Today's Real Estate Pulse
Hamptons luxury market stays hot as developers pour $300K into wellness amenities
The Hamptons continues its real‑estate boom, with high‑end homes like a $30 million Georgica estate attracting buyers. Developers are allocating as much as $300,000 per property for wellness features such as infrared saunas and IV drip services. The trend underscores sustained demand for premium amenities in the region.
Also developing:
Rely Secures $4.5 M Seed Funding to Expand AI‑Driven Multifamily Due‑Diligence Platform
Rely announced a $4.5 million seed round to accelerate its AI‑native diligence platform aimed at multifamily real‑estate portfolios. The funding, raised from a group of undisclosed investors, underscores rising market appetite for AI tools that streamline underwriting and asset analysis.
California Governor’s Forum Highlights Top Housing Issues Facing the Next Administration
A nonpartisan housing forum in Oakland brought together California’s gubernatorial candidates to confront the state’s deepening affordability and homelessness crisis. Participants highlighted the upcoming California Housing and Homelessness Agency (CHHA) as a vehicle to streamline funding and reduce costly development...
Megaworld to Open 6 New Hotels by 2029
Megaworld Corp. announced plans to open six new hotels across the Philippines by 2029, adding nearly 2,000 rooms to its portfolio. The projects span Pasig, Pampanga, Laguna, Palawan and Bacolod, including the 31‑story ArcoVia Hotel, two beachfront resorts in Palawan,...
Economics Lessons From Home Depot
Home Depot, the world’s largest DIY retailer, has long acted as a proxy for the U.S. housing market. Its sales slumped sharply in 2007, foreshadowing the subsequent housing crash, while the chain’s revenues surged after the COVID‑19 pandemic as homeowners...
JLL Report Finds Companies Are Improving Office Data As AI Workplace Planning Grows
JLL’s Global Occupancy Planning Benchmark Report shows corporate real estate teams now rank improving space-data accuracy as their second-most important priority, behind portfolio optimization. While AI interest is high, over 70% of firms are still researching or have not started...
Mamdani Targets Brooklyn Corridors for Major Housing Push
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has unveiled the “South of Prospect Plan,” a rezoning initiative targeting commercial corridors along Coney Island and McDonald Avenues in Brooklyn’s area south of Prospect Park. The proposal would allow taller buildings and generate potentially...
PROPTECH-X : (OSiT), London’s Leading Flexible Office Space Provider, Reports Surge in Demand for Its Suite of Luxury In-Office Bedrooms
OSiT, London’s leading flexible office provider, announced a sharp surge in demand for its luxury in‑office bedrooms, branded as The Cabins, at the Monument Office Space. The uptick reflects workers opting to stay on‑site to avoid commuting disruptions and late...
Tameside Council Acquires 151,502 Sq Ft Shopping Centre in Ashton
Tameside Council has purchased the 151,502‑square‑foot Ladysmith Shopping Centre in Ashton, a deal supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Good Growth Fund. The acquisition is a cornerstone of the council’s wider regeneration agenda for the town, aiming to rejuvenate...
Independence, Mo. Unveils $100 Million Redevelopment of Noland Fashion Square Plaza
Independence city officials are advancing a $100 million plan to transform the dilapidated Noland Fashion Square into a mixed‑use retail hub anchored by a grocery store, with developer Tri‑Land Properties leading the effort. The project targets 32 acres, eleven separate phases...
Pillar Private Lending Rolls Out Multifamily Cash‑Out Loan Program
Pillar Private Lending announced a new cash‑out refinancing product that evaluates multifamily assets on performance metrics rather than borrower income. The program, launched May 19, 2026, aims to unlock equity for owners who struggle with conventional lender requirements.
Prestige’s New Bengaluru Mall to Dedicate One-Third Space to Sports, Athleisure
Prestige Group’s Forum North Bangalore mall will open in 2027, dedicating roughly one‑third of its 800,000 sq ft footprint to sports and athleisure brands. About 250,000 sq ft will host 45‑50 sports‑focused stores, a 50,000 sq ft multi‑sport arena, and related gear rentals. The remaining space...
