ULI Foundation announces $1 million gift to launch effort to decarbonize cities
The Urban Land Institute (ULI), a global research and education organization focused on shaping the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide, has received a major gift that will support...
Multifamily housing unit completions lower in January
The Census Bureau’s new residential construction report for January showed high levels of multifamily permit issuance and unit starts, but completions continue to lag.
Multifamily housing permits remain at high level
The number of permits issued...
HUD implements new CARES Act multifamily mortgage payment relief to maintain and preserve affordable...
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced it is issuing new mortgage payment relief guidance under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) for borrowers with multifamily mortgages...
Return of the carbon
My office is decorated with comic book figures and movie posters to the point that, during the pandemic when we were all forced to work from home, one customer exclaimed, “you must be working...
Prepare to beat the summer heat
I have the song “Feeling Hot Hot Hot” by the calypso band The Merrymen going through my brain. Summer is in full swing and temperatures are in the stupid hot range. It really makes...
Supply chain issues continue to slow housing
With builders continuing to report supply chain problems that are causing construction delays, overall housing starts decreased 4.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.64 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department...
Residential construction spending mixed in March
The Census Bureau’s report on construction spending shows that the value of residential construction put in place in March was up 1.7 percent from February’s level despite a small drop in the multifamily category....
Construction materials prices rises spread
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its producer price index report for June 2021. It showed that construction materials prices were up 3.2 percent in the month, seasonally adjusted. The index was 20.4...
Developers expect further decline in apartment starts, survey suggests
Apartment developers expect a further decline in apartment starts over the next 12 months, after already falling more than 40 percent this year, suggests a chart from John Burns Research. The chart is based...
The roots of sustainability
I was recently reminded of my early roots in sustainability in multifamily. Specifically, carrots.
For my first major renovation, I wanted to do a toilet retrofit, which would replace over 450 toilets which used 1.8...
CoStar: multifamily property prices falling
CoStar reported that its value-weighted index of multifamily property prices was down 1.4 percent month-over-month in October, the fourth monthly decline in a row. However, this index was still up 10.5 percent, year-over-year.
The value-weighted...
FHA releases 2019 annual report to Congress
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) released its 2019 Annual Report to Congress on the economic condition of the agency’s Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (MMI Fund). FHA reports that at the end of Fiscal Year...
Fannie Mae lowers housing starts forecast
Fannie Mae’s November economic and housing forecasts call for fewer housing starts in 2021 than in earlier forecasts. However, the forecasts for housing starts in 2022 were revised modestly higher.
Housing: less in the near...
HUD awards nearly $40 million in housing counseling grants
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded nearly $40 million in housing counseling grants to help over one million individuals and families access HUD-approved housing counseling to help them avoid foreclosure...
Multifamily construction sentiment ends Q4 on positive note
Confidence in the market for new multifamily housing improved in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to results from the Multifamily Market Survey (MMS) released by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The...