Realtors help families navigate the largest and most intimidating financial transaction of their lifetime. They serve as guides, counselors, cheerleaders, and protectors. Many of them remain friends of their clients for life. America is at its best when its citizens are stakeholders.
The usual solutions will not solve the current housing affordability crisis. Any solution that does not begin and end with a sustainable plan to radically increase housing supply is just noise. The barriers to increasing housing supply are complex and require the crucial cooperation of both public and private sectors, and more education.
It has been long understood that a nation of stakeholders makes for a strong union, and for that reason, closing the minority homeownership gap has been a goal and a topic of discussion for decades.
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…
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.
In a recent memo to chapter leadership, NAHREP gave the green light to begin planning live events, subject to state and local health protocols. NAHREP will also host its first regional event in Miami on July 13th. The event will take place at the JW Marriott in Brickell and will take on one of the…
In June of 2019, Len Wolfson, HUD’s then Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, wrote a letter to Congressman Pete Aguilar of California that stated individuals with DACA status remained ineligible for FHA loans. This sent shock waves through the mortgage lending industry because many lenders had been originating FHA loans for DACA recipients…
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 Urban Institute released a report last week with some interesting news for household and homeownership growth. The report showed homeownership rates are likely to fall in the next two decades, with the exception of the Hispanic homeownership rate which will rise to above 50% and plateau for most of the next decade. Every other…
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…