Home Builders urge Fannie, Freddie to get behind mixed-use
The mortgage giants currently require that projects they finance be no more than 25 percent commercial (20 percent for Fannie and for multifamily HUD projects.) The intention is that these lenders remain true to...
Fannie and Freddie: cool heads prevail warn regulators
The mortgage buyers, now controlled by the government, and their regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, are "facing challenging times," the agency's head Edward DeMarco told a congressional panel.
Republican lawmakers are leading efforts to...
Archstone owners decide to sell their stakes
Unable to reach a consensus with Lehman on a plan to sell the entire company, the two banks are now trying to sell their stakes, which total 53 percent, according to people familiar with...
Regaining our power of persuasion
I’m just back from the Balkans. It takes traveling to the genesis of the word balkanize to understand true division. To the naked eye, these people appear quite similar. Looks can be deceiving and...
GSE’s and HUD provide liquidity to housing markets in times of crisis
When things go wrong in housing—who keeps the lights on in terms of capital? How can a borrower expect to get a multifamily loan in these uncertain times? The answer starts with the mothership...
CX is Job 1
Job No. 1 for CEOs today is ensuring the company delivers a compelling customer experience. This laser sharp focus on the total experience must span the entire demand and supply chain and incorporate every...
Providers of single-family rental homes are an important part of America’s housing ecosystem
President Biden’s release in May of a “Housing Supply Action Plan” represents a commendable effort to bring much needed quality, affordably-priced housing to communities throughout the country. In taking steps to “ease the burden...
The enduring strength of truth
Webster defines it as “the property of being in accord with fact or reality.” Truth is a beautiful, most reliable thing.
The truth of Christmas and the holidays is sometimes muffled by the hustle and...
This corona moment
It is said that giving a man power is the truest test of character. Those I know, especially in real estate, were nearly all formed, not by the hand of power, but by the...
Business analytics seeing huge demand, outpacing talent
A survey out the first of December, by the EMC Corporation, is showing that nearly one-third of companies across the globe are able to use new data to aid in business decisions and reveal...
Thank you. It is our great pleasure to be part of an industry that...
I was fortunate enough to be raised on "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." It was a great primer for the meaning of the holidays and as a poor Catholic kid who had more siblings...
Time-of-use rates sparks new debate about customer and grid impacts
Momentum is slowly building behind new rate designs that focus on customer costs and meeting system needs, but some say it’s too slow.
Pilot programs have shown smartly designed residential time-of-use (TOU) and other time...
Can Biden help housing? White House solution isn’t nearly enough.
At one time or another, every politician—local, state, and federal—promises to help create “affordable housing.” The issue has become especially critical of late with rents and housing prices rising and higher interest rates making...
Housing finance reform: Here we go again
Now the Senate is stepping up. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Ida.) said he is making housing finance reforms a key focus area for the committee and released an outline he said any...
How many will work remotely post-pandemic?
For all we know about our current housing market, the sources of demand, the supply headwinds and the changing financing landscape, one key variable has been unclear to us since the pandemic began: just...