RealPage Rent-Fixing Settlements Pass $200M (and Counting)
More than $218 million in settlements have been reached with 11 landlords accused of participating in RealPage's alleged rent‑fixing scheme, adding to an earlier $141 million preliminary settlement. Major firms such as Equity Residential, Camden Property Trust and Mid‑America Communities each agreed...
U.S. 30‑Year Mortgage Rate Hits 6.75%, Highest Since July as Treasury Yields Surge
The average 30‑year fixed mortgage rate jumped 7 basis points to 6.75% on Tuesday, its highest level since July. The rise follows a 33‑basis‑point surge in Treasury yields over the past ten days, tightening housing affordability and prompting concern among...
CBRE Brokers $6.2 Million Sale of Harbor Central Retail Center in West Sacramento
CBRE brokered the $6.2 million sale of Harbor Central, a 22,198‑square‑foot neighborhood retail center in West Sacramento. The property, built in 1992 on a 1.7‑acre site at 805‑831 Harbor Blvd., was purchased by a subsidiary of CJ Park & Associates from Harbor Corners LLC. CBRE...
La Caisse and Vita Set to Buy PBSA Portfolio with Nearly 3,200 Beds
French pension fund La Caisse and UK student‑housing specialist Vita have agreed to purchase a private‑backed student accommodation (PBSA) portfolio from DWS. The assets comprise roughly 3,200 beds spread across Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Birmingham and Newcastle. The transaction expands...
Austin's Building Boom Fails to Reach the Poorest Residents
Austin’s 10‑year Strategic Housing Blueprint set a goal of 60,000 income‑restricted units by 2028 and has already surpassed its target of 15,000 units for households earning 61‑80% of median family income (MFI). However, the 2024 scorecard shows virtually no new...
Mortgage Rates Rose Last Week to an Almost Two-Month High
Mortgage rates rose to 6.56% last week, the highest in almost two months, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data. The increase follows a half‑point climb since the Iran war began in February. Home‑purchase applications dropped 4.1%, the steepest decline since...
StreetLights Converting Vintage Charlotte Theater Site to Apartments, Retail
StreetLights Residential and Eastern Federal have secured Charlotte City Council approval to redevelop the historic Regal Manor Twin Theatre site, branded as The Manor. The mixed‑use project will add 120‑130 multifamily apartments and roughly 35,000 sq ft of new retail space, supplementing...
Purchase Applications Dip Weekly, Rise Yearly Amid Rising Rates
Purchase application data update -4% week to week +8% year over year Nothing too dramatic on the demand side yet with higher rates, but this is really week one of rates being over 6.64%, if rates head higher, as they have...
Insignia Pursuing Embassy Row Redevelopment
Insignia LLC is advancing the redevelopment of Embassy Row, a sprawling office park in Sandy Springs, Georgia. The new phase, to be branded Embassy Row Grove, will add 111 townhomes, 1,068 apartments, 15,300 sq ft of retail and retain 159,463 sq ft of existing...
UK Warned of Housing Market Risks as Flood Re’s Future Unclear
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) warned that the UK government must clarify the future of Flood Re, the flood‑reinsurance scheme due to wind down in 2039. With 6.3 million homes in England already at risk of flooding, the looming expiry is...
Mansion Tax: How the Government’s High Value Council Tax Surcharge Will Work
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS), dubbed the mansion tax, to apply to English homes valued at £2 million ($2.6 M) or more starting April 2028. The Valuation Office will assess properties and place them into four bands,...
NYC’s Top Construction Permits: Week Ending May 15, 2026
The week ending May 15, 2026 saw a surge of NYC construction permits, led by EMP Capital Group’s two 26‑story residential towers in Astoria totaling 198 units and 201,551 sq ft of space. Other notable filings include the Stagg Group’s 68‑unit, 9‑story building on...
Baton Rouge Master Plan Aims to Triple Downtown Population
The East Baton Rouge Planning Commission approved a master plan that seeks to triple downtown Baton Rouge’s population by focusing development on the Mississippi River waterfront. Led by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the plan envisions a youth sports and...
