EXp Expands Platform with Acquisition of NextHome
eXp World Holdings announced the acquisition of NextHome, a franchise network with over 500 locations, and will begin trading on Nasdaq under the new ticker AGNT. The deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed, integrates NextHome’s proven franchise model into eXp’s cloud‑based brokerage platform. eXp says the move creates a multi‑model ecosystem that offers agents and franchise owners greater flexibility and access to a global network. Leadership from NextHome will remain in place to drive growth within the expanded platform.
Developers File Application for $1.6bn Data Center in Cleveland, Ohio
Lakeland Equity Group, a private‑credit firm, filed a permit for a $1.6 billion, 150‑megawatt data‑center campus on a 35‑acre site in Cleveland. The project would comprise three two‑story buildings covering roughly 300,000 sq ft and employ closed‑loop cooling to eliminate emissions and truck...
Keystone National Lends $46M for Arizona Industrial Campus
Silver Creek Development secured a $46 million construction take‑out loan from Keystone National for its newly built Sossaman Business Campus in Mesa, Arizona. The 330,492‑square‑foot, eight‑building site targets technology tenants in semiconductor, aerospace and defense sectors. Arrow Real Estate Advisors negotiated...
Zephyr's Adjusted for Risk: Unlocking the Secrets to Profitable Farmland Investment Strategies
Homestead Capital’s head of investor relations, David Chan, discussed the firm’s dual approach to U.S. farmland investing—direct equity ownership and a newer credit line that lends to farmers. The podcast highlighted key return drivers such as durable lease income, land...
How to Unlock Building Value with Strategic Decarbonization
The article outlines how commercial property owners can boost asset value by embedding strategic decarbonization into capital‑planning cycles. LEED‑certified buildings now command 3‑4% higher rents and deliver roughly 5% better total returns, while tenant surveys show 70% will penalize non‑sustainable...
Warren Buffett Sends Blunt Message on Mortgages, Home Financing
Warren Buffett reiterates that the 30‑year fixed mortgage is the best financial tool for most homebuyers because it locks in a rate while allowing a refinance if rates drop. He cites his own 1971 Laguna Beach purchase, where he financed a...
Multifamily Investors Should Consider Hospitality Too
Multifamily investors facing compressed yields and slowing apartment transactions are turning to hospitality as a tactical allocation. Hotel values have reset faster, with cap rates climbing over 250 basis points, creating acquisition opportunities at operational troughs. Unlike apartments, hotels reprice...
NYC’s Top Deals: Madison Realty Capital Sells Greenwich Village Condo for $10M
In a single day on May 7, 2026, New York City recorded 165 real‑estate transactions worth $295 million. The most expensive commercial deal was a 20,700‑sq‑ft industrial building in Elmhurst that sold for $9.9 million, roughly $480 per square foot. The headline residential transaction was...
Commercial Property Lending Rebounds 52 Percent in U.S.
Commercial and multifamily mortgage originations jumped 52% in Q1 2026 versus Q1 2025, driven by banks refinancing maturing debt. Healthcare loans led the surge with a 209% increase, while office lending slipped 2%. Depository institutions accounted for an 80% rise...
Wealthy Homeowners Want Frictionless Ways to Tap Into Home Equity — and the Market Is Providing Them
Homeowners in the mass‑affluent segment sit on a historic $35 trillion of equity, yet traditional loans burden them with lengthy underwriting and income verification. Recent data show the average mortgaged homeowner holds about $299,000 in equity, and nearly half of mortgaged...
Standard Chartered Lends £250m for London Student Accommodation Scheme
Standard Chartered has committed a £250 million (approximately $317 million) development loan to convert a vacant London office building into a large‑scale student accommodation project. The financing will support the retrofit, creating over 800 beds aimed at meeting rising demand from domestic...
UK House Price Growth Halved as Iran War Fallout Hits Housing Market
UK house‑price growth has effectively halved, with Halifax reporting a 0.1% dip in April to £299,313 (about $380,000) and trimming its annual growth forecast to 0.4% from 0.8%. The slowdown follows the Iran‑related Middle‑East conflict, which has spooked buyers and...
