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:
Liverpool Considers Extending Selective Licensing Scheme
Liverpool City Council has opened a consultation on the future of its selective licensing scheme, which expires in 2027. The current program, launched in April 2022, covers 16 wards and about 80% of privately rented homes, and officials say it has raised standards despite lingering compliance issues. The council is debating whether to extend the scheme city‑wide or keep it targeted, while also allocating a £7.3 million (~$9.3 million) package to address the city’s 10,378 empty homes. Residents, landlords and letting agents are invited to weigh in on the next steps.
Why Generational Wealth Transfer Is Creating New Housing Market Risks
A projected $124 trillion generational wealth transfer will push inherited homes into a larger share of U.S. residential transactions over the next two decades. More than 42% of homeowners over 50 lack wills or trusts, leading to title ambiguities that can...
Siam Piwat and Huawei Integrate Thai-First Wearable Tech Into Their Ecosystem
Siam Piwat, Thailand’s leading retail developer, has launched the OneSiam Global Visitor Card on Huawei Wearable devices, giving access to an estimated 200 million Huawei users worldwide. The integration targets high‑value tourists from China, Japan, Southeast Asia and other key markets,...
Migration to Be Linked to Housing Availability Under Coalition Plan
The opposition Coalition plans to tie overseas migration limits to the amount of housing available, effectively reducing net migration numbers. Modeling shows a 400,000‑home shortfall since the last election, while overseas migrants accounted for roughly three‑quarters of the 400,000 population...
Rents Are Down in Austin. So Why Are Evictions Still Climbing?
Austin’s median rent dropped 4% to $1,296, driven by a building boom and regulatory reforms that added new units, especially in older apartment complexes. Despite lower rents, the city recorded a 30% surge in eviction filings last year—the largest increase...
Expert Analyses: How to Navigate the Current Mortgage Rate Volatility
Mortgage rates have swung from the low‑5% range back into the 6%‑plus zone, reviving refinance demand before shifting focus to purchase business. Industry leaders stress that educating borrowers on affordability and aligning loans with long‑term goals outweighs any attempt to...
Wealthy Families Pick up Hong Kong Luxury Homes as Secondary Market Recovers
Hong Kong’s secondary luxury housing market is rebounding as affluent families return, drawn by modest price gains and easing borrowing costs. The Nameson family acquired two adjacent units in Tai Po’s Mayfair By The Sea I for HKD 60 million (≈US$7.7 million), while a...
OPTrust Places Westbank's Joyce II Rental Tower In Vancouver Under Receivership
Westbank's 35‑storey Joyce 2 rental tower in Vancouver has been placed under receivership after the loan from OPTrust ballooned to roughly $86 million CAD (about $63 million USD) and the pension fund now claims an outstanding balance of $109 million CAD (≈$81 million USD) with...
U.S. Q1 Commercial & Multifamily Loans Jump 52% YoY, UK CRE Lending Hits Decade‑High
U.S. commercial and multifamily mortgage originations surged 52% year‑over‑year in Q1 2026, driven by health‑care, retail and hotel loans, while the United Kingdom recorded a decade‑high £52.7bn ($66bn) of new CRE financing in 2025. The twin spikes highlight a shift...
The Multifamily Operations Daily Huddle: How to Read a Property in Twenty Minutes
Mike Brewer advises multifamily regional managers to conduct a solo walk of the property—parking lot, mailroom, laundry—before any briefing. Physical cues such as curb paint, lighting, and cleanliness of common areas reveal maintenance discipline, resident care, and leadership focus. The...
Poll: Nearly 9 in 10 Voters Say Buying a Home Has Never Been Harder—And They Want Congress To Act
A new Bipartisan Policy Center poll shows 88% of voters think buying a home is harder than ever, and 83% want Congress to act on housing affordability. The survey of 1,000 voters reveals broad bipartisan support for reforms, including streamlining...