More than £52m Reserved for Social Housing at Risk After Collapse of Investment Firms
Two Heylo Housing investment pods entered administration, endangering over £52 million (≈$64 million) of public funds earmarked for social housing and putting about 3,500 homes at risk of shifting to the private sector. The pods owe Homes England £46.46 million (≈$57 million) and £6.21 million...
Inland National Development Company Affiliate Sells Illinois Building Anchored by Dunkin'
Inland National Development Company’s affiliate has completed the sale of Ogden Hill East, an 8,050‑square‑foot retail building in Montgomery, Illinois. The property, built in 2017, is fully leased and anchored by a drive‑thru Dunkin' alongside dental, waxing and nail‑salon tenants....
Brussels Asked for Housing Advice — Then Ignored Its Own EU‑funded Research
The European Union’s Affordable Housing Plan was drafted in crisis mode, emphasizing rapid construction of “affordable” units rather than addressing the structural roots of the housing shortage. Although the Commission assembled a task force, advisory board and commissioned EU‑funded studies,...
Greater Orlando Area Housing Market Cools in April
The Orlando Regional Realtor Association reported that April 2026 home sales slipped 2.7% month‑over‑month to 2,539 transactions, while new listings rose 3% to 4,066 homes. Median home prices continued to climb, reaching $410,758, a modest year‑over‑year gain. Inventory held steady...
Capital&Centric to Lead £50m Plymouth Civic Centre Revival
Capital&Centric has been awarded the £50 million (≈$62.5 million) contract to transform Plymouth’s vacant Civic Centre tower into 144 build‑to‑rent apartments. The Grade II‑listed 14‑storey building will undergo extensive remediation, funded in part by over £18 million (≈$22.5 million) from Homes England. Early works start...
KE Holdings Beats Q1 Forecasts, Shares Jump Over 5% as Profit Rises
Chinese proptech leader KE Holdings reported first‑quarter net income of 1.6 bn yuan, surpassing analyst expectations despite a 19% revenue decline. The results lifted the stock 5.17%, underscoring investor confidence in the company's shift toward efficiency‑driven growth.
To Solve Affordability We Must End Scarcity
The New York Times editorial claims America must build four million homes, but the author contends the deeper problem is a four‑fold rise in labor needed to afford a median house because domestic production has been hollowed out. He highlights U.S....
Breakthrough Agreement in Housing Bill Gives Investors Wins
The U.S. House is set to approve a bipartisan housing‑affordability bill that limits institutional investors owning more than 350 single‑family homes from buying additional units, while still permitting them to construct new homes. The compromise, backed by the White House,...
British Land Reports Strong Office and Retail Park Performance in Record Year for Leasing
British Land announced that its full‑year results delivered a 6% like‑for‑like net rental growth, driven primarily by a 12% increase in office campus rents and a modest 2% rise in retail and urban logistics. The company highlighted that 2025 was...
A Homeowner Built Townhouses in a Jersey City Backyard
In Jersey City’s historic Heights neighborhood, homeowner Norrice Raymaker turned the backyard of her 19th‑century Beacon Avenue house into a “hyper ADU” – three side‑by‑side townhouses that echo the original roofline. The project emerged after the vacant home suffered an...
Jennifer Lopez Relists Beverly Hills Estate—Now for $10 Million Less
Jennifer Lopez has relisted her Beverly Hills mansion for $49.95 million, a $10 million reduction from the previous asking price. The property, which she now fully owns after a divorce settlement that transferred Ben Affleck’s share to her, is being offered for...
Sellers Seek AI Reassurance on Estate Agent Valuations
Acaboom’s AI Concierge analysis shows homeowners increasingly turn to artificial intelligence after estate‑agent valuation appointments to probe pricing methodology, fee structures and marketing reach. More than half of the anonymised conversations centered on pricing confidence, fees and contract terms, indicating...
Lettings Market Shrugging Off Renters’ Rights Act, Foxtons Claims
Foxtons reports that London’s lettings market is holding steady despite the new Renters’ Rights Act. In April, new listings rose 3.7% year‑on‑year, while applicant registrations jumped 9.5% month‑on‑month but remained 6% below the same period in 2025. Competition eased, with...
