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:
Australia’s Housing Market Has Turned
Australia’s housing market signaled a shift as Sydney and Melbourne auction clearance rates fell to their lowest levels of 2026. Veteran auctioneer Tom Panos warned that buyer depth is diminishing and fear is gripping participants amid rising interest rates and inflation. The March auction data reveal a clear reversal from the rapid price gains of previous years. Market dynamics now show houses chasing buyers rather than the other way around.
Spreads Peaked 2023, Normalize by 2026 After 2022 Rise
2023 had the peak spreads of the cycle at 3.11%. Since then, it has gradually improved each year. By 2026, spreads approached normal levels again. February 2022 is when the spreads started to worsen. https://t.co/hK3qQPLtIs
400 Maine Affordable Homes Unable to Break Ground Due to Buy America Rules
Developers in Maine have placed ten fully permitted affordable‑housing projects, representing 400 units, on hold after the federal Buy America rule took effect. The regulation mandates that 95 % of construction materials, including HVAC systems, be sourced from U.S. manufacturers, a...
S&P Global Ratings Says Dubai Housing Won’t Face 2008‑Style Crash Amid Regional Tensions
S&P Global Ratings warned that Dubai's residential real‑estate market may decelerate as the Middle East conflict intensifies, yet it dismissed the prospect of a crash comparable to 2008. The agency’s assessment offers reassurance to lenders, developers and buyers watching regional...
South Florida Million-Dollar Home Sales Surge to an All-Time High, and This Celeb-Studded County Leads the Way
South Florida’s luxury market is booming, with 2,040 million‑dollar home sales YTD—a record high not seen since 2008. February saw an 18.8% overall rise, driven by 17.8% growth in single‑family homes and 21.6% in condos and townhomes. Palm Beach County...
Chr. Tomters Veg House / Rever & Drage Architects
Rever & Drage Architects expanded the modest red‑painted cottage in Chr. Tomters veg, Rælingen, by adding two new volumes that double the living space for a large family. The design links the original house with a winter garden and a...
House Foundations & Groundworks for a Self Build – Your Guide to Building Foundations
House foundations are the structural backbone of any self‑build, and selecting the right system hinges on a thorough understanding of site soil conditions. In the UK, soil variability demands a geotechnical survey to assess bearing capacity, water table, and movement...
Robinsons Land Charts Next Phase of Growth with 2026 Pipeline
Robinsons Land Corporation unveiled a 2026 development pipeline that spans malls, offices, hospitality and logistics across Dumaguete, Bacolod, Davao, Pangasinan and Calamba. The plan adds over 57,000 sq m of gross leasable area in mall expansions, introduces new Cybergate office towers, launches...
De Hartenrust Residential Building / Van Bergen Kolpa Architects
De Hartenrust, designed by van Bergen Kolpa architects, will add 36 affordable social‑housing units to Rotterdam’s Rotte riverbank in 2025. The 4,160 m² development combines a nine‑storey tower, three‑storey townhouses and four‑storey corner houses, creating a sculptural presence that links the dense Oude Noorden district...
Ealing Council Launches Europe's Largest Passivhaus Housing Programme
"Ealing Council is now building more than 200 Passivhaus homes. The borough is becoming a hot spot for Passivhaus, with the West London Partnership’s new development on Bollo Lane poised to be the largest Passivhaus programme in Europe." #passivhaus https://t.co/fwO6GoZoAB
Xindu • Herbal Fragrant Cottage / Archermit
Herbal Fragrant Cottage, a 1,015 m² project in Xindu District, Chengdu, reinterprets traditional Linpan settlements through a contemporary architectural lens. The design weaves agrarian scenery into the building fabric, using criss‑crossing paths, a sunken tea room, and a sloped roof that...
NYC Two
New York City builds smaller 2BR apartments Here's the distribution of 2BR sizes in NYC vs Seattle & Austin NYC average is 5% smaller than Seattle & 14% smaller than Seattle ... and more than 2/3 of NYC 2BRs are smaller than...
Existing Home Sales Near Record Lows, Sensitive to 7% Rates
We have to be mindful that existing home sales, unlike new home sales, are still working from all-time lows; the bar is very low for growth. Sales haven't collapsed since the end of 2022, no matter where rates went, but...
They’re Building a Dream Home From Scratch for Less Than $3K After Watching 100 Hours of YouTube
Jennifer and Chris Ohs bought a 21‑acre plot in Summerville, GA, and decided to build a DIY home using a used 40‑foot shipping container they found for $2,450. After more than 100 hours of YouTube tutorials, they are constructing an...
Income Required for $289.9K Home with 3.5% FHA
How Much You Need to Make To Buy a $289,900.00 with a 3.5% down FHA loan
Saks Fifth Avenue Store Closures Update: See the Full List of Doomed Locations in 12 States
Parent company Saks Global announced the closure of 15 additional retail locations, expanding its restructuring effort after filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January. The list includes the flagship Saks Fifth Avenue store on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, along with several other Saks...