S3 Capital Closes $1.3 B Multifamily Lending Fund, Boosts Rental Housing Capital
S3 Capital announced the hard‑cap close of its S3 LB RE Credit Fund III at $1.3 billion, giving the lender $850 million in discretionary commitments and $465 million in co‑investments. The fund is designed to originate roughly $4.3 billion of first‑lien construction loans for...
Even if You’re Not Cash-Rich, Your Home Equity Could Help Your Kid Buy a House
Parents are increasingly turning to home‑equity products to help their children afford a first home, with 74% of parents saying they plan or are already budgeting for such assistance. The main tools are home‑equity loans, HELOCs, and cash‑out refinances, each...
Avison Young Joins Dealpath Connect, Boosting $27B Institutional Deal Flow
Dealpath announced that Avison Young has joined Dealpath Connect, the industry’s largest private exchange for institutional real‑estate listings. The partnership adds Avison Young’s investment‑sales and debt listings to a platform that has already injected $27 billion of deals into buy‑side pipelines,...
Rent Caps Below Inflation Threaten Regulated‑Unit Owners
The rent guidelines board has officially voted to consider a range of 0-2 percent for one year lease and 0-4 percent for two year lease for final vote next month. Inflation is inching toward 3.5 percent. Win for Mamdani politically...
Vote Enables Two-Year Rent Freeze, Boosting Voter Support
So this vote means a rent freeze for two-year leases is possible. Mamdani didn’t get his tax hikes but, in an environment of rising inflation and rising costs for owners, he may well get the rent freeze on a final...
Strawberry Fields Reit Inc (STRW) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Strawberry Fields REIT (STRW) closed 41 properties worth $145 million in Q1, delivering a 7.5% initial cash yield and extending the weighted average lease term to 19 years. Occupancy climbed to 98.6% and new leases were signed at rents roughly 10%...
Self‑Storage Bubble Bursts; We're Buying Aggressively
The self storage bubble is finally popping and we are going to try to buy as much storage as we can over the next 3-5 years.
Mamdani's Rent Freeze Decision Awaits Preliminary Vote
We are about to learn if Mamdani is getting is rent freeze or not. (The preliminary vote is a preview of the final vote next month.) https://t.co/SzhWXXgLyD
Rents Fall Again as Rental Market Slowdown Gathers Pace
Average rents across England slipped 0.6% in April, marking the first decline after several years of rapid growth. The average void period lengthened to 24 days, with Yorkshire and the Humber experiencing the longest gaps at 29 days. London continued...
House Price Trends Underline More Subdued Market Conditions
Scotland’s average house price rose 1.9% over the past year to £186,684 (≈ $239k), up £3,532 (≈ $4,500) from March 2025. By contrast, England and Wales saw a 0.6% decline, with prices falling £1,742 (≈ $2,200). Regional data show Inverclyde posting the biggest gain—£11,422...
Residential Construction Starts Fall Sharply
Residential construction activity in the UK continued its slide in the three months to April 2026, with overall project starts down 8% and a 33% year‑on‑year decline. Private housing was hit hardest, falling 39% versus the same period in 2025 and...
Rental Supply Squeeze Hits Four-Year High
The UK’s Renters' Rights Act, effective May 1, is prompting landlords to sell or reclaim properties ahead of tighter rent‑increase and possession rules, tightening rental supply to a four‑year high. Prime outer London rents jumped 3% year‑on‑year—the strongest rise since June 2024—while...
Why Australian Housing Supply Won’t Recover
The National Housing Supply and Affordability Council (NHSAC) released its 2026 State of the Housing System report, dramatically raising its outlook for new dwellings. The council now projects annual residential construction to reach 219,000 units by the 2029‑30 financial year,...
Santa Barbara's Proposed Fee Spike Threatens Rental Development
The Santa Barbara Planning Commission proposed doubling "affordable housing" fee on new production, such that it would cost $159,968 in fees to build a single median-sized rental unit. This is the housing policy equivalent of applying leeches to a sick...
