Gary Acosta’s Weekly Blog

I had the opportunity to meet with the new CEO of the National Association of Realtors®, Bob Goldberg, last week in their offices in Washington, D.C. NAR is the most politically powerful real estate organization in America and one of the most powerful in any field. Goldberg is a different kind of leader; he’s active…

The NAHREP national convention has evolved into one of the hottest housing events of the year. This year’s convention features President George W. Bush, Phoenix Suns head coach, Earl Watson, and a long list of industry leaders and top producing practitioners. My favorite part of the conference each year is observing first-hand the pride and…

The Mortgage Collaborative, the top co-op for mortgage companies, hosted its biannual conference in Nashville last week with more than 150 companies attending the event. Last year, the leading topic of discussion was the regulatory environment while this year it was all about technology and online security. Blend, Inc. a developer of consumer facing technology…

Last week I attended the 10th annual Housing Renaissance in San Diego. The Housing Renaissance is an off-calendar gathering of about 60 CEOs, government officials, thought leaders, advocates and policy wonks. The event is by invitation only and is co-chaired by former HUD Secretary, Henry Cisneros, and Harvard Professor, Nic Retsinas. NAHREP National President, Leo…

I spent the last few days with housing experts and found there is a consensus that the biggest current challenge to homeownership is housing inventory. While most of the attention regarding homeownership opportunity is typically focused on identifying demand solutions, housing supply is the primary barrier today. The housing crisis of 2008 crippled the homebuilding…

Freddie Mac recently released a study on Hispanic homeownership titled, “Will the Hispanic Homeownership Gap Persist?”. The study aimed to forecast how Hispanic homeownership rates would fare over time. Currently, about 46 percent of Hispanic households are owner-households as compared to 68 percent for non-Hispanic White households. Freddie Mac looked at age, income, educational data…

After years of denying that they have any intention of displacing real estate agents, some agent groups and attorneys believe, Instant Offers®, is the smoking gun that shows Zillow’s true intent. Instant Offers essentially gives would-be home sellers the opportunity to solicit offers directly from buyers (mostly investors), thus circumventing agents from at least part…

Pam Patenaude’s nomination as Deputy Secretary of HUD easily passed committee and now moves to full Senate for approval. She looks like a shoe-in. With Pam and two other strong candidates (and NAHREP supporters) currently being considered for leadership roles at FHA and Ginnie Mae, things are looking more positive at HUD.