Sixth Street’s Alvarado: Future Winners ‘Need to Be More than Capital’
Sixth Street’s real‑estate chief Alvarado says the firm is overhauling its platform to thrive amid heightened macro‑geopolitical volatility, rising AI adoption, and a turbulent private‑credit market. The strategy shifts focus from simply supplying capital to delivering operational expertise, data‑driven insights,...
Rentals Still Profitable for 84% of Landlords
A Foundation Home Loans study with Pegasus Insight shows 84% of UK landlords remained profitable in Q1 2026, with average rental yields climbing to 6.5%. Portfolio sizes rose to 7.3 units per owner and 39% plan to remortgage within a year....
Only ‘a Few Hundred’ Homes Available to Buy Above £15m
AgentWise reports only 180 UK homes—about $19 million each—are listed above £15 million, representing just 0.04 % of the nation’s housing stock. The ultra‑luxury segment is therefore extremely thin, especially compared with the abundant supply in lower price tiers. London dominates the market,...
Investors Exploit Landlord Exodus at Auction
Investors are increasingly buying tenanted rental homes at auction as the Renters’ Rights Act reshapes the market. Auction House reported a 70% year‑on‑year jump in such sales in April, with 46 properties sold versus 27 a year earlier. Sellers—often part‑time...
Why Generational Wealth Transfer Is Creating New Housing Market Risks
A projected $124 trillion generational wealth transfer will push inherited homes into a larger share of U.S. residential transactions over the next two decades. More than 42% of homeowners over 50 lack wills or trusts, leading to title ambiguities that can...
Rents Are Down in Austin. So Why Are Evictions Still Climbing?
Austin’s median rent dropped 4% to $1,296, driven by a building boom and regulatory reforms that added new units, especially in older apartment complexes. Despite lower rents, the city recorded a 30% surge in eviction filings last year—the largest increase...
Wealthy Families Pick up Hong Kong Luxury Homes as Secondary Market Recovers
Hong Kong’s secondary luxury housing market is rebounding as affluent families return, drawn by modest price gains and easing borrowing costs. The Nameson family acquired two adjacent units in Tai Po’s Mayfair By The Sea I for HKD 60 million (≈US$7.7 million), while a...
Principal Eyes $3 Billion for Two Data Center Funds on AI Boom
Principal Financial Group is launching two private real‑estate equity funds to capture the surge in data‑center construction driven by artificial‑intelligence workloads. The U.S.‑focused fund targets roughly $2 billion, while a Europe‑focused counterpart aims for about $1 billion. Both vehicles seek an 18‑20%...
Even if You’re Not Cash-Rich, Your Home Equity Could Help Your Kid Buy a House
Parents are increasingly turning to home‑equity products to help their children afford a first home, with 74% of parents saying they plan or are already budgeting for such assistance. The main tools are home‑equity loans, HELOCs, and cash‑out refinances, each...
Strawberry Fields Reit Inc (STRW) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Strawberry Fields REIT (STRW) closed 41 properties worth $145 million in Q1, delivering a 7.5% initial cash yield and extending the weighted average lease term to 19 years. Occupancy climbed to 98.6% and new leases were signed at rents roughly 10%...
Rents Fall Again as Rental Market Slowdown Gathers Pace
Average rents across England slipped 0.6% in April, marking the first decline after several years of rapid growth. The average void period lengthened to 24 days, with Yorkshire and the Humber experiencing the longest gaps at 29 days. London continued...
House Price Trends Underline More Subdued Market Conditions
Scotland’s average house price rose 1.9% over the past year to £186,684 (≈ $239k), up £3,532 (≈ $4,500) from March 2025. By contrast, England and Wales saw a 0.6% decline, with prices falling £1,742 (≈ $2,200). Regional data show Inverclyde posting the biggest gain—£11,422...
Residential Construction Starts Fall Sharply
Residential construction activity in the UK continued its slide in the three months to April 2026, with overall project starts down 8% and a 33% year‑on‑year decline. Private housing was hit hardest, falling 39% versus the same period in 2025 and...
Rental Supply Squeeze Hits Four-Year High
The UK’s Renters' Rights Act, effective May 1, is prompting landlords to sell or reclaim properties ahead of tighter rent‑increase and possession rules, tightening rental supply to a four‑year high. Prime outer London rents jumped 3% year‑on‑year—the strongest rise since June 2024—while...
