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:
7-Eleven Expects to Close 645 Locations This Year
7‑Eleven’s North American operator plans to shutter 645 stores in fiscal 2026, far exceeding the 205 new openings it expects. The closures will largely involve converting underperforming sites into wholesale fuel outlets, a segment that already exceeds 900 locations. Seven & i Holdings projects a 9.4% revenue decline to roughly $59.5 billion as inflation and higher energy costs squeeze consumer spending. The move coincides with a broader transformation agenda that includes fresh‑food expansion and the 7NOW delivery platform under new CEO Stephen Hayes Dacus.
Canadian Building Permits Plunge, Fewer Homes Planned
Canadian building permits fell sharply in February, with total seasonally adjusted permit values dropping 8.4% to C$12.1 billion (≈US$8.8 billion). Residential permits edged up 1.7% to C$8.1 billion (≈US$5.9 billion) but unit authorizations slipped 0.8% to 24,889, meaning fewer homes. Non‑residential permits plunged 24%...
Publix Expands NC Footprint With New Durham Store
Publix opened a 41,744‑square‑foot supermarket at 4628 Guess Road in Durham, North Carolina on April 11. The new store offers a full‑service pharmacy with a drive‑through, Instacart‑powered home delivery, and traditional grocery departments including a scratch bakery, deli, meat, and...
Lowest Mortgage Rates in 4 Weeks
Mortgage rates posted their strongest day this month as the average 30‑year fixed rate slipped 0.08 % to a four‑week low. The decline outpaced the bond market’s gradual improvement because lenders only adjusted rates today, incorporating yesterday’s bond gains. The movement...
Manhattan Sees Strongest Quarter of Property Sales Since 2021: Report
Manhattan recorded its strongest quarter of property sales since 2021, with total deal volume rising 33% quarter‑over‑quarter to $3.7 billion across 92 transactions in Q1 2026. Multifamily led the surge, accounting for 44% of the market and generating $1.07 billion, while office...
U.S. Office Leasing Sees Strongest Quarter Since 2018
Office leasing activity surged in Q1 2026, with tenants signing roughly 120 million square feet of space—a 25% year‑over‑year increase and the strongest quarterly total since 2018. The rebound is driven primarily by a higher volume of smaller, shorter‑term leases rather...
SMBC Nearing A Deal To Sublease 200K SF In Charlotte
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC) is finalizing a sublease of 200,000 sq ft at 301 South College, its new Charlotte headquarters, with a deal slated to close in early May 2026. The Japanese bank is committing more than $50 million to the hub...
Chase, Wells Mortgage Slump: What It Means for Non-Banks
Quarter‑to‑quarter mortgage production at JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo plunged, falling roughly 2.5 times faster than the Mortgage Bankers Association’s industry forecast. Chase’s first‑quarter volume slipped to $13.7 billion, while Wells Fargo’s fell to $6.3 billion, both reflecting weaker retail origination and higher rates. Despite...
The Austin Experience: More Housing, Lower Rents
Austin added roughly 120,000 housing units between 2015 and 2024, expanding its stock by 30% and outpacing the national growth rate. The city’s zoning changes, faster permitting and a $250 million affordable‑housing bond spurred large‑apartment construction near jobs and transit. As...
‘Stealing Signs Won’t Change Minds’: Proposed 50% Property Tax Hike Sparks Bitter Tax Battle in Massachusetts Town
South Hadley, Massachusetts, faces a $3 million budget shortfall and has placed two property‑tax override measures on the ballot—a $9 million and an $11 million option that would lift the town’s tax limit and increase the median homeowner’s bill by roughly 50% over...
Brokers and Homebuyers Must Stop Waiting for a ‘Magical’ Rate Drop, Broker Says
Mortgage rates have settled in the high‑5% to low‑6% range after an early‑year dip, and the 10‑year Treasury appears stable amid current geopolitical tensions. Veteran broker Amir Nurani cautioned that the market won’t experience a sudden, "magical" rate collapse and...
Spring 2026 First-Time Home Buyer Advice
The spring 2026 housing market presents a rare "Goldilocks" window where rising inventory—up roughly 20%—and modest price discounts of about 2% give first‑time buyers a competitive edge. Mortgage rates have eased from recent peaks, and lenders are rolling out expanded...
