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:
Burlington Deploys AI‑Powered eCheck to Cut Building Permit Times
The City of Burlington unveiled eCheck, a free AI‑driven platform that lets developers pre‑screen plans against zoning bylaws and the Ontario Building Code. Officials say the tool will improve submission quality and accelerate permit approvals, marking the first municipal use of AI for building‑code assessment in Ontario.
The Questions Nobody Asks
The author argues that genuine authenticity, not scripted tactics, is the decisive factor in real‑estate transactions. He warns agents that trust‑based conversations outweigh market data in building lasting client relationships. The piece introduces a five‑question framework to determine if selling...
Call for Live Debate on Housing Bubble Predictions
You talk too much for someone who keeps saying housing will have a bubble mean crash. Let's see how you do live in front of everyone with your real name and written forecasts Time to ball up Challenge live...
I Couldn't Afford Housing Near My Job. I Pay $650 to Live with a 77-Year-Old and Help Her with Chores.
Data analyst Kayla Mazza moved into 77‑year‑old Honey Donegan’s Vermont home through HomeShare Vermont, paying a capped $650 rent while helping with chores and pet care. The nonprofit matches seniors with empty rooms, allowing younger workers to secure affordable housing...
MBS Buying May Not Significantly Lower Mortgage Rates
I wonder if these MBS purchases have kept mortgage rates lower than they otherwise would be. Would the 30-year fixed be ~6.75% today instead? Problem is other administration policies, e.g. tariffs, war, etc. basically absorb and offset any of the benefit.
New U.S. Homes Still Larger than Past Decades
Are houses getting smaller or bigger? Today, builders are delivering new single-family houses around 2,150 SF. This is down 14% in size from the "McMansion peak" of 2015. However, it is still above 2009 downturn lows, and about 24% bigger than back in...
Connecticut Condo Market Splits: Prices Rise in Some Areas, Reprice in Others
Justin Bette of Century 21 Bette Real Estate says Connecticut's condominium market is experiencing a sharp divergence: limited‑inventory regions are seeing price gains, while many communities face repricing as HOA fees, insurance premiums and loss of FHA eligibility squeeze demand.
Opendoor Buys 2,474 Homes in Q1 2026, Boosting iBuyer Momentum
Opendoor Technologies purchased 2,474 single‑family homes in the first quarter of 2026, a 45% increase from the prior quarter and the second straight period of sequential growth. The surge in acquisitions, coupled with record‑high contract volumes and a near‑$1 billion cash...
Propy Secures $100 Million Credit Facility to Build AI‑Powered Blockchain Closing Platform
Propy, the Miami blockchain startup, closed a $100 million credit facility with Metropolitan Partners Group to develop an AI‑enabled, end‑to‑end closing platform on public blockchain. The funding aims to consolidate title and escrow services, speed transactions, and reduce fraud in real‑estate...
America’s Debt Crisis Peaks: Credit, Mortgage, and National Liabilities
JUST IN: US credit card debt hit record high of $1.33 trillion. And foreclosure filings jump to 6-year high due to rising insurance, property taxes, and debt strain on homeowners. Meanwhile… US Household Debt = All time high US National Debt = All time...
Mumbai Homes Require Decades of Income, Not Affordability
A Mumbai couple earns ₹40L a year but a 2BHK costs ₹3Cr. After tax, school fees & EMIs, it takes 15–20 years to own it. In New York, a similar 2BHK is ₹4.75Cr – but higher incomes mean 5–6 years of...
Ontario Pension Plan Seizes Westbank Tower to Recover $80 Million
Ontario's public pension plan has placed a newly built Vancouver residential tower into receivership to recover C$109 million ($80 million) from developer Westbank Holdings. The move highlights mounting distress in Canada’s high‑end condo market and raises questions about institutional exposure to real‑estate...
WillScot Beats Q1 2026 Revenue Forecast as Leasing Slows, Delivery Surges
WillScot Holdings reported first‑quarter 2026 revenue of $549 million, exceeding its internal outlook despite a slight year‑over‑year dip in leasing activity. The beat was powered by a 12% rise in delivery and installation revenue and strong enterprise account growth, while adjusted...
My Niece Is on Social Security Disability Insurance. Will She Lose Her Health Insurance if I Buy Her a House?
An aunt wants to help her disabled niece purchase a more suitable home without jeopardizing the niece’s health benefits. The response explains that Medicare eligibility is tied to SSDI, not age, while Medicaid and SSI impose strict asset limits that...
MyPropOps Debuts NVIDIA‑Governed Compliance Platform for HUD and Section 8 Rentals
Ali Morgan, founder of Jonomor, introduced MyPropOps, a compliance‑centric property‑operations platform governed by NVIDIA’s NemoClaw AI framework. The service, built for HUD‑audited and Section 8 housing, starts at $99 per month and promises immutable audit trails for every AI action.
