Housing: The Deeper the Dip the Sharper the Rebound

Between 2008 and 2012, more than six million people lost their homes to foreclosure, property values lost almost 40%, and non-distressed home sales fell to all-time lows. It was, without question, the worst real estate market since the great depression. Not surprisingly, the historic dip in the market was followed by a decade-long bull market, the likes of which we have never seen before. Residential real estate is a cyclical market. The…

What’s Next for Real Estate?

There is a saying that goes “when the tide rolls back, you can see who is swimming naked”. When the market is strong, it covers a lot of weaknesses. With interest rates moving up, inflation on the rise, and the economy heading towards a possible recession, we’ll find out soon how solid the foundation of the real estate market has been, and more importantly, which companies and agents have built a strong, recession-proof business.

Mortgage Icon Stanford Kurland Dies

Former Countrywide and PennyMac executive Stanford L. Kurland passed away last week from COVID-19. The Wall Street Journal wrote about Kurland’s career focusing on his conflicts with Countrywide Financial founder, Angelo Mozilo. While Mozilo was a scrappy and flashy entrepreneur from the Bronx, Kurland was a polished former accountant from Los Angeles. Kurland famously left…

The State of Hispanic Homeownership

My blog is brief today because I am working with the NAHREP research team to complete the annual State of Hispanic Homeownership Report. The report provides an overview on how Hispanics are faring in terms of homeownership, and reviews various metrics to predict what is likely to happen in the near future. For NAHREP, it is…

How Technology is Impacting How Sales are Made

NAHREP is hosting its National Convention and Housing Policy Summit on March 16-18 in Washington DC. Almost everyone I speak to these days is talking about how technology is affecting the real estate industry, and especially how it is changing the way real estate agents prospect and conduct the sales process. For years, companies like…

Hispanic Homeownership Surges in 2018

Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau released the final homeownership numbers for 2018 and indicated that Hispanic homeownership rose for the fourth consecutive year, and the gain was the largest since 2005. Hispanics are the only demographic to have its homeownership rate increase for four consecutive years. The increase is even more impressive if you…