Home Addition vs Moving: Raleigh Investment Guide 2026
Raleigh’s housing market in 2026 is marked by soaring prices, limited inventory and homeowners clinging to low‑rate mortgages. Faced with high moving costs and fierce competition, many are turning to home‑addition contractors to expand their existing homes. Additions offer predictable...
Morningstar DBRS Assigns Credit Rating to the Mortgage Loan Made to BGN Properties Palm Gate, LP
Morningstar DBRS assigned an A (high) rating with a Stable trend to a $14 million, 2.860% interest‑only mortgage loan due 2032 for BGN Properties Palm Gate, LP. The loan is secured by the Palm Gate Apartments, a 264‑unit multifamily complex in...
Morningstar DBRS Assigns Credit Rating to the Mortgage Loan Made to Richmar II Apartments LLC
Morningstar DBRS assigned an A (high) rating with a Stable trend to a $2.93% mortgage loan due 2036 for Richmar II Apartments LLC. The loan, secured by a 251‑unit, 15.86‑acre garden‑style multifamily complex in Owings Mills, Maryland, carries a 61.3%...
Microsoft Eyes New 3,200-Acre Datacenter Development in Wyoming
Microsoft announced plans to acquire roughly 3,200 acres near Cheyenne, Wyoming, to build a new hyperscale datacenter, expanding its footprint that began in 2012. The development will be split between a 200‑acre parcel in Bison Business Park and a 3,000‑acre...
Architecture Firm Populous Expands to 17K SF at RXR’s Starrett-Lehigh Building
Populous, the global architecture firm behind venues like The Sphere and Wembley, has renewed its 10,158‑square‑foot lease at RXR’s Starrett‑Lehigh Building for three more years and added 6,500 sq ft for seven years, bringing its total New York footprint to 16,658 sq ft on the...
Canada’s Mall Redevelopment Boom Hits a Wall
Canada’s mall‑redevelopment boom is stalling as a weak condo market, rising construction costs and tighter credit curb mixed‑use projects. High‑profile plans such as Cloverdale Mall’s 4,000‑unit tower have been cancelled after pre‑sales fell below the 70 % threshold. Lenders are pulling...
Check Levy, Reserve Fund, and Financials Before Buying
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 ✅𝗟𝗲𝘃𝘆 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁, to confirm what the levy covers and whether the amount is realistic, not artificially lowered to attract buyers. ✅𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, to ensure the scheme holds adequate cash reserves to handle unexpected...
New-Home Purchase Applications Hit Record High in March
New‑home purchase applications surged 11% year‑over‑year in March, the strongest pace since the MBA’s 2012 inception. Volume jumped 26% from February, pushing the builders index to a record high and lifting annualized sales estimates to 717,000 units. Despite higher mortgage...
Townhouses: America’s City‑friendly Homes for Growing Families
I love townhouses. They have filled the neighborhoods of cities in and around downtowns for centuries. And Townhouses are fundamentally an *AMERICAN* housing typology. 🇺🇸 They are smaller, but family oriented housing … so the young people who move in to the...
Mandatory AC Mandate Overloads DWP, Triggers Panel Replacements
Good post And, by the way, the local politicians pushing mandatory AC have no idea of the tidal wave of work they would be sending to our already totally overloaded DWP (I bet ~25% of the main electrical panels in apt buildings...
Homeless Services Nonprofit Leases Former FiDi Migrant Shelter: The N.Y. Deal Sheet
Highland Park Community Development Corp., a nonprofit serving people at risk of homelessness, signed a 30‑year lease for the 119,000‑square‑foot, 289‑room former hotel at 52 William St. in the Financial District. The building, purchased by Slate Property Group for $95 million in 2024,...
Trinity and UBS Secure $600M Refi for Diplomat Resort in South Florida
Trinity Investments and UBS have refinanced the 1,000‑room Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida with a $600 million loan led by J.P. Morgan Chase ($420 million) and Citi ($180 million). The new mortgage pushes total debt to $600 million, up $148 million from the prior...