Looking for 2‑3‑Bedroom Paris Summer Rental with AC
Anyone renting their Paris apartment this summer (2/3 bedrooms, AC)?
Trump’s Economic Shocks Are Derailing Britain’s Building Plans
US President Donald Trump's recent geopolitical moves—including the Iran conflict and renewed tariffs—are reverberating through the UK economy. Glenigan data shows the value of new construction projects fell by more than a third in the three months to February, with...
Chair Powell Has ‘No Intention’ of Leaving Fed Until DOJ Probe Ends
Fed Chair Jerome Powell announced he will stay in the role pro tem until the Department of Justice investigation into his comments concludes, extending his leadership beyond the May term expiry. Mortgage rates climbed above 6.5%, threatening the pent‑up demand...
Single? Buy a Duplex, Let Rent Cover Your Mortgage
Unpopular opinion: You don’t have to be married to buy a house. You can buy one all by yourself… even if you're a single girl. And instead of just buying a regular house, think about buying something that makes you...
Florida Inventory Drop Easier; Comps Soften Through Mid‑June
Also, be mindful that the inventory decline in Florida YoY was working from an easier bar to do so. Just like the national data, the YoY comps get easier up until mid-June. https://t.co/z4GnIpxb5B
Brookfield Hands Off Mostly Vacant 415 Natoma Tower as New Owners Acquire $400 M Debt
Brookfield Properties is turning over the 415 Natoma Street tower to a partnership of Meridian Group and Fenway Capital Advisors after they bought the $400 million construction loan. The high‑rise, opened in 2022, remains largely empty with Thumbtack as its only tenant,...
Homelessness Policies Erasing Rental Listings in SF
Currently doing a rental house search in San Francisco, and remarkable how much supply is crossed out because of street homelessness considerations. Self inflicted housing destruction in an already scarce housing environment.
Home Prices Poised to Dip Below 2022 Levels by Summer
Home prices sure look like they could be back under 2022 levels by late summer. *This is list prices, which is subject to a shift in the mix of homes available, but it a direct measure of how much homes cost,...
Think Twice Before Lying About Real Estate
Governor Kathy Hochul proposes exempting modest‑size housing projects from the State Environmental Quality Review Act to speed construction and lower costs. Assemblymember Deborah Glick publicly opposed the change, arguing developers could already build affordable units and blaming the housing crisis...
Rare 100K+ Listings Forecast 80K Breakthrough
The last time we had new listings above 100K May 24th, 2019 at 101,000 June 12, 2015, at 110,000 It's only happened a few times post 2013 During the housing crash years, it ran at 250K-400K for years We can break over 80K...
Current Rates Far Below Worst‑case Mortgage Spread Scenarios
If we had the worst levels of mortgage spreads in 2023, mortgage rates would be 7.67% today, not 6.53% If we had the worst levels of 2024, mortgage rates would be 7.29% today. If we had the worst levels of 2025,...
Phoenix Landowners Sue City for $750 Million Over New Data‑Center Zoning Rules
A coalition of 11 Phoenix-area landowners and prospective data‑center developers has filed a lawsuit seeking $750 million in compensation, arguing that the city’s July zoning ordinance slashes property values. The case pits property owners against a growing wave of local regulations...
Indriya Eyes 100-Plus Stores as Aditya Birla Jewellery Brand Bets on Fashion Credentials
Indriya, the Aditya Birla Group’s jewellery label, is accelerating its retail footprint from more than 55 stores to a projected 100‑plus locations, with a goal of surpassing 75 stores by the end of March. The brand is shifting its marketing mix...
Dubai Property Sector Shows Early Signs of Weakness
Dubai’s property market is showing early signs of weakness as the US‑Israeli war on Iran dampens demand. Transaction volumes fell 37% year‑on‑year and 49% month‑on‑month in the first 12 days of March, according to Goldman Sachs. High‑end listings are being...
Lake Views / JA Joubert Architecture
Lake Views is a 100,000 m² mixed‑use development by JA Joubert Architecture on Tirana’s lakefront, completed in 2024. The project stacks residential units above commercial spaces and parking, using sloped volumes that guarantee every apartment an outward view of the lake, city...
Norway Constructs Homes From Recycled Plastic Waste
These 'trashy' homes in Norway are built from recycled plastics. (World Economic Forum) #Environment #Recycling @wef https://t.co/KTQkPzrLnH
Seoul Property Tax Hike Threatens to Push Jeonse Deposits and Rents Higher
South Korean officials are weighing a property‑tax hike that could raise landlords' bills by more than 50% in Seoul. Analysts warn the move would likely be passed on to tenants, inflating Jeonse deposits and monthly rents that have already surged...
Weekly Demand up YoY Even as Rates Fall
As crazy as this sounds, the weekly demand with our tracker data is still positive YoY, just remember that rates are still lower YoY; more on this with our weekend tracker. 🫡
Connect Industrial Midwest 2026 Recap (VIDEO)
At the Connect Industrial Midwest 2026 conference, commercial real‑estate leaders highlighted steady fundamentals, rising leasing activity and renewed capital flows in the Midwest industrial sector. Speakers noted that limited new supply kept the market disciplined, positioning Chicago as slightly undersupplied...
