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:
Texas Suburbs Lead U.S. Growth as Celina Tops Fastest‑Growing Cities List
The Census Bureau released new data showing that the five fastest‑growing U.S. cities are all Texas suburbs, led by Celina’s 24.6% jump. The surge reflects Texas’s permissive land‑use policies and contrasts sharply with stagnating growth in traditional metros like New York.
Former Zillow Execs Talk Startups, AI and a ‘Discouraging’ Trend
Former Zillow leaders discussed the challenges of transitioning to startups, the impact of AI on hiring, and industry distractions amid a housing‑affordability crisis. Greg Schwartz highlighted the need for speed and focus, while Luis Poggi emphasized AI‑driven productivity and disciplined...
Manhattan Median Rent Tops $5,099, Setting New Record
Manhattan’s median monthly rent climbed to $5,099 in April 2026, a 6% year‑over‑year rise and the first time it breached the $5,000 mark. Vacancy slipped to 1.55% and active listings fell 25%, intensifying pressure on renters.
Newmark Exec Says CRE Recovery Gains Momentum Across Sectors
Chad Lavender, president of capital markets for North America at Newmark, told NAIOP’s Inside CRE podcast that commercial real estate is in a recovery, citing tighter bid‑ask spreads, stable cap rates and abundant financing. He highlighted robust demand in industrial,...
Zimbabwe’s Diaspora Reshapes Real Estate and Farming Investment Trends
Zimbabwe’s real estate and farming sectors are experiencing a surge of diaspora‑driven investment, spurred by social‑media influencers Kundai Chitima and Kelvin Birioti. Their YouTube and Instagram content showcases property tours, agricultural opportunities, and market analysis, prompting diaspora members like Catherine...
U.S. Median Home Price Jumps 2.4% YoY in April, Biggest Gain in Over a Year
Redfin announced that the U.S. median home sale price rose 2.4% in April from a year earlier, the largest annual gain since March 2025. The surge reflects stronger buyer activity, a tight inventory and modestly lower mortgage rates.
California’s $33 Million Tiny Home Bet Restarts in L.A. as Homelessness Funding Faces Steep Cuts
California has revived its $33 million tiny‑home initiative with a groundbreaking ceremony in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, to create 51 beds, including 10 for transitional youth. Governor Gavin Newsom earmarked the funds in 2023 for roughly 1,200 units statewide, with Los Angeles...
$20 Million Buyer Represents Low‑End Luxury Market
Meanwhile atop the K... “The $20 million buyer is the low end of the high end of the luxury market,” said Martha Gundersen, a Bridgehampton-based broker with Douglas Elliman. “That sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?” https://t.co/aUHpokA7qG
The Best U.S. Cities — and the Worst — for Home Price Appreciation in 2026
The American Enterprise Institute’s March 2026 housing report shows a stark regional split in home‑price appreciation. Kansas City tops the list with a 9.0% year‑over‑year gain, while Midwest metros like Cleveland and Chicago also post solid growth despite a national slowdown....
Record Numbers of UK Renters Crowdfunding to Cover Bills
A record number of UK renters are turning to GoFundMe to cover rent and bills, with April 2026 seeing the most rent‑related fundraisers ever created. Donations for rent support have risen 60% since 2022, and more than 100,000 donors contribute...
Seattle Downtown Real Estate Reset Accelerates as Offices Convert to Mixed‑Use Hubs
Seattle’s downtown is undergoing a real‑estate reset, with a 78% rise in residential population since 2010 prompting office‑to‑residential conversions and a shift toward data centers and warehouses. The transition is backed by city programs and a more measured M&A outlook...
Lenders Slash Distressed CRE Loans, Selling at Up to 85% Discount
Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, and a wave of regional lenders are finally cutting losses on distressed commercial real‑estate loans, selling assets at discounts up to 85% and triggering the largest foreclosure surge since the 2008 crisis. The move reflects a...