Homeowners' Financial Strain Drives Property Tax Measure Failures
I think this is part of the reason why practically every property tax measure on the ballots here failed in this week’s election. People already cannot afford their home.
COPA Returns, with Tenant Advocates Crafting the Bill
The New York City Council is poised to reintroduce the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) within 30 days, with mayoral support from Zohran Mamdani. The bill would temporarily halt sales of distressed multifamily properties, giving a small pool of...
Mayor Parker Signs Contested Philly Renter Protection Bills
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker signed two contentious renter‑protection bills on May 7, part of Councilmember Nicholas O’Rourke’s Safe Healthy Homes Act. The measures expand retaliation safeguards, impose penalties on repeat violators, provide rent‑relief when landlords lack proper licenses or delay repairs,...
Capital Gains Whack: Spot on for Real Estate, Crippling for Start Ups
The Albanese government is proposing to scrap Australia’s 50% capital‑gains‑tax (CGT) discount for assets held longer than 12 months, replacing it with a cost‑base indexation aimed at passive property investors. For tech founders, the change would double the effective tax...
Just Listed in Texas: A $12 Million Lakefront Estate That’s Luxurious Inside and Out
Redfin and Compass agents have listed a Mediterranean‑inspired estate in Austin’s Rivercrest neighborhood for $12 million. The 18,000‑square‑foot home sits on nearly half an acre with 100 feet of private Lake Austin frontage, a new boat dock, and space for up to...
AI‑fueled
Construction Spending on Data Centers, Factories, Chip Plants, Powerplants, Office Buildings: Boom one End, Bust the Other. AI investment mania and the second wave of semiconductor plants https://t.co/19kKVIOc6X https://t.co/JpORgCko47
AI Fuels Bay Area Housing Surge Amid Policy Failures
Bad policy created the Bay Area’s housing shortage. AI just made more people want to live there.
Why Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi Pulled Their English Country Home Off the Market
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi pulled their historic 43‑acre Kitesbridge Farm estate in Oxfordshire off the market after listing it for $30.5 million. The couple, fresh from a $27 million Montecito purchase, are now seeking local approval to add a riding arena...
Newmark Represents Anheuser-Busch in $360M Sale of Former Newark Complex
Newmark Group acted as exclusive advisor to Anheuser‑Busch in the $360 million sale of its former Newark, New Jersey, brewery complex to Goodman Group. The 86‑acre site includes more than 1.7 million square feet of existing structures, making it one of the largest...
Hudson Pacific Office Leasing Looking Up, But Big Loan Maturity Looms
Hudson Pacific Properties reported a narrower Q1 2026 net loss of $53.1 million, improving from the $74.7 million loss a year earlier, as office leasing picks up, especially in the Bay Area. The REIT signed over 500,000 SF of office space, with AI...
Ken Shinoda on Housing, CRE and the Case for Carry | Bloomberg TV
Ken Shinoda, DoubleLine’s structured‑products manager, told Bloomberg TV that the 30‑year fixed mortgage rate’s rise to 6.4% has created a compelling credit backdrop for agency mortgage‑backed securities. After a long period of underperformance versus corporates, agency MBS are rebounding and offer...
Kenneth Baboun of BGI Companies: 5 Questions
Alba Palm Beach, a 22‑story luxury tower in West Palm Beach’s Northwood district, is the first development with a private dock and direct Intracoastal‑to‑Atlantic access. Developed by BGI Companies and Blue Road Group, the 55‑unit project sells for $3 million‑$10 million, with...
Trump Signs Bill to Expedite Tribal Mortgage Lending
President Trump signed the Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at speeding mortgage approvals for properties on tribal trust land. The legislation forces the Bureau of Indian Affairs to complete a preliminary review within 10 days, notify...