Citadel Expands Miami HQ, Ken Griffin Bets on Florida as NYC Tax Plan Looms
Citadel announced a major expansion of its Miami headquarters, adding several hundred thousand square feet and moving toward a 1.7 million‑sq‑ft, 54‑story tower. The push follows New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s proposed tax on luxury second homes, a move Griffin...
A Solution for Vacant Units and Mamdani’s Trust Problem
New York’s mayoral administration sent Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg and HPD Commissioner Dina Levy to The Real Deal’s New York Forum to engage landlords amid rising rent pressures. The officials emphasized the need for trust and announced plans to streamline...
Retirees Expect Their Home to Be a Financial Safety Net. They Shouldn’t.
Homeowners aged 70 and older control roughly $13 trillion in U.S. housing wealth, a quarter of the nation’s total wealth. A new Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia study finds that older sellers receive lower prices, with an 80‑year‑old typically earning about...
More Americans Are Buying Homes to Fit Multiple Generations: ‘It Answered a Lot of Prayers’
Multigenerational home purchases are gaining traction as baby boomers age and housing costs rise. The Pew Research Center reports that households with two adult generations or grandparents have quadrupled since 1971, reaching nearly 60 million. In 2026, 14% of homebuyers chose...
Miami Area Gets First New Manufactured Home Community in Decades
RHP Properties is constructing Cottage Grove, a 349‑unit manufactured home community in South Miami‑Dade, marking the county’s first new factory‑built housing development in decades. Prices start at $129,900 with lot rent of $1,445 per month, offering four‑bedroom, 1,600‑sq‑ft homes and...
The Daily Dirt: Waiting for 485x Reform? Mamdani Admin Says Wait Longer
The New York City 485x tax‑abatement program, which ties affordable‑housing credits to a construction‑wage floor for projects over 99 units, remains under fire. Developers and their lobbyists want the wage threshold relaxed, while the Building and Construction Trades Council pushes...
NYC Pied‑à‑Terre Tax Fuels Wealthy Migration to Florida, Boosting Homebuilding
A proposed pied‑à‑terre tax on $5 million‑plus second homes in New York City is prompting a wave of high‑net‑worth buyers to South Florida, where luxury rentals are filling fast and developers such as GL Homes are accelerating new projects. The policy...
Aging Demographics Boost Senior Housing; DHC Stock Buy
Macro: aging demographics support senior housing. Key: DHC Q1 SHOP NOI +160bp, normalized FFO +131% YoY, occupancy +110bp; revenue miss. Risks: 7.8x leverage, 2028 maturities. Trade: buy on weakness to $7.50 📈 — Viktor Kopylov, PhD, CFA More insights: t.me/si14Kopylov
Cisco Future Workplace Lead Explains How AI Agents Are Changing The Value Of Offices
Cisco’s Future Workplace lead Bob Cicero says AI agents are reshaping office value by shifting spaces from individual desks to collaborative hubs. Cisco’s data shows roughly 70% of floor area is now earmarked for "we space" while AI handles routine...
Retail Investors Turn Away From Commercial Property Holdings
Retail investors have dramatically retreated from UK commercial property holdings, pulling roughly $25.4 billion out of REITs and other funds over the past five years, leaving assets at about $65.7 billion. Open‑ended property funds have been hit hardest, collapsing 85% to $1.71 billion...
ULI Panel Calls for Ops‑First Strategy, Cautions Against Financial Engineering
At its 2026 Spring Meeting in Nashville, the Urban Land Institute’s panel of leading investors warned that the era of cheap debt is ending and urged a shift toward operational excellence. The panel cited a ULI forecast projecting 2% U.S....
CAPA Secures $500,000 Bank of America Grant for Downtown Music Hall Renovation
CAPA announced a $500,000 grant from Bank of America to fund the conversion of the historic Central Presbyterian Church into a flexible performance hall. The funding accelerates a $14 million adaptive‑reuse project slated to open in fall 2027, addressing Columbus’s demand...
US Multifamily Sales Plunge 42% in Q1 2026 as Vacancy Outlook Worsens
Multifamily investors pulled back sharply in the first quarter of 2026, driving U.S. apartment investment sales down 42% year‑over‑year. At the same time, CoStar Group raised its national vacancy forecast to 8.8% by the end of 2026, underscoring a deepening...
New Home Prices Drop 16%, Boosting Buyer Power
Some encouraging signals are coming out of the new home building market. The median sale price for a new house fell to $387k in March 2026. This is now down 16% from the 2022 peak. Some people think it's all due to builders...
Dave Ramsey Warns: Avoid Home Equity Loans
Financial guru Dave Ramsey is adamant about avoiding debt, so it’s no surprise to hear that he’s not a fan of home equity loans. https://t.co/K3HMRpmev0
US REIT M&A Hits $16.8 B Through April 2026 as Buyers Chase Discounted Valuations
US REIT merger‑and‑acquisition activity reached $16.8 billion through mid‑April 2026, with four announced deals. Private‑equity firms and sizable public REITs are exploiting depressed market valuations, accelerating consolidation in the sector.