Commercial Mortgage Originations Jump 52% in Q1 2026, Marking Strongest Growth in Five Years
U.S. commercial and multifamily mortgage originations surged 52% year‑over‑year in the first quarter of 2026, the fastest pace since 2022, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The jump reflects aggressive lending by banks and investor‑driven funds, with healthcare and retail...
Zillow CEO Jeremy Wacksman Unveils AI‑Powered End‑to‑End Home‑Buying App
Zillow chief executive Jeremy Wacksman told NBC News the company is building AI‑driven software that will let buyers find, tour, and close on homes entirely inside the Zillow app. The move comes as proptech venture capital swelled to $3.3 billion in...
AD&C Credit Tightens in Q1 as NAHB Index Nears Zero, Signaling Easing Pressure
The National Association of Home Builders reported that first‑quarter 2026 AD&C financing remained tight but eased to a net index of -2.7, the closest to zero in four years. A parallel Fed survey showed a -4.9 reading, suggesting broader, albeit...
Home Prices Outpace Rents in Every Major U.S. Market, Squeezing Affordability and Yields
CRE Daily says home prices have far outpaced apartment rents in every major U.S. market since 2020. The widening gap is reshaping affordability for renters and compressing yield expectations for landlords, prompting a rethink of residential investment fundamentals.
Embassy Group Reappoints Chirag Boonlia as Group CTO to Accelerate Proptech Drive
Embassy Group has reappointed Chirag Boonlia as Group Chief Technology Officer, tasking him with steering a multi‑vertical digital strategy for its commercial, residential and industrial assets. The move underscores the conglomerate’s intent to deepen its proptech investments and modernize operations.
Lower Your Property Tax Bill with Appraisal Appeals and Exemptions
Homeowners can challenge local property appraisals that they believe overstate market value, potentially lowering their annual tax bill. In Texas, the process begins with a formal assessment, followed by a protest to the appraisal review board and, if needed, an...
Housing Market Silver Linings: Why Homebuyers Are Finding Relief Despite ‘Inflation Contagion’
Despite persistent inflation contagion eroding real wages, the U.S. housing market shows several bright spots. Mortgage rates nudged lower to 6.36% in mid‑May, keeping borrowing costs near the six‑percent threshold. Existing‑home sales edged up 0.2% to 4.02 million units, while sellers...
Speculative Construction Loans Hit 11% Effective Rate
Average effective interest rate right now [taking both contract rate and initial points into account] on.... loans for speculative single-family construction --> 11.22% loans for land development --> 10.15% loans for land acquisition --> 9.36% via NAHB
Hollywood Multifamily Sale Reaches Three-Year High in Pricing
Colliers brokered the sale of Sophia Hollywood, a 28‑unit Class A multifamily complex in Los Angeles, for approximately $16 million—about $571,000 per unit, the highest price per unit in Hollywood in over three years. The property’s newer construction, condominium‑quality design, and larger floor...
Morningstar DBRS Confirms Credit Ratings on UK Logistics 2024-1 DAC
Morningstar DBRS confirmed the credit ratings for the UK Logistics 2024‑1 DAC securitisation, keeping Class A at AAA, Class B at AA, Class C at A, Class D at BBB and Class E at BB, with stable trends. The transaction...
Analysis: Where Atlanta Ranks in Home-Price Growth over Past Decade
A new study of 691 U.S. cities shows Atlanta’s median home price jumped $155,401, a 67.5% rise between 2016 and 2026. The city lands at 493th overall and 38th among 54 large metros for price growth, placing it in the...
DAUM Arranges Industrial Outdoor Storage Lease in Rialto
DAUM Commercial Real Estate Services brokered a lease for a 5.18‑acre industrial outdoor storage (IOS) site in Rialto, California. The property offers roughly 225,640 sq ft of IOS space zoned for general manufacturing and is owned by Stockbridge Capital Group. The tenant...
Struggling To Find Equity, Developers Pull Back On New Builds
Multifamily developers are pulling back on new construction as equity dries up, pushing ground‑up starts to a 15‑year low of 55,000 units in Q1 2026. While lenders remain willing, investors balk at the high cash‑outlay needed amid rising construction costs,...