Insurance Firm CFC Inks 13K-SF Lease at 5 Penn Plaza
London‑based cyber‑insurance specialist CFC has signed a seven‑year lease for 13,065 square feet on the second floor of 5 Penn Plaza in Midtown Manhattan. The move relocates the firm from its previous New York office at 48 Wall Street in the...
Sportsman’s Warehouse Hones in on Inventory Timing
Sportsman’s Warehouse trimmed its inventory by $29.1 million, an 8.5% year‑over‑year decline, and plans to keep levels lower throughout 2026. CFO Jennifer Fall Jung said the spring inventory will arrive later to improve turns, while the retailer continues SKU rationalization, especially...
Underwriting Simplified: Three Core Questions for Deal Success
A lot of people try to complicate the real estate underwriting process, but it’s actually pretty simple once you understand the basics Here are the central questions you need to answer during your underwriting: Question 1: “Can I capitalize the deal?” Question 2:...
CenTria Living Breaks Ground on 36‑Unit Boutique Apartment Complex in Midtown Phoenix
CenTria Living has begun building the 36‑unit CenTria Biltmore apartment complex at 4235 N. 24th Street, targeting renters priced out of Phoenix’s market with rents just over $1,500. The project, slated for completion in February 2027, reflects a growing push for mid‑scale...
Goldman Sachs Ups Private Credit Bet, Highlighting Real‑Estate Financing
Goldman Sachs announced a reinforced focus on private credit, underscoring its $15.7 bn non‑traded vehicle and a $561 bn deposit base, to sustain real‑estate lending. CEO David Solomon said the firm “feels good about the long‑term opportunity of private credit,” even as...
RACE, Lynd Labs and RealAssets Team Up to Build Institutional Rails for Tokenized Real‑World Assets
RACE, Lynd Labs and RealAssets Technologies have launched a strategic collaboration to develop an open, institutional‑grade infrastructure for tokenizing and financing real‑world assets. The partnership combines RACE’s programmable blockchain stack with Lynd’s 17,000‑unit portfolio and RealAssets’ five‑year fintech expertise, aiming...
Karis Could Build Data Center in Central Ohio
Data‑center developer Karis is evaluating a 127‑acre parcel at 535 Cole Road in central Ohio, adjacent to a railroad, a 345 kV transmission line and an AEP substation. The site sits within the environmentally sensitive Big Darby Watershed, prompting local concerns despite...
Residential MBS Issuance Declines Slightly in First Quarter
Residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS) issuance slipped modestly in the first quarter, suggesting a slight cooling in mortgage financing after a year of robust growth. A planned “major housing announcement” by FHFA and HUD was postponed, leaving market participants awaiting guidance...
Lily Allen and David Harbour’s Brooklyn Brownstone Sells For $7 Million
Pop star Lily Allen and actor David Harbour’s four‑level Brooklyn brownstone sold privately for $7 million after seven months on the market. The couple bought the five‑bedroom home in January 2021 for $3.35 million and invested heavily in a designer overhaul that added...
MERS Review, TPO, Virtual LO, Digital Ass't, HELOC, Warehouse Products; Policy Moves for LOs to Watch
Brian Vieaux argues that current policy signals are reshaping mortgage spreads more than headline benchmark rates, highlighting the limited economic impact of many politically driven proposals. In capital markets, investors are in a holding pattern as Fed policy is expected...
Across the US, the ‘New Compass’ Is Running Away with the Lead
Compass International Holdings has dramatically expanded its market share after acquiring Anywhere, now leading in five major U.S. metros. In Boston, Chicago, San Diego, Austin and Washington, D.C., the "New Compass" brand commands 30%‑40% of home‑sale transactions, outpacing rivals such as...
WRS Breaks Ground on $1.2 Billion Redevelopment of Lakeforest Mall in Metro D.C.
Retail developer WRS Inc. has broken ground on a $1.2 billion mixed‑use redevelopment of the former Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The 102‑acre site will become a walkable mini‑city featuring 1,600 residential units—including 600 for‑sale homes, 600 rentals, and 250 workforce‑housing...