LTC Properties’ Malin Cites ‘Attractive’ Pricing for Nursing Home Assets Amid Limited Sector Headwinds
LTC Properties said it will sell skilled‑nursing facilities only opportunistically, using proceeds to fund higher‑growth senior‑housing‑operating‑portfolio (SHOP) assets. The REIT highlighted an EBITDAR coverage ratio approaching two‑times, underscoring the strength of its remaining SNF holdings. About $265 million from recent SNF...
California People and Company News, Week of May 8, 2026
Alexandria Real Estate Equities’ founder Joel S. Marcus was honored with the Richard J. Bolte Sr. Award, highlighting leadership in chemical and molecular life sciences. RSG 3‑D announced a two‑person advisory board featuring veteran real‑estate executive Ken Hubbard and climate‑resilience entrepreneur...
Newmark Represents Anheuser-Busch in $360M Sale of Former Newark Complex
Newmark Group acted as exclusive advisor to Anheuser‑Busch in the $360 million sale of its former Newark, New Jersey, brewery complex to Goodman Group. The 86‑acre site includes more than 1.7 million square feet of existing structures, making it one of the largest...
Ken Shinoda on Housing, CRE and the Case for Carry | Bloomberg TV
Ken Shinoda, DoubleLine’s structured‑products manager, told Bloomberg TV that the 30‑year fixed mortgage rate’s rise to 6.4% has created a compelling credit backdrop for agency mortgage‑backed securities. After a long period of underperformance versus corporates, agency MBS are rebounding and offer...
Walker & Dunlop Investment Partners Outlines 2026 CRE Risks
Walker & Dunlop Investment Partners warned that the 2019‑2022 multifamily boom has turned into a credit‑risk nightmare as higher rates, rising cap rates and weaker rent growth erode values. The panel highlighted a surge in distressed construction loans, driving demand...
Marcus & Millichap Sells Minnesota Apartments in 1031 Exchange
Marcus & Millichap brokered the sale of Falcon View Apartments, a 36‑unit multifamily asset in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, for $5.09 million through a 1031 exchange. The property sits on 1.56 acres adjacent to the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus and features renovated...
Soloviev To Pocket $526M In 9 W. 57th St. Refi
Stefan Soloviev has secured a $1.8 billion CMBS refinancing for the iconic 9 W. 57th St. tower, returning roughly $526 million in cash to the Soloviev Group. The five‑year loan replaces a $1.2 billion mortgage, adds $74 million for closing costs and landlord obligations, and carries a...
Josh Zegen, Adi Chugh Talk Private Credit and Writing Big Checks
Josh Zegen, co‑founder of Madison Realty Capital, reflects on two decades of building the private‑credit real‑estate market, while newcomer Adi Chugh’s TYKO Capital has already financed marquee deals—a $565 million Miami office loan and a $1 billion Manhattan tower. Speaking at The...
Spain’s MERLIN Sees Compelling Growth Prospects in Europe’s Data Center Sector
MERLIN Properties, Spain’s leading REIT, has shifted from post‑crisis opportunistic acquisitions to a growth strategy focused on digital infrastructure, especially data centers. Data centers currently generate about 10% of revenue but are projected to account for roughly 65% within five...
Income, Repriced: Where Advisors Are Looking Now
Institutional investors are increasingly allocating capital to private real‑estate assets as a source of income tied to tangible constraints, notably Canada’s chronic housing shortage. Pier 4, a Canadian multifamily trust, is positioning itself to capture rental demand in secondary markets where...
Private Residential Construction Spending Increases in March
Private residential construction spending rose 1.7% in March 2026, ending two consecutive months of decline and putting the year‑over‑year figure 3.6% higher. Gains were broad‑based, with single‑family construction up 2.7% month‑over‑month, multifamily edging up 0.3%, and home‑improvement spending increasing 0.9%....
New York's Budget Deal Introduces New Second-Home Tax Targeting Luxury Market
New York State’s $268 billion budget deal adds a pied‑à‑terre surcharge aimed at multimillion‑dollar second homes in the five boroughs. The surcharge is expected to generate roughly $500 million each year to help close the city’s $5.4 billion budget gap. Specific income thresholds...