Fannie Mae Raises Mortgage Rate Forecast Through 2027
Fannie Mae has lifted its 30‑year fixed‑rate mortgage outlook, projecting an average of 6.3% for the remainder of 2024 and through 2026, with rates staying near 6.2% until the second quarter of 2027 before flattening. The upward revision reflects a stickier...
Ex-Judge and Developer Face Fraud Charges over $5m Escrow Scheme
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have charged former Kings County Supreme Court Justice Edward Harold King and developer Yechiel "Sam" Sprei with a wire‑fraud conspiracy that allegedly siphoned at least $5 million from investors through a fabricated escrow arrangement. The scheme involved...
AI, Hybrid Work, And Labor Shortages Are Starting To Increase Office Construction Costs
Office fit‑out costs in the U.S. and Canada have risen to roughly $295 per square foot for medium‑quality projects in 2026, driven by heightened demand for hybrid‑work technology, AI infrastructure, and flexible collaboration spaces. Mechanical, electrical, IT and audiovisual systems...
Servicer Retention Fell in Q1, But Remains at Multi-Year Highs
Refinance activity rebounded in Q1 2026, with ICE reporting 585,000 first‑lien refinances worth $242 billion, the strongest quarterly total since early 2022. Refinances accounted for 44% of all mortgage originations, the highest share in four years, and rate‑and‑term loans comprised 60%...
Long Island Multifamily Development Firm Breaks Up
Long Island’s leading multifamily developer, Fairfield Properties, is being divided between cousins Michael and Gary Broxmeyer. Gary will control 61% of the assets under GB Family Office Holdings, while Michael will take the remaining 39% as MDJ Realty Services. The...
Commercial Real Estate Stress Is Rising Again as Office Loans Fall Behind
Commercial real‑estate lenders are seeing renewed pressure as office loan distress climbs, with the overall CMBS special‑servicing rate rising to 11.38% in April 2026. Office‑specific servicing jumped to 17.66%, driven by aging towers, low occupancy and falling values. Major loans...
Purchase Activity Lifts Mortgage Applications Despite Higher Rates
Mortgage applications rose 1.7% last week, driven entirely by stronger purchase activity despite 30‑year fixed rates edging up to 6.46%, the highest in five weeks. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index jumped 4% week‑over‑week and is 7% higher than a year...
Limiting Institutional Investors Cuts Housing Supply, Hurts Families
When people argue "institutional investors shouldn't invest in housing," you're arguing for reduced housing supply b/c they build a lot of it. That hurts families who can't afford to buy, and doesn't hurt investors b/c they'll just invest in stuff like...
The Downtown Of A Mini-City 40 Years In The Making Breaks Ground
Gould Property Co. broke ground on the first phase of downtown Konterra, a mixed‑use mini‑city in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The initial phase includes more than 200 townhomes built by Caruso Homes, with deliveries slated for fall 2026. At full...
Bad News for Mortgage Rates as Yields Hit a Year-High
Long‑term Treasury yields surged this week, with the 30‑year hitting 5.11% and the 10‑year climbing to 4.58%, their highest levels since May 2025. The jump follows a string of stubborn inflation reports, including a 3.8% rise in the CPI and a...
England’s Friendliest Neighbourhoods – and How Much It Costs to Live There
Estate agent John D Wood & Co. released its first‑ever "friendliest neighbourhood" ranking for England, using green‑space access, anti‑social behaviour rates and community‑event activity. Sutton in south‑west London topped the list, with a 65% home‑ownership rate and an average house price of £457,497 (≈$581,000)....
Single-Family Permits Continue to Weaken in Early 2026
Residential permitting in Q1 2026 shows a widening gap between single‑family and multifamily construction. Single‑family permits slipped 7.6% YoY to 214,655 units, while multifamily permits rose 7.1% to 121,404 units. The decline was nationwide, with the Northeast hardest hit at a...
New York Plans Tax on Homes over $1M Purchased with Cash
New York lawmakers are drafting a 1% levy on all‑cash home purchases exceeding $1 million in the city, projected to raise about $160 million for the FY 2027 budget. The proposal may later expand to cover cash transactions over $1 million across the state....
