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:
Argyll Revamps Hudson House in Covent Garden with £3.5m Refurb
Argyll has launched a £3.5 million refurbishment of the grade‑II‑listed Hudson House in Covent Garden, converting 14,000 sq ft across seven floors into 48 private serviced offices. The project, slated for completion in June, preserves Edwin Lutyens’ original marble floor and vaulted ceilings on the ground level while giving the upper floors an industrial‑modern aesthetic. Argyll, owned by private‑equity firm Crosstree Real Estate Partners, acquired the building in 2005 and is now relaunching it under new CEO Emily Smith. The redesign aims to blend heritage charm with contemporary workspace demands.
Retail Investment in Calgary Dips in 2025: Barclay Street Real Estate
Calgary’s retail investment slipped 31% in 2025, totaling $531.5 million across 54 transactions. Deal sizes shifted upward, with half of the sales above $5 million and the largest at $54.5 million for a 201,000‑sq‑ft centre. Average pricing remained steady at $419 per square...
Middle East Conflict Stokes Inflation, Risks Higher Rates
The U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict has triggered the largest oil price jump in four years as the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut, sending crude markets into turmoil. Inflation concerns now dominate Treasury trading, pushing the 10‑year yield above 4% and raising mortgage‑rate...
The 1.8 Million ‘Missing’ Households: Why Gen Z and Millennials Vanished From the Housing Market in 2025
The U.S. housing supply gap widened to 4.03 million units in 2025 as new construction fell short, leaving nearly 2 million Gen Z and millennial households unformed. Affordability constraints—requiring roughly $86 k income and a 14.4% down payment—forced many young adults to stay with...
Lenders Rethink Outreach as Trigger Leads Face Limits
Mortgage originators are split on the value of trigger leads as the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act takes effect on March 5, forcing a shift to permission‑based marketing. Proponents argue trigger leads provide quick consumer access, but critics cite reliability issues and...
Bad Breakup at Direct Mortgage Spills Into Court
Direct Mortgage is being sued by former employees Brooks Kelly and Jason Harris for $750,000 in unpaid compensation, a disputed $200,000 personal loan, and alleged software failures that created compliance risks. The plaintiffs claim the company’s loan‑origination system produced inaccurate...
Designing the Future
Philippine real estate is entering a new design era focused on regenerative, people‑centric environments that restore ecosystems and enhance wellbeing. Thought leaders highlight AI‑driven optimization, prefabricated construction, and material innovations such as engineered bamboo as key enablers. Mixed‑use, walkable neighborhoods...
PadSplit and the American Coliving Paradox
PadSplit has become the United States’ largest coliving marketplace, operating over 30,000 rooms in more than 35 metros and housing 70,000+ members without any federal subsidies. The company runs an asset‑light, technology‑driven platform that connects property owners with low‑income renters,...
Understanding U-Value: The Foundation of Energy-Efficient Envelopes
The article explains that a building's envelope acts as a thermal regulator, and its performance hinges on the thermal transmittance, or U‑Value. U‑Value quantifies heat flow per square meter per degree Kelvin, linking directly to insulation quality. The piece outlines...
How Brokers Can Position Private Lending as a Strategic Advantage
Real estate brokers can turn private lending into a strategic advantage by offering faster, more flexible financing than traditional banks. Private lenders specialize in distinct property types and deal sizes, allowing brokers to match investors with the right capital source....
Wealthy Buy Rentals for Equity, Not Cash Flow
Wealthy people don’t buy rentals for $200 a month in cash flow. They buy them for equity and tax advantages. Say you buy four properties at $50K equity each. That’s $200K added to your net worth, plus a massive...
Exactly How Much It Cost to Build the Average Parking Space In Your City
A new UCLA study reveals that building a parking space now costs more than a typical new car, with above‑ground spots averaging $52,000 and underground spots $73,000 in 2025. The analysis of 17 U.S. cities shows construction costs for parking...
In A First, BXP Sells Digital Property Rights
Boston Properties (BXP) completed a landmark December sale of its 409,000‑square‑foot Needham, Massachusetts campus, incorporating the first recorded transfer of digital property rights via a blockchain transaction on the Digital Rights Network. The $132 million deal, finalized with Lincoln Property Co....
Millbray Appoints Bullet and Wonderful for Brand Refresh and New Digital Platform
Integrated land‑lease developer Millbray has hired brand studio Bullet and digital product studio Wonderful to revamp its master brand and launch a new digital platform ahead of the Ashcroft over‑50s community debut in Queensland. Bullet delivered the brand strategy, naming,...
BTL Landlords Continue to ‘Invest Strategically’ as Rents Rise
Buy‑to‑let landlords stayed active in the UK rental market as average rents rose to £1,602 PCM, a 4.9% increase year‑on‑year. The South Coast led growth with a 10.5% jump, while London rents grew modestly but remain 49% above the national...
Gap Between LHA Rates and Average Market Rents Widens
SimplyPhi’s 2025 Regional Housing Market Report shows average private rents in all nine English regions surpass Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates, creating monthly shortfalls of £377 to £1,194. While rental supply peaked at 77,458 units in Q2 2025, only about 1,154...