Champaign Workforce Housing Development Launches Lease Up
Royse + Brinkmeyer has begun leasing The Pilot, a mixed‑income residential community in Champaign’s In‑Town Neighborhood. The development will deliver 151 modern apartments, townhomes and lofts across five planned properties aimed at expanding workforce housing. Financing comes from PNC Bank...
CRMLS to ‘Give Revenue Back’; a Tech Upgrade for BeachesMLS
California Regional MLS (CRMLS) announced it will redistribute listing‑data revenue to roughly 2,000 brokerages that posted at least five listings in 2025, with payments beginning in April 2026. The move reinforces CRMLS’s broker‑centric, cooperative model and follows MARIS’s earlier revenue‑sharing...
Nonprofit Leases Two Floors for Largest Tenancy at 39 Broadway
Nonprofit Fedcap has signed a 37,760‑square‑foot lease for its new headquarters at 39 Broadway in Manhattan’s Financial District. The six‑year agreement covers the entire second and third floors, making it the largest tenancy in the 37‑story Art Deco tower. Fedcap, a...
Landlords Cry Foul As NYC Issues Over $115K In Composting Fines
New York City’s Department of Sanitation has issued more than $115,000 in composting fines to multifamily landlords since the rule took effect in October 2024, delivering 1,173 summonses in under a year. Fines are modest—about $100 each—but are frequent, prompting...
How Denver Is Offering a New Path to Homeownership
Nearly one‑third of Colorado households are severely cost‑burdened as Denver’s median single‑family home price hit $699,750 in February 2026, a 2.9% rise since the pandemic. Prices per square foot jumped 25.2% over the same period, squeezing first‑time buyers. Realtor.com analyst...
Only One US Home Price Crash Despite Many Recessions
We have experienced many recessions since WWII, but only one nationwide home price crash and foreclosure crisis, household debt leverage ratio was much higher back then. https://t.co/VjgmPgQgRv
‘Critical Minerals Corridor’ Seen Linking Mines, Markets – by Frederic Tomesco (Northern Miner – March 20, 2026)
Canadian developer BMI Group has assembled five former industrial sites in Ontario and Quebec into a “Critical Minerals Corridor” aimed at bolstering the North American battery supply chain. The repurposed pulp and paper mills now serve as deployment‑ready hubs equipped...
Pediatrics Practice Continues Expansion with Bellmore Location
Colliers brokered a new 3,000‑square‑foot lease for Concierge Pediatrics at 2788 Merrick Road in Bellmore, New York. The Bellmore clinic marks the fourth location for the concierge‑style pediatric practice, adding to its existing sites in Roslyn and Woodbury, NY, and...
Morningstar DBRS Confirms Credit Ratings on Five Classes of Wells Fargo Commercial Mortgage Trust 2015-C27
Morningstar DBRS confirmed credit ratings on five classes of the Wells Fargo Commercial Mortgage Trust 2015‑C27, assigning B (sf) to Class C and C (sf) to Classes D, E, F and X‑B. The agency discontinued the rating on senior Class PEX after its repayment. Since...
Jamestown Reveals Vision For Proposed Mixed-Use NHL Stadium: The Atlanta Deal Sheet
Jamestown has filed a zoning application to transform the former North Point Mall in Alpharetta into a 20,000‑seat NHL arena surrounded by a mixed‑use campus. The development would add roughly 1 million square feet of retail and dining, a 300‑room hotel,...
Choosing a Personal Loan Over a Home Equity Loan
Personal loans and home‑equity loans are both fixed‑rate installment options, but they differ in security, rates, and term lengths. Personal loans are unsecured, require lower credit scores, and typically offer 12% interest over one to seven years, while home‑equity loans...
5 WTC Plans on “Pause” Due to Rising Costs: Port Authority
The Port Authority announced that the 5 World Trade Center residential tower, slated for 1,200 apartments with a third affordable, is on pause as developers grapple with soaring construction costs and geopolitical headwinds. Costs have risen roughly 50% since the...
Future Homes: Smaller Footprints, Lower Costs, Easier Living
No. I’m saying in 10 years , this is how new houses will be built. Less acreage. Less internal square footage. More actual human living space. Far easier to maintain and lower maintenance costs. Less cost to...
Starwood Pays $4M an Acre to Build Data Centers
Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors approved the sale of a 42‑acre parcel at the county police training campus to Starwood Capital Group for $166.8 million. The Miami‑based developer intends to build a data center, though site entitlements are still pending. County...
Compass Withdraws Lawsuit After Zillow Revises Listing Rules
Compass International Holdings dismissed its antitrust lawsuit against Zillow after the search portal softened its Listing Access Standards. The move ends a months‑long battle over pre‑market listings and could redefine how brokerages market homes online.