Housing Rarely Crashes; Liquidity Needs Sustained Distress
We have had many recessions post-WWII. We only had one national nominal home price crash in over 80 years. Housing isn't a liquid sector of our economy unless you have high levels of distressed sales as a % of total...
Housing Affordability Rises, yet Mortgage Rates Stay Above 5.75%
Purchase apps and weekly pending home sales are at multi-year highs last week, low base-effect growth. Housing is slowly getting more affordable with time, as long as wages outpace prices. Extremely hard to get mortgage rates under 5.75% with a...
Balcony Secures $12.7M Seed to Build ‘Digital Rails’ for U.S. Property Data
Balcony closed a $12.7 million seed round, bringing its total funding to $14 million, to develop a nationwide “digital rails” data layer for U.S. property records. Led by Blockchange Ventures, the capital will expand engineering, go‑to‑market teams and government deployments, addressing a...
Monthly Airbnb Rentals Are Residential, Not Hotel-Like
Monthly is VERY different from by the night And in fact, that’s what most restrictions are Airbnbs nightly = Hotels Airbnbs Monthly = Residential
Storage Rentals Double to Record Pace This May
We are renting storage units at record pace. 386 units rented in the first 8 days of May. 48.25 units per day. Same period last year: 206 rentals for 25.75 per day.
San Francisco’s Housing Market Has Lost Its Mind
San Francisco’s ultra‑luxury market is seeing unprecedented price spikes, with a six‑bedroom Cow Hollow home selling for $15 million—nearly double its $7.95 million list price—and a Presidio Heights property fetching $8.2 million, also about double asking. Redfin data shows luxury sales rose 22%...
Last Year's Dull Market Skews Upcoming Stats Comparisons
Similar to one year ago? Yes. Some preliminary stats. I'll have finalized stats next week (for 12 counties). The market got really dull last year, and some stats in coming months will look more competitive compared to last year. In...
Tie Budget Growth to Increases in Regulated Rents
This is a good idea. Hold local and state budget growth to the rise in regulated rents.
A $3 Million Nantucket House Is Being Given Away for Free—With One Small Catch
On Nantucket, a 1,736‑square‑foot, three‑bedroom Colonial at 140 Surfside Road is being offered for free under the town’s Demolition Delay Bylaw, provided the new owner moves it off the lot within 180 days. The house, purchased for $3 million in December...
AI Prompt Suggests Short‑Term Rentals in Rochmn Market
First time I have heard it! I asked the lead that called “what has you interested in the #rochmn market ?” He responded with “It’s a AI PROMPTED answer that told me your market was a good place to invest...
Americans Hold More Wealth in Stocks Than Real Estate
Ruchir Sharma, Chairman of Rockefeller International, on Americans’ overexposure in the equity market: “America is the only country where people have more of their wealth in the stock market than in the property market.” https://t.co/fdqVJtKVNJ
California Candidates Debate Housing Affordability, Hopeful for Solutions
Great California housing conversation everyone, sounds like the gubernatorial candidates have lots of ideas about the most pressing affordability issue in the state. Surely, we'll find a way to turn the corner on this. [Touches earpiece]: Oh
Only a Few Candidates Show Real Housing Expertise
That was a very substantive housing conversation. Porter, Mahan, Steyer, probably in that order, clearly understood what they're talking about. Villaraigosa sounded like he prepped for a debate. Becerra, especially early on, sounded like he released his housing plan yesterday
AI Says Housing Overhaul Is America’s Ultimate Fix
The most intelligent AI was asked to name a single policy that would “fix everything” in America. It’s top three ideas were about housing and construction.
Deals Require Action, Not Luck—Use DealMachine
I have used @dealmachineapp to get several deals over the years. Deals won’t just fall in your lap… go make them happen. Follow @chasecalhoun.realestate for more on build-to-rent and real estate investing. #realestate #investmentproperty #buildtorent
Housing Inventory Set to Turn Negative YoY Amid UFO Buzz
In honor of the #UFO information release and the fact that #housing inventory is about to go negative year over year. 👽👾 #mortgagerates #realestate #chartdaddy
New‑build Inventory Growth Halts After Incentive Spree
Homebuilders spent much of the past year upping incentives, cutting specs, and slowing starts in the weakest Sun Belt markets Now... at least for the time being... unsold completed new-build inventory has stopped surging My latest for @ResidentialClub: https://t.co/qDagkyvXFR
Leftist Policies, Not Markets, Drive Housing Shortage
NIMBY Leftists never believe that it was their own terrible anti-market policies that created housing shortages. The subsidized demand, the clamped supply, the vilification of landlords and housing builders. Of course they hate the markets. We should vote them all...
San Francisco Sees 89% of April Sales Exceed List Price
Is there any other location in the country with stats like this? 89% of sales in April in San Francisco sold above their original list price. https://t.co/IQ7hlaAeWL