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I Was Angry About Housing. So I Tried to Build One.
After years studying housing policy, the author bought a vacant lot in Indianapolis and built a modest 1,200‑sq‑ft home using a physician loan that offered 100% financing at 3% interest. The experiment revealed how credential‑based financing grants access to some...
Construction Sector Has Too Many Suits, Not Enough Tradies
Australia’s construction industry is being hamstrung by an expanding maze of planning regulations, creating a disproportionate presence of lawyers and planners versus skilled tradespeople. Ross Elliott’s piece highlights that even legal experts can’t tally the thousands of pages governing development...
Homeowner Sues Rocket Mortgage over Shredded Money Orders, Wrongful Foreclosure
A Columbus homeowner has filed a federal lawsuit against Rocket Mortgage, alleging the servicer shredded two money orders totaling $1,700 and proceeded with a foreclosure despite internal confirmation that the account was not in default. The loan, originated in 2006,...
Canada’s Rental Crisis Moves East: Nova Scotia Now Least Affordable Province
A Rentals.ca study shows Canadian rental affordability improving since early 2023, yet most provinces remain unaffordable. Alberta is the sole province where average rent consumes 23.4% of median household income, comfortably below the 30% affordability threshold. Nova Scotia now has...
The Devastating Mistake in Real Estate Investing that *Happens All the Time* – and How to Avoid It: Part II...
The article dissects a Nashville multi‑family investment that collapsed, illustrating a common mistake where investors chase aggressive, high‑return projects during an up‑cycle. Marketed by YieldStreet/WillowWealth, the deal featured high leverage, floating‑rate debt, lease‑up risk, and hidden recapitalization, leading to a...
Manova Partners Sells 323,927-Square-Foot Nashville West Shopping Center
Manova Partners, a Munich‑based real‑estate firm, has sold the Nashville West Shopping Center, a 323,927‑square‑foot super‑regional retail complex near Vanderbilt University. The property, built between 2007 and 2008, sits at the I‑40 and Charlotte Pike intersection and comprises six single‑story...
Small Town Commercial Prices Rise as Big City Prices Fall
CoStar’s January Commercial Repeat‑Sale Indices show a split between market tiers: smaller, secondary‑market properties rose 1.3% month‑over‑month, while premier assets in major cities slipped 0.4% in the value‑weighted gauge. Over the past year the equal‑weighted index gained 1.1% versus a...
Simply Unaffordable! FHA Lower Credit Score Borrowers (0-619) Suffer Escalating Mortgage Delinquency Rates
FHA loans held by borrowers with credit scores between 0 and 619 are experiencing a sharp rise in 90‑day delinquency rates, the steepest since the program’s inception. The surge follows a post‑COVID fiscal stimulus that drove home prices to record...
Charlotte-Based SouthCraft Home Builders Rebrands as SouthCraft by Empire Homes
SouthCraft Home Builders announced it will operate as SouthCraft by Empire Homes, reflecting its 2025 acquisition by Empire Homes. Matt Roesch, a veteran homebuilder, was named division president to steer the rebranded unit. The new brand leverages Empire’s scale and...
New Pre-Showing Tool Aims to Quickly ID Serious Buyers
Veteran Phoenix realtor Erik Johnson launched TheBuyerProfile.com, an AI‑assisted pre‑showing platform that scores buyer readiness and highlights key signals. The tool funnels leads through a short online form, generating a readiness score that agents can use before scheduling property tours....
Don’t Blame Housing for Less Marriage
Recent analysis of 3,100 U.S. counties finds that rising housing costs have minimal impact on the nation’s declining marriage rates. The change in home price‑to‑income ratios accounts for only 4% of the variation, while the concentration of less‑educated racial minorities...
Mortgage Rates Jump After Iran Attack
Mortgage rates slipped back above the 6% threshold after the Iran attack, with the 30‑year fixed climbing to 6.12%—a 13‑basis‑point jump. Ten‑year Treasury yields rose nine basis points, and mortgage‑backed‑security prices fell, feeding the rate increase. Simultaneously, oil prices spiked...
Inventory Watch
Inventory in the NSDCC market rose sharply this week, with active listings increasing by 21 and approaching last year’s total. Pending contracts across price tiers are now in line with historical levels, with 155 pendings recorded in the first week...
Private Residential Construction Spending Edges Higher in December
Private residential construction spending rose 1.5 % in December 2025, driven by gains in single‑family builds and home‑improvement projects. Single‑family construction increased 1.6 % month‑over‑month but remains 3.6 % below a year earlier, while multifamily spending edged up 0.1 % for a seventh straight...
Twin Dolphin Earns Audubon International Signature Sanctuary Gold Certification
Twin Dolphin Club, a private golf community in Los Cabos, Mexico, has been awarded Audubon International Signature Sanctuary Gold certification, advancing from its 2022 Bronze status. The Gold level recognizes the course’s comprehensive sustainability program, including water‑efficient irrigation, integrated pest...
MB513: Why Multifamily Is the Fastest Path to Financial Freedom – With Michael Blank
In a recent episode of his Freedom Podcast, Michael Blank explains why multifamily investing eclipses house flipping and single‑family rentals as the quickest route to financial independence. He details the ceiling he hit with flipping, the math behind scaling rentals,...
