Today's Real Estate Pulse
Berkshire Hathaway to Acquire U.S. Homebuilder in $6.8B Deal
Berkshire Hathaway, now led by CEO Greg Abel, announced a $6.8 billion acquisition of a U.S. homebuilder, marking the conglomerate’s first major entry into residential construction. The purchase is intended to add stable, long‑term cash flow from the housing sector to Berkshire’s portfolio.
Also developing:
US Office-to-Apartment Conversions Hit Record 90,300 Units in 2026
A RentCafe study finds 90,300 apartments are being converted from office space in early 2026, up 28% from the previous year. The surge reflects soaring office vacancy, looming loan maturities and city‑level demand for housing.
Only One Nationwide Home Price Crash in 84 Years
There have been many economic cycles, recessions, and rising mortgage rates since 1942. In 84 years, there has only been one national home price crash period. https://t.co/AjoH2agyyy
Outsourced Viewing Service Founded by Former Estate Agent Hits Major Milestone
Viewber, the UK‑wide on‑demand property service founded by former estate agent Ed Mead, has hit its 1,000,000th appointment milestone. Since its 2016 launch, the company has broadened from assisted viewings to inspections, marketing, tenant checks and fire‑door compliance, with estate‑agency...
Renovation over Knockdown
A recent RMIT University study challenges Victoria’s plan to demolish 44 public housing towers by 2051, using the 12‑storey Barkly Street tower in Brunswick as a case study. The researchers found that refurbishing the 123‑unit tower and adding new homes...
Mortgage Intent Index Slides, Yet Pending Sales Remain Positive
The Xactus Mortgage Intent Index dipped this week. Three down weeks in a row and below last year now. Xactus is counting credit pulls, so it includes refis. I've found this data to correlate well with the pending sales rate, though...
NAIOP Report Highlights Growing Lending, Transaction Volumes
The NAIOP Research Foundation’s new report finds commercial‑real‑estate lending is expanding, with banks increasing credit across property types while conduit lenders retreat. Federal agencies, government‑sponsored enterprises and mortgage‑backed‑securities investors remain the top purchasers of multifamily loans, and private buyers dominate...
Morgan Stanley Lowers Price Target on Mid-America Apartment Communities (MAA), Keeps Overweight Rating
Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Kramer lowered Mid‑America Apartment Communities’ (MAA) price target to $153.50 from $156 while keeping an Overweight rating, signaling confidence in the REIT’s long‑term outlook. Two weeks earlier, Truist’s Michael Lewis cut his target to $142 from...
Entre Commercial Realty Leases 26K-SF Maintenance Facility in IL
Entre Commercial Realty has leased a 25,600‑square‑foot freestanding maintenance facility at 167 Flannigan Road in Hampshire, Illinois, to a local transportation company relocating its headquarters. The building, constructed in 2023, was purpose‑built for fleet‑maintenance operations and features 12 drive‑in doors, two loading...
Ariel Arranges Condo Inventory Loan for Newly Constructed Residential Project
Ariel Property Advisors’ Capital Services Group arranged an $11.8 million condominium inventory loan for a 20‑unit new‑build project in Upper Manhattan. The loan is interest‑only at 9.5%, runs 18 months, and is priced at 70 % loan‑to‑value. By borrowing at a 20 % premium...
POAH to Invest $40M in West Side Apartment Renovation
Preservation of Affordable Housing Inc. (POAH) will spend $40 million to renovate the 94‑unit Corcoran Place senior apartments on Chicago’s West Side. The overhaul adds new kitchens, bathrooms, all‑electric HVAC, upgraded plumbing, electrical, roof, windows, and façade repairs, with work on...
Lendlease Launches Pre-Leasing at Habitat’s Residential Component
Lendlease has opened pre‑leasing for Habitat Residences, a 12‑story, 260‑unit multifamily tower in Los Angeles that will debut this spring. The building offers studio, one‑ and two‑bedroom layouts plus penthouses on the top two floors with private balconies or terraces....