Milwaukee Owner‑Occupancy Rises as Out‑of‑State Landlords Exit, Adding 3,800 Homes
Milwaukee’s owner‑occupied housing stock grew by roughly 3,800 homes through the end of 2025, lifting the total to nearly 96,000 units. The surge follows the sale of several hundred properties by three large out‑of‑state investment firms that had previously bought...
96 Apartments + Retail Proposed at 8871 W. Venice Blvd.
A mixed‑use development is proposed at 8871‑8879 W. Venice Blvd, directly across from Apple’s new campus on the L.A.–Culver City border. The plan calls for a seven‑story building with 96 studio and one‑bedroom apartments, about 3,500 sq ft of ground‑floor retail, and parking...
Community Land Trusts Could Be the Secret to More Co-Op Housing. Just Ask Canada.
Steve Dubb’s Shelterforce piece highlights how Canada has woven community land trusts (CLTs) with cooperative housing at a scale that dwarfs the United States, where co‑ops account for less than 2% of CLT units. The article surveys successful models in...
Big Is Back for Central London Office Occupiers as Expansions Hit Six-Year High
Central London office occupiers added a net 3.82 million square feet in 2025, the strongest expansion since 2019 and the sixth consecutive year of growth. The surge reflects renewed confidence among tenants, especially in technology and financial services, after years of...
Adaptive Reuse Is an Overlooked Housing Strategy: New Report
A new report from the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals argues that adaptive reuse of existing buildings can speed up housing delivery while cutting carbon emissions. Examining retrofit projects in Halifax, Montréal and Vancouver, the study finds reuse lowers both...
How a Data Center Derailed $240,000 for Affordable Housing in Rural Maine
Wiscassaft, Maine’s town board diverted a $240,000 American Rescue Plan Act grant intended for affordable‑housing feasibility studies toward exploring a $5 billion data‑center project that never broke ground. County officials rescinded the funds after discovering the town’s shift in scope, reallocating...
NYC’s Top Deals: Soho Office Trades for $36M
In a 24‑hour filing window ending May 14, 2026, New York City recorded 166 real‑estate transactions worth $279 million. The largest commercial deal was the sale of the 103,000‑sq‑ft Soho office at 261‑267 Canal Street for $36 million, while the priciest residential transaction was a $28.7 million...
Northampton Council Moves to Cut Duplex Review, Boosting Two‑Family Homes
Northampton City Council's Committee on Legislative Matters voted to recommend a zoning amendment that removes the 2,000‑square‑foot size trigger for site‑plan review of duplexes. The change would let two‑family homes be built by right, a move supporters say will lower...
Foreclosure Filings Jump 18% in April to 42,430 Homes, Highlight Housing Stress
ATTOM data show 42,430 U.S. properties received foreclosure filings in April 2026, an 18% increase from a year earlier. Foreclosure starts rose 12% to 28,414, while completed foreclosures surged 42% to 5,098, signaling growing pressure on homeowners amid high mortgage...
Transit-Linked Office Demand Lifts Parts of Toronto Market: JLL Canada Report
JLL Canada’s latest Toronto Office Market Dynamics report links the newly opened Eglinton Crosstown LRT to a sharp drop in office availability, which fell from 26.9% in 2024 to 21.9% in early 2026. The transit corridor is spurring demand for...
Miami Got NYC’s Billionaires. Will It Get Their Businesses?
New York City’s mayor is pushing a pied‑à‑terre tax aimed at non‑resident luxury homes, singling out hedge‑fund titan Ken Griffin. Griffin has warned he may abandon Citadel’s $6 billion Park Avenue office tower if the tax proceeds. Since 2020, an exodus...
U.S. Home Sales Flat in April as Lackluster Spring Homebuying Season Lurches Forward
U.S. existing home sales were essentially flat in April, holding at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.02 million units, matching the prior year and missing the 4.12 million forecast. The median sales price rose 0.9% year‑over‑year to $417,700, the highest April...