Bond Yields Spike, Markets Remain Unpredictable Amid War
War & Mortgage Rates: We're All Along For The Ride Since I am old & have been around for many Geopolitical Events I have learned 2 things: - No one knows exactly how things will turn out - The initial reaction of Financial...
Beacon Adding Apartments to Charlotte Development
Beacon Partners submitted a land development plan for a 342‑unit multifamily community on a 3.8‑acre parcel at 122 Freeland Lane in Charlotte. The project will sit beside the Station at LoSo office and retail towers and feature courtyards, a dog park,...
Newmark Arranges $172.5M Acquisition Financing for The Ben, Autograph Collection
Newmark arranged a $172.5 million acquisition loan for The Ben, Autograph Collection, a 208‑key luxury hotel in West Palm Beach, on behalf of Related Ross. The financing was supplied by Nomura and led by Newmark’s senior debt team. The Ben, delivered...
Altos Single-Family Inventory Drops 1.4% Weekly
Final Look at Local Housing Markets in January Altos: Active single-family inventory was down 1.4% week-over-week https://calculatedrisk.substack.com/p/final-look-at-local-housing-markets-899
Luxury Builders See Low FHA Use; Affordable Homes High
Homebuilders with the most—and least—FHA exposure 2% of Toll Brothers buyers use FHA financing 46% of LGI Homes buyers use FHA It makes sense… Toll Brothers average price is $1.19M LGI Homes average price is $364K ResiClub PRO report: https://t.co/vTkPhe0k9z
Neumann's $445M Exit Sparks Outcry Over School Plan
Debris poured into #SoFla's #RaderMethodist as #Neumann, who got $445M to leave #WeWork, incites local ire. They proposed replacing town's most iconic bldg w/nature-focused K-12 #Jewish school. #ElPortal #Flow #realestate #CRE #MiamiDade #coworking https://t.co/65egJZS2xO
Ivana Trump's Former NYC Townhouse Halves Price to $14M
The fancy-schmancy townhouse where the 1st Mrs. #Trump lived goes for a deeply discounted $14M. Original ask was $26.5M. Has no full-on kitchen. 'My mom absolutely loved that house' #Ivana #NYC #realestate #mortgage #UES https://t.co/49RjM6YgHM via @WSJ
Sacramento Listings Down
Not much on the market. Slightly below one year ago now in the Sacramento region. And in case you wondered, at this time in 2008, there were over 10,000 MORE active listings than today. https://t.co/R9TLciGJi0
REITs Surge as Bonds
Homebuilders taken down, but REITs up US stocks +0.1% ex-US -1.7% $IBIT and $USO up big with the worst day for bonds in 3 months. $AGG https://t.co/Q5GdXN7VqF
Mortgage Rates Surge After Iran Strike, Ending Recent Decline
#Mortgage rates jump sharply higher after Iran strikes, reversing last week's decline https://t.co/O08aG0nWf9 @mortgagenewsmnd #realestate #realestateinvesting
Mortgage Rates Drop a Year
BACK TO A 6-HANDLE The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate today: 6.12% Same day last year: 6.74% ------------------ 10-year Treasury yield today: 4.06% Spread today: 206 bps
One in Five California Home Sales Are
California’s housing market is officially a landed gentry system. 🏠 New data from the Wall Street Journal: 1 in 5 of CA home transfers are now inheritances—double the US average. Does CA need to end Prop 13 to save the American Dream?...
Florida Home Hits 1% Rule After 50% Price Drop
Some properties in Florida are actually starting to look semi-affordable. On this house - 50% correction from peak, and down 7% in last 10 years. $263,000 zestimate. (sold for 295k in 2024) $2,519 rental value. Actually hits the 1% rule. https://t.co/d1gJnTvJub
Market Bounces Above 2024 Levels After Seller Retreat
A step in the right direction? Yes. Sellers stepped back from the market in 2025, but for three months in a row we are finally above 2024 levels again. We are still historically anemic, but this is a positive direction....
2% Inflation Won’t Trigger 3% Mortgage Rates
2% inflation won't lead to 3% mortgage rates with the Fed at neutral policy. https://t.co/TpEKz1u8Cu
2030s May Open Homeownership for Gen Z, Despite Racial Gaps
Is Gen Z completely priced out of homeownership, or are market shifts creating new opportunities? Analyzing the latest economic data reveals significant racial disparities and supply trends that suggest the 2030s could be a pivotal decade for young buyers. https://t.co/hWYTDWyAf9
MA Apartment Starts and Acquisitions Set to Plunge in 2026
Easy prediction: New apartment construction starts and acquisitions will plunge across Massachusetts in 2026 until after the potential November ballot measure on rent control is decided. https://t.co/PNqV8oMkvq
ReSeedPartners Hits ‘Default Alive’ Milestone, Validating Model
Very good post @ReSeedPartners, the platform some partners and I started ~3 yrs ago to seed emerging real estate operators, recently reached "default alive", reminding me yet again how powerful a position that is