The American Dream Is Moving to the Midwest—Michigan and Wisconsin Beat the Coasts for the Hottest Housing Markets, Redfin Finds
Redfin’s 2026 analysis shows six of the ten hottest U.S. neighborhoods are in the Midwest, highlighting a shift toward more affordable markets. Median home prices in places like Lincoln Park, Michigan ($158,000) are less than half the national median of over...
Can You Make Money From ‘Flipping’ Houses? Hotspots and Alternatives
House‑flipping activity in the UK has slumped by half over the past decade, dropping from 21,520 flips in 2016 to just 10,570 in 2025. Gross profits have been squeezed by the 3‑5% second‑home stamp‑duty surcharge, falling from about $46,300 in...
Azora’s MilePro Sells Madrid and Barcelona Logistics Assets for €43m
Azora’s MilePro subsidiary has completed the sale of two logistics properties located in Madrid and Barcelona for €43 million (approximately $47 million). The transaction underscores the robust appetite among institutional investors for high‑quality, prime‑location logistics assets in Spain’s major metros. The deal...
Term Sheet: Bayes Highlights Debt Fund Gains, Standard Chartered Backs London Student Housing, Ares Posts Strong Q1 Fundraising Figures
A new report from Bayes Business School spotlights a surge in UK debt‑fund origination, underscoring heightened lender activity. Standard Chartered has committed financing to Dominus and Cheyne’s London student‑housing development, reflecting growing institutional support for the sector. Ares Management disclosed...
Mizuho’s Vikram Malhotra Sees Logistics Real Estate in Early Stages of New Upcycle
Vikram Malhotra, managing director of real estate equities at Mizuho, says the industrial and logistics REIT sector is in the early stages of a new upcycle. Large warehouses over 500,000 square feet are thriving as retailers like Walmart and Amazon...
Multifamily Developer Confidence Holds Steady in First Quarter
The National Association of Home Builders’ Multifamily Market Survey shows developer confidence held steady in Q1 2026, with the Multifamily Production Index (MPI) unchanged at 44 year‑over‑year. Meanwhile, the Multifamily Occupancy Index (MOI) slipped to 69, a 13‑point decline. Growth...
Original Atlanta Department Store’s Rebirth as Apartments Has Arrived
Historic 85 Peachtree Street, Atlanta’s original department store, is being transformed into 26 loft‑style apartments after a $25 million renovation. The building, bought for $3.3 million in foreclosure, will open this summer with studios to two‑bedroom units ranging from 650 to 1,100 sq ft....
New-Construction Insights: Urban New Builds Are Scarce and Expensive
New‑construction median listing price held steady at $449,373 in Q1 2026, while existing‑home prices slipped 0.9% to $390,550, pushing the national new‑construction premium to 15.1%. Builders reduced new‑home prices more frequently than resales, yet days on market remained unchanged, underscoring a...
April 2026 Hottest Housing Markets
Springfield, Massachusetts reclaimed the top spot in Realtor.com’s April 2026 hottest‑housing‑market ranking, marking its second consecutive month at number one. The top‑20 list is dominated by the Northeast (16 metros) and the Midwest (5 metros), with median days on market...
Bank Fights Fed to Offer Cash Guarantee Mortgages
Canandaigua National Corp., a New York bank, is challenging a Federal Reserve Board denial of its cash‑guarantee mortgage program in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The proposed scheme would have the bank purchase a seller’s home when a...
Fannie Mae's Portfolio Surge Is the Biggest in over a Decade
Fannie Mae’s retained portfolio surged to $168.74 billion in March, marking the largest monthly increase since 2009 and the highest level since the Great Financial Crisis. The $18.3 billion jump lifted combined GSE retained assets to $308.5 billion, a peak not seen since early 2021....
The Best Markets for First-Time Home Buyers
Zillow’s February analysis of the 50 largest U.S. metros identifies Jacksonville, Florida as the most affordable market for first‑time homebuyers, where median mortgage payments ($1,680) nearly match typical rents ($1,672). The ranking combines rent‑to‑income ratios, the share of homes affordable...