I am in Reno today, Spokane tomorrow, but I spent much of last week in Chicago which is very much a melting pot of languages. One can walk down the street and hear similar words for the same thing: Hypothèque (French), hipoteca (Spanish), hipotēka (Latvian), hypotheek (Dutch), and hypothek (German). You’ll have to figure out the word on your own. Renovation there is indicative of what is happening in many other cities: Developers and city agencies in Chicago are working together on the LaSalle Street initiative, which seeks to bring 1,000 homes (including 300 affordable ones) to a mostly shuttered stretch of the city’s financial district. With plenty of people still content to work from home, living in a converted empty office may be the answer to the housing crisis in many areas. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored by the STRATMOR Group, the data-driven mortgage advisory. At STRATMOR, insights and knowledge are app
For some reason, companies laying off large numbers of people (most recently Better, Freedom, Mr. Cooper) make headlines, whereas shouldn’t the unusual, like companies that aren’t laying off anyone or who are hiring, be more newsworthy? There are indeed companies that are not laying off anyone, and in fact are hiring to take advantage of slow times. There is other good news. Despite inflation, elevated mortgage rates, and slowing sales activity, severely limited housing inventory will prevent large home price drops for most of the country next year according to NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun in his 2023 outlook. “For most parts of the country, home prices are holding steady since available inventory is extremely low. Some places are experiencing price gains, while some places, most notably in California, are seeing prices pull back… Housing inventory is about a quarter of what it was in 2008, distressed property sales are almost non-existent, at just 2%, a
In the words of former Vice President Dan Quayle, “We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur.” Around the world, soaring borrowing costs are squeezing homebuyers and property owners alike. So, what does the public see in terms of headlines and the housing market? There was billionaire CEO of private equity company Starwood Capital Group, Barry Sternlicht, warning that the housing market is headed for a major crash. Moody’s Chief Economist Mark Zandi is more optimistic, saying that house prices will soon undergo a ‘correction, but not a ‘crash.’ Almost one-third of homes sold in July were paid for entirely with cash. Wealthy U.S. homebuyers are charging in with all-cash purchases even as the broader housing market is slowed by rising mortgage rates. One thing is certain for those financing or looking to finance their real estate. Households with loans are tightening their belts, while rising mortgage payments discourage wou
Does evolution lead to success? Major League Baseball is banking that instituting a pitch clock and banning defensive shifts starting next year will lead towards shorter games and more fan interest. M.L.B. will also increase base sizes by three inches to reduce injuries and increase stolen base attempts. The league must be envious of the continued success of the N.F.L., which kicked off its regular season this past weekend. Television viewership for the N.F.L. in 2021 was its strongest in six years, even as most television programming around it craters in popularity. Last year, television networks committed about $110 billion for the rights to show the N.F.L. for the next decade, putting the league on track to meet Commissioner Roger Goodell’s goal of earning $25 billion in revenue annually in 2027. Mortgage companies are also looking to evolve to increase revenue. Expanded product offerings, cutting overhead, automating processes, and advancing tech stacks are just some solutio