Habitat SKKC Completes 40-Home Community in Burien
Habitat for Humanity Seattle‑King & Kittitas Counties (SKKC) has finished the 40‑home Miller’s Creek community in Burien, marking the first major U.S. rollout of its “Let’s Open the Door” campaign. The development offers three‑ and four‑bedroom affordable units, a playground,...
How To Get A Home Equity Loan | Process 2026
A home equity loan lets homeowners borrow against the equity built in their property, typically up to 80% of the home’s appraised value after subtracting the existing mortgage balance. The application mirrors a primary mortgage—lenders evaluate credit scores, debt‑to‑income ratios,...
Hot Asset Hype Triggers Overbuilding, Warns Unsophisticated Investors
Exhibit A on why uninformed / unsophisticated investors should stay from investing in industrial real estate. A few years ago I attended a conference where there was a break out panel on cold storage. Everyone on the panel was extremely bullish on...
Morningstar DBRS Finalizes Its Provisional Credit Ratings on FIGRE Trust 2026-FL1
Morningstar DBRS finalized provisional ratings for FIGRE Trust 2026‑FL1 mortgage‑backed notes, assigning AAA to the $222.6 million Class A‑1 tranche and AA to the $28.7 million Class A‑2 tranche, among others. The transaction backs $274.6 million of first‑lien HELOCs originated by Figure, with...
Here’s How Much L.A. and Silicon Valley High-Earners Could Save by Trading California for Miami
Wealthy Californians earning around $500,000 can save over $51,000 a year by relocating to Miami, thanks to Florida's 0% state income tax versus California's 10.3%‑11.3% rate for that income bracket. Miami’s median home price of $500,000 is roughly half that...
Lone Star Execs Break Down US Resi Thesis for Latest $1bn Credit Strategy
Lone Star executives Mike Droege and Jeff Kert outlined a new $1 billion credit strategy centered on U.S. residential mortgage loans. The fund will target more than $10 billion of newly originated, performing non‑agency mortgages, leveraging Lone Star’s private‑credit platform to earn...
This One Mistake Could Cost You ‘Tens of Thousands of Dollars’ When Buying or Selling a Home
Skipping a real‑estate agent may seem like a cost‑saving shortcut, but it often leads to far larger losses. The median home sold for $435,000 last year, while for‑sale‑by‑owner (FSBO) properties averaged $380,000—a $55,000 gap. Even after accounting for...
U.S. Bank Extends Loan Terms in Bid to Address Affordability
U.S. Bank announced it will extend its home‑improvement loan terms from five years to six or seven years, targeting larger renovation projects. The move is designed to address growing affordability concerns among American households as home‑improvement spending stays above $600 billion...
Multifamily Development Site in Miami’s Wynwood Sells for $54M
Shoe brand owner David Sedaghati sold a 1.92‑acre development parcel in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood for $54 million to Gary Krat. The site, currently holding 64,629 sq ft of 1950s‑era low‑rise commercial space, was slated for a 1,300‑unit, two‑tower project under the Live Local...
Realtor.com Deploys ChatGPT Home‑Search App, Aiming to Capture Pre‑Search Shoppers
Realtor.com has launched a ChatGPT‑based home‑search app that lets users ask budgeting and location questions inside the AI chat and then routes them back to Realtor.com for full listings. The move positions the portal against Zillow and Redfin while pledging...
PROPTECH-X : OpticWise ‘The CRE Control Layer’
The article argues that commercial‑real‑estate owners typically control the deed, leases and operations but often do not own the building’s digital network, which acts as the control layer for all data‑driven systems. When third‑party vendors manage the network, owners face...
1 in 2 Homes Spent at Least 60 Days on Market in February
Redfin data shows 52.2% of February home listings remained on the market for 60 days or more, the highest share for the month since 2019. Weak buyer demand and persistent price growth are prompting sellers to list above market levels,...