TownCentreCapital Offers All‑Cash, 45‑Day Strip Center Acquisitions
Dear Retail Brokers: I'm reaching out because we're actively acquiring strip centers and wanted to be on your radar in case any of your retail landlord clients are considering a sale. We've purchased 40+ strip centers so far and are continuing to...
Candidate Threatens Housing Pipeline and Insurance for Profit‑driven Developers
Update from 2026: She nuked San Francisco’s housing pipeline by bagel-ing on a tax on new housing production. https://t.co/Q3gTSU59oI Next, she’ll nuke your ability to get home insurance if she gets into the Top 2 for California insurance commissioner with a Republican...
Local Government Staffing Shortages Threaten Housing Development, Experts Say
Local government staffing shortages, driven by retirements and turnover, are slowing housing permitting processes across U.S. cities, according to a panel of experts at the America’s Housing Comeback Advisory Group. Nearly 38% of municipal employees are projected to retire within...
Institutional Investors Expand US Housing Supply via Distressed Home Rehab
New @AEI case study finds that institutional investors boost US housing supply by buying single family homes in poor condition (thus likely underused/vacant), quickly rehabilitating them, and returning them to the market for sale to individual homeowners: https://t.co/oRNyDFJcil https://t.co/DswoYpfXZ7
Deep Dive Into U.S. Single‑Family Housing Market Trends
Last week, @WellsFargo had me give a presentation on the U.S. single-family housing market and homebuilding for their institutional clients If you'd like to see the 34-chart slideshow, email lance@resiclubanalytics.com https://t.co/Lmcesf5ymB
Lender Selling $140M Downtown D.C. Office Loan With 'Path To Ownership'
JLL is marketing the sale of a $140 million loan secured by the 306,000‑square‑foot office building at 700 Sixth Street NW in downtown Washington, D.C. The loan, originated in May 2019 by Principal Real Estate Investors, carries a 3.7% fixed rate and...
Chicago Multifamily Leader Accuses NY Lender of Bait‑switch
#RocNation pulled a fast 1, #Chicago based #multifamily titan #ShayaWurzberger sez. Accuses #NY-based lender of bait+switch regarding his personal guarantee re SouthSide apts. #LevavProperties #realestate #CRE #mortgage #litigation https://t.co/WUYBMmqpVu
Prime Midtown Fetches $700+/Sqft in $385M Deal
$700+/foot for prime #Midtown. #SovereignPartners+#HudsonPoint may pay $385M for #575Fifth, at 5th+47th. #NYC #realestate #CRE #investmentsales #mortgage #Eastdil #Savills #Sakhai https://t.co/rwtwZ6wI0E
Property Taxes Are Too Damn High: What Broke—And How to Fix It
Chicago’s property taxes have surged, with the median residential bill jumping 16.7% to $4,457 last year—the steepest rise in three decades. The surge stems from three forces: commercial assessment cuts that shifted the tax burden to homeowners, an appeals system...
CRE ETF Mirrors Market: Higher Highs, Lower Lows
$IYR Daily. Commercial real estate ETF may be a microcosm for broad market: Massive broadening pattern of higher highs but lower lows. Loose & sloppy since last summer. Tons of debt, empty buildings https://t.co/isus0WM0lO
Case‑Shiller Reveals National Housing Price Crash.
If you show the Case-Shiller index instead of a median sales price index, prices have been crashing nationally "The drugs you're on," Wow https://t.co/98Oo6wuBbW
Cultural Institutions Lost Forever, Not Replaceable by Market
When you lose cultural institutions, it’s not just an efficient market where another use comes in the same Schools, churches, synagogues and parks - once gone - will never come back They’ll be replaced with master planned communities, infill housing or “mixed-use”...
YIMBYism’s Early Wins Signal Hopeful Momentum
Lately, there has been a lot of frank discourse about what YIMBYism has accomplished in California. I think this impatience, even after big wins, is good and healthy—but it misses the early signs of success in front of us. In...
Santa Monica Rents Fall 8% After Three-Year Decline
Santa Monica rents have gone down for 3 years in a row, down 8.1% in the last year LA rents also down Remember: Rents go up and down https://t.co/ohWuaQQoYT