non-Banks See Opportunity in Physician Mortgage Niche
Kroll Bond Rating Agency estimates that physician‑focused mortgages could generate about $5 billion of new loan volume each year for prime private‑label RMBS, a modest but meaningful slice of the jumbo market. Non‑bank lenders such as Gershman Mortgage, Certainty Home Lending...
Custodian Flags High Occupancy, Rental Uplift at Grove Court Portfolio
Custodian, a commercial‑real‑estate data provider, reported that the Grove Court portfolio is sustaining a high occupancy rate after its recent acquisition. The portfolio also saw a notable rental uplift, indicating strong demand in its market segment. Occupancy remains above 95%,...
Derwent: Prime London Property Assets for Just 50p in the Pound
Derwent London, the UK’s largest office‑focused REIT, owns 61 prime central‑London assets valued at about £33.22 ($42) per share but its stock trades at just £16.00 ($20) – roughly 50p in the pound, delivering a 5.1% yield. The company is...
Home Prices Stay High Amid Supply Shortages and Mortgage Lock-In
Home prices have stayed elevated into early 2026 despite mortgage rates above 7% last year, because the market is constrained more by a chronic inventory shortage than by demand. The United States faces a supply gap of roughly 4.0 million homes...
Knight Frank Targets Growth with Self-Employed Affiliate Estate Agency Model
Knight Frank has unveiled an affiliate estate‑agency model that lets self‑employed brokers operate under its brand while remaining independent. The network will extend the firm’s residential sales reach into 36 target markets without opening new physical branches, starting with several...
Victoria’s Old Retail, Racing and Radio Sites Now Set to Become New Housing
Victoria's government launched the Unlocking Strategic Sites pathway to fast‑track rezoning of underutilised land for residential use. The first seven identified parcels—including a former Bunnings store in Preston, a Bendigo radio station, and surplus university land—could yield up to 9,155...
Mortgage Deals Pulled at Fastest Rate on Record as Product Choice Shrinks
Mortgage deals in the UK are vanishing at an unprecedented pace, with the average shelf‑life shrinking to just eight days in March – the shortest since Moneyfacts began tracking in 2011. The total number of mortgage products fell by 1,283...
Letting Agencies Rethink Strategies as Landlord Exodus Accelerates
Letting agents anticipate a 71% plunge in buy‑to‑let investors this year, according to Iamproperty’s survey of more than 320 agencies. The sharp decline forces a strategic shift from landlord‑driven expansion toward owner‑occupier sales and needs‑based services, prompting agencies to allocate...
Flipping Consigned to History as Profits Diminish
Flipping homes in England and Wales fell to 1.5 % of transactions in 2025, the lowest share in a decade, as higher stamp‑duty charges erode margins. Average post‑SDLT profit dropped from £36,500 (≈ $45,600) in 2015 to £16,390 (≈ $20,500) in 2025, a...
Geopolitical Tensions May Bolster Hong Kong Office Demand as Gulf Capital Looks East
Analysts say the US‑Israel conflict with Iran and rising oil prices are prompting Gulf investors to seek stable financial hubs, bolstering demand for premium office space in Hong Kong. Leasing activity slowed in March, with 42 transactions versus 76 in...
KKR Unit to Boost Buying in 450 Trillion Yen Japan Property Market
KKR’s Japan real‑estate arm, KJRM Holdings, announced a major push to buy corporate‑owned properties as Japanese firms accelerate divestitures. The firm estimates the addressable market at roughly ¥450 trillion (about $3 trillion) and says its own holdings grew 20% to ¥2.5 trillion ($16.7 bn)...
CLI Real Estate Credit Fund Raises US$320 Million in Final Close - #Wealth #AssetManagement #AssetFinance
CapitaLand Investment Limited completed the final close of its second real‑estate credit vehicle, the CapitaLand Asia Pacific Credit Programme II, securing US$320 million in equity commitments. The raise pushes the fund’s assets under management to roughly US$600 million. The fund targets real‑estate‑backed...
Lower Capital Charge Eyed for Green Home Lending
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is seeking feedback on a draft circular that would assign a 20 percent credit risk weight to sustainable housing loans, down from the current 50 percent weight for standard home mortgages. By lowering the risk weight,...
PORTUGAL CRACKS DOWN ON SHORT-TERM TOURIST RENTALS
Portugal is sharply reducing short‑term tourist rentals, with total registrations projected to fall below 90,000 by spring 2026, down from nearly 126,000 months earlier. Authorities have withdrawn about 7,000 permits since December 2025 and flagged another 10,700 listings for removal,...
A Real Estate Investor with 4 Cash-Flowing Rentals Explains the 1% Rule He Follows to Find Profitable Properties
Film composer Atif Afzal applies the real‑estate “1% rule”—monthly rent at least 1% of purchase price—to select cash‑flowing rentals. Since 2019 he has acquired four properties in Monroe, New York, generating roughly $5,300 in monthly cash flow, with purchase rent‑to‑price ratios...
Cobble Hill’s Luxury Moment Is Just Getting Started
Actors Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz sold their Cobble Hill townhouse for nearly $12 million, roughly double the $6.8 million they paid nine years ago. A second Cobble Hill property recently closed at $7 million, earning the top spot on Compass’ weekly luxury report. Limited...
3 Real Estate ETFs Paying Over 3% That Retirees Are Using to Hedge Inflation
Retirees seeking inflation protection are turning to three REIT ETFs that each offer at least a 3% dividend yield. iShares Core U.S. REIT ETF (USRT) provides broad market exposure with a ultra‑low 0.08% expense ratio and a 3% yield. iShares...
These Forces Could Push up Canada’s Home Prices Later This Year: FP Video
Financial Post’s video series highlights several macro forces that could lift Canadian home prices in the second half of 2026. Jason Mercer of the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board expects price appreciation as inventory remains tight and demand stays robust....
Sumitomo Forestry Bets Big on US Housing Market, Eyeing Local Majors
Japanese construction giant Sumitomo Forestry announced a $4.2 billion acquisition of U.S. builder Tri Pointe Homes, expanding its North‑American footprint. The purchase is expected to increase Sumitomo's U.S. housing supply by roughly 60%, giving it a sizable platform in a market facing...
House Prices Across Europe: Which Countries Saw the Highest Rises in 2025?
European house prices rose 5.5% YoY in Q4 2025 as mortgage rates stabilised, reigniting buyer demand. Hungary led the surge with a 21.2% increase, while Portugal, Croatia and Spain posted double‑digit gains above 16%. Central and Eastern European markets outpaced the...
Why Brokers Should Leverage Construction Lending to Capture Investor Business
Mortgage brokers can tap a growing investor market as the U.S. faces a chronic housing shortage. About 30% of all mortgage transactions now involve investors, many of whom need construction, fix‑and‑flip, and bridge financing. Institutional capital has entered the construction‑loan...
Western Alliance Provides $78M Financing for Low-Income Housing in Mission District
Western Alliance Bank is committing $77.9 million in construction financing and Low‑Income Housing Tax Credit equity to The Marvel, a 400‑unit permanent supportive housing project in San Francisco’s Mission District. The development, the city’s largest affordable‑housing effort in the area, will break...
AI Tenants Double Their NYC Leasing Activity Year Over Year
AI companies are leasing New York office space at twice last year's pace, according to JLL, with leasing volume through March already representing half of the projected full‑year 2025 total. The average lease size jumped from 16,600 to 34,500 square...