Rising Rates Erase Affordability Gains, Prices May Dip
Mortgage rates hit the upper 6s this week - up 65 bps in a month. The affordability gains of early 2026 are gone. Here's what the data shows: ➡️85,000 pending sales this week, down for the week. Still 1.5% above last...
Tishman Speyer Acquires Central London Office Building in Off-Market Deal
Tishman Speyer has completed an off‑market purchase of a prime office building in central London, underscoring the firm’s aggressive push into Europe’s most resilient commercial market. The transaction, though undisclosed in price, reflects the growing appetite for core assets that...
People Want Good Homes, Not How They're Built
This is basically the same reasoning for why @americanhousing is a vertically integrated real estate company We are *using* industrial manufacturing to build nice rowhomes for people. They just find the house on Zillow, take a tour, like it ... and...
The Chrysler Building’s Next Chapter Could Be Residential
Jeffrey Gural’s GFP Real Estate is in advanced talks to acquire the Chrysler Building’s ground lease, opening the door to a potential residential conversion of the iconic Art Deco skyscraper. The current lease costs about $32.5 million annually and is projected...
Emergent Builds MLS Replacement From a Single Prompt
A realtor just showed me an MLS replacement built with Emergent from a single prompt. F—k
LoanDepot Partners with Texas Builder for New Lender Launch
LoanDepot has launched Olive Branch Home Loans, a mortgage affiliate for West Texas builder Betenbough Cos., which sells over 2,000 homes annually across eight sales centers. The partnership gives Betenbough access to LoanDepot’s wholesale infrastructure, technology and customer‑service expertise while...
U.S. Cities Add Live-Work-Play Buildings With Coworking Options
Live‑work‑play mixed‑use projects have surged, with 542 openings between 2016 and 2025 and a projected peak in 2025. Residential units dominate, accounting for roughly 62% of total space, while offices and retail fill the remainder. Coworking spaces are increasingly embedded,...
Ginnie Mae Gives Issuers a Break, Adds New Prepayment Data
Ginnie Mae announced immediate relief for issuers filing annual audited financial statements by eliminating the 15‑day advance notice for extension requests, allowing submissions through Ginnie Mae Central on the due date. The change comes as issuers manage a new audit...
Inside The Inkwell Lofts: A New Standard for Luxury Living in Long Branch
Long Branch is emerging as a premier luxury enclave on the Jersey Shore, with median home prices climbing to about $1.5 million, a 15% year‑over‑year rise. The Inkwell Lofts, a boutique condominium project of 22 units, launched its model home, showcasing...
Manulife Selling TCW Tower To LA Water And Power For $93M
Manulife US REIT is selling the 35‑story TCW Tower in downtown Los Angeles to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for $92.5 million, roughly $129 per square foot. The 719,000‑sq‑ft office building was only 46% occupied at the end of 2025,...
States Score Win as Flagstar Denied Escrow Rehearing
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied Flagstar Bank’s request for a full‑panel rehearing, leaving in place its earlier ruling that upheld California’s interest‑on‑escrow law. The decision was celebrated by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), which used the...
NLACRC Signs New HQ Lease
North Los Angeles County Regional Center (NLACRC) signed a lease for about 167,000 square feet of headquarters space in Chatsworth, the largest office lease by square footage in Los Angeles County this year. The expansion adds roughly 55,000 square feet...
Retail Assets Help Acuitus Raise £18.79m at March Auction
Acuitus raised £18.79 million (≈ $23.9 million) at its 30 March auction, selling several retail assets including the Bedford Arcade for £2.605 million (≈ $3.31 million) and a Leicester bank branch for £2.36 million (≈ $2.99 million). The auction featured high‑occupancy centres, a leasehold trade counter with a 7.73% yield,...
Grand Designs' Westons List Mega‑Renovated Christchurch Home at Record Price
Isabelle and Tim Weston have put their newly renovated six‑bedroom, four‑bathroom home at 93 Carlton Mill Road on the market, with agents suggesting it could fetch a price that sets a new benchmark for New Zealand residential sales. The couple, who...