Custom Home Costs Exceed Value, Builders Face Reckoning
There’s absolutely no economically viable way to build a custom home right now. I’m being quoted rates 200-300% what the house would appraise for when it’s done. Meaning if I were to turn around and sell it, I’d lose half my...
Sacramento Homes Snap Up: 33% Sell in Under a Week
Buyers are so picky about everything right now, but when they find the perfect house, they are fast to act. 33% of closed sales in May so far spent seven days or fewer on the market before getting into contract...
I’m Selling My $1 Million Home. Will My Agent Really Charge Less than a 6% Commission?
The 2024 antitrust settlement with the National Association of Realtors was meant to break the entrenched 6% commission model by making fees more flexible and transparent. In practice, sellers in Hawaii, including a $1 million Maui home, still pay roughly 5.5%...
Idaho's New Zoning Law Sparks Starter Home Boom
"Idaho shows America how to build A new zoning law paves the way for more starter homes." https://t.co/ntdy4gurWs https://t.co/MjE1lKy0qO
Morningstar DBRS Confirms Residential Mortgage Ranking on Acra Lending
Morningstar DBRS reaffirmed Acra Lending’s MOR RO2 residential mortgage originator ranking, noting a stable trend. Acra, now owned by BlackRock after its $12 billion equity acquisition of HPS, reported 2025 loan originations exceeding $4.5 billion in unpaid principal balance, a $1 billion increase...
ARS Celebrates Third Supermarket In Philadelphia
Allegiance Retail Services (ARS) celebrated the launch of its third Compare & Save supermarket in Northeast Philadelphia, a 20,000‑square‑foot site that replaced a former Rite Aid. The store, owned by independent grocer Carlos Batista, offers a curated mix of fresh, organic,...
Ally Bridge Relocates U.S. Headquarters to Rudin’s 560 Lexington
Ally Bridge Group, a global investment‑management firm specializing in healthcare and life‑science innovation, will relocate its U.S. headquarters to Rudin’s 560 Lexington in Manhattan. The firm signed a 10‑year, 10‑month lease for 6,440 square feet on the building’s 18th floor,...
AI Marketing Platform Hightouch Takes 18K SF at 275 Seventh Avenue
Hightouch, a data‑and‑AI marketing platform, signed an 18,000‑square‑foot lease for the entire 21st floor of 275 Seventh Avenue in Midtown South. The deal, brokered by Tishman Real Estate Services and CBRE, replaces the company’s smaller offices and places it among other...
Gould Property Co., Konterra Realty Break Ground on 400-Acre MD Project
Konterra Realty, the development arm of Gould Property Co., broke ground on the first phase of the Konterra Town Center East project in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The initial phase includes 220 townhomes called The Marais, built by Caruso Homes, and two...
Hawaii County Council Proposes Property‑Tax Hike to Bridge $15 M Deficit
The Hawaii County Council is set to hear a proposal that would raise property‑tax rates for non‑resident and high‑value second homes, aiming to generate revenue for a $15 million budget gap. Tiered rates would increase for homes over $2 million and introduce...
More than 200 Affordable Homes Move Forward in 4 Developments
Invest Atlanta approved $3.84 million in Tax Allocation District (TAD) grant funding and a $13.5 million tax‑exempt loan to advance four affordable‑housing projects west and southwest of Atlanta’s intown core. The projects will deliver 209 below‑market‑rate units, ranging from single‑family homes to...
Fund Housing Trust by Taxing Upzoned Parcel Gains
This is the way. Get out of taxing new housing construction by ending unfunded inclusionary. Give the housing trust fund a larger increment of property tax revenue, unlocked by repricing on upzoned parcels.
Fixing Federal Transit Finance for Housing
The bipartisan Build HUBS Act seeks to unlock underused USDOT loan programs—TIFIA and RRIF—by making them practical for transit‑oriented real‑estate deals. These tools provide low‑interest, long‑term financing for projects within half a mile of a fixed‑guideway station, but developers have...