Consulting Firm Council Advisors Renews 18K SF at BGO’s 685 Third Avenue
Council Advisors, a consulting firm, signed a 10‑year extension for its 17,685‑square‑foot office at 685 Third Avenue in Midtown East. The lease renewal keeps the company in the BGO‑owned tower through 2034, a building that underwent a high‑profile renovation in 2021....
Barcelona, Catalonia Commit $448 M to Renovate 4,000 Homes in Vulnerable Districts
Barcelona’s city council and the Catalan government have unveiled a €415 million ($448 million) program to refurbish 4,000 apartments across 200 buildings in the Besòs‑Maresme area. The ten‑year plan aims to address structural decay in homes built in the 1950s‑60s and to...
Citadel CEO Ken Griffin Warns of Tax Creep as States Target High‑Wealth Property Owners
Citadel founder Ken Griffin told the Milken Institute Global Conference that New York’s proposed pied‑à‑terre tax and similar state measures constitute a growing “tax creep” targeting the ultra‑wealthy. The warning follows recent relocations of high‑net‑worth individuals and could reshape wealth‑management...
Pretium Secures $3 Billion in Residential Credit for Homebuilders and Multifamily Developers
Pretium announced it has committed $3 billion in residential credit, including $2.2 billion in loans, to medium‑size homebuilders and multifamily developers. The funding backs the construction of more than 13,000 housing units and reflects the firm’s push to fill a widening U.S....
How the GSEs Can Boost Small-Balance Mortgages
Fannie Mae’s net interest income has been flat for 13 quarters, while Freddie Mac’s has risen in most of those periods. President Trump recently revived discussion of a public offering for the GSEs, prompting shareholder speculation. At the same time, investment firm...
KBRA's April CMCM Trend Watch Shows Private‑Label CMBS Issuance Rebound to $42B YTD
Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) released its April 2026 CMBS Trend Watch, noting a rebound in private‑label CMBS issuance with 17 deals closed in April and year‑to‑date issuance climbing to $42 billion. The report also flags a 57.7% YoY jump in...
Zillow Posts 18% Revenue Rise in Q1 2026, Highlights AI‑driven Growth
Zillow Group posted an 18% year‑over‑year revenue increase to $1.2 billion in Q1 2026 and net income of $46 million, beating its outlook. The company credited AI‑enabled integration across its for‑sale and rental platforms for the outperformance and signaled continued momentum in...
Kennedy Wilson Hires Colliers to Lease Downtown Oakland Office Tower
Kennedy Wilson has hired Colliers International to lead the exclusive leasing of 601 City Center, a 24‑story, 607,000‑square‑foot Class A office tower in downtown Oakland. The tower, built in 2019, is the city’s first new high‑rise office building in about a decade...
Walker & Dunlop Investment Partners Outlines 2026 CRE Risks
Walker & Dunlop Investment Partners warned that the 2019‑2022 multifamily boom has turned into a credit‑risk nightmare as higher rates, rising cap rates and weaker rent growth erode values. The panel highlighted a surge in distressed construction loans, driving demand...
Pending Sales Data Brings ‘Good News’ to Lagging Housing Market
Pending home sales surged in early May, with a 10% year‑over‑year jump and a four‑week rolling average 6.5% above 2025 levels, while inventory edged up 1.8%. Mortgage rates remain volatile but sit near the lowest spring levels in recent years,...
Beyond Performative Local Control: Genuine Pro‑Housing Reform Needed
On the one hand, Mr. Modica's Marblehead comments were great as a case of classic YIMBYism—calling out NIMBY bullshit at public hearings. On the other hand, it's symptomatic of a performative "local control" approach to pro-housing reform that we need...
Vietnamese Eatery Bun Mee Leases First East Coast Location at 115 East 23rd Street
San Francisco‑based fast‑casual Vietnamese chain Bun Mee has signed a 10‑year lease for its first East Coast restaurant at 115 East 23rd Street in Manhattan. The 2,200‑square‑foot ground‑floor and lower‑level space commands $130 per square foot rent. The lease, brokered by Lee & Associates NYC, positions the...