Canary Wharf Gets Green Light for Revamp of 33 Canada Square
Canary Wharf Group has secured planning consent to refurbish the former 33 Canada Square, rebranding it as One Eden. The 545,000‑square‑foot office tower will be transformed into an all‑electric, mixed‑use building with retail, a possible rooftop restaurant, and extensive green...
MPA Weekly Poll: How Optimistic Are Brokers About the Current Market?
Geopolitical turmoil has driven oil prices higher, lifting Treasury yields and pushing 30‑year mortgage rates from the high‑5% range into the mid‑6% bracket. Freddie Mac reports the current rate at 6.38%, down slightly from 6.65% a year ago. The Mortgage...
Global Buyer Demand and Seller Supply Aggregation Platforms in Development
World Property Markets, a Miami‑based proptech firm, is building a dual AI‑driven platform that links global buyer demand with a borderless supply of real‑estate listings. The World Property Search engine will capture high‑intent buyer signals, while the upgraded Global Listings...
President John F. Kennedy and Jackie Once Kept This New York City Penthouse—It Just Found a New Buyer
The historic two‑bedroom penthouse at New York’s Carlyle hotel, once dubbed the “New York White House” for President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy, has been sold to an entity linked to billionaire media mogul Barry Diller for $11 million. The price represents a roughly 15 percent...
Florida Rents Plunge 25%, Renters Regain Leverage
Rental market deflation is spreading across Florida. In a metro like Cape Coral, apartment rents have been cut 25%. From a high of $1,695/month in 2022 peak down to $1,272/month. That's almost back to pre-pandemic norms (within 12%), and a signal that renters...
Lodging Delinquencies Surge, Driving Overall CMBS Rise
Where’s the next CRE pain point as I warned last year? @TreppWire CMBS Delinquency Rate increased 41 bps to 7.55% in March, reversing Feb’s decline. Lodging posted largest increase, jumping 137 bps to 7.31%, the first time it’s been >7% since...
Boston's Difficult Building Environment Forces Developers To Get Creative
Boston’s commercial‑real‑estate market is stalling as developers grapple with a maze of regulations, soaring construction costs, and looming rent‑control measures. Projects like the 161‑acre Suffolk Downs redevelopment and the $5 billion Dorchester Bay City megaproject have faced prolonged approvals, tax‑break negotiations,...
Exploring Tiny Multi-Family Independent Living Projects
Hmmm a project for 3 (or fewer) families living independently?? What could that be 🤔🤔🤔 https://t.co/OwOBaPrN67
Sacramento $400‑500K Sales Up 8%, Buyers Benefit
Seeing more sales between $400-500K in the Sacramento region. This is a part of the market that's experiencing volume growth from last year. This speaks to prices dipping and more sales happening in this range (8% more in 2026 so...
Allsop Raises over £105m at Commercial and Resi Auctions
Allsop reported raising over £105 million (approximately $133 million) in two days of March auctions, splitting £60 million ($76 million) from a commercial sale of 70 lots and £45 million ($57 million) from a residential sale of 208 lots. The commercial auction posted an 88% success...
No Income Tax Doesn't Guarantee Low Cost of Living
Just because a state doesn't have income taxes doesn't necessarily mean it's an affordable place to live. https://t.co/oPBtFcQdtW
Rent Control Myths: Government Can't Build Enough, Developers Won't Stay
The arguments that rent control does NOT disrupt housing supply boils down to two (bad) theories: 1) The government can build enough for everyone. 2) The private sector is just bluffing when they say they'll pull back in cities with rent control.
Bottom‑tier Homes See Offers; Overpriced Get None
More competitive at the bottom. Not a shocker. But expect zero offers if overpriced. Here are the number of offers in pending contracts over the past two weeks. Let’s keep watching demand closely since mortgage rates have spiked lately. https://t.co/nP090hRRtA