The incredible disappearing Starwood CRE investor
The $10 billion fund from Starwood Capital Group has been trying to preserve its available cash and credit by limiting investor redemptions. In the first quarter, the fund was hit with $1.3 billion in...
Rent control still the wrong solution to housing woes
Restricting the price of housing kills incentives to supply places to live.
Rent control is having something of a moment: In Los Angeles, tenants are invoking a law that imposes limits on apartments built on...
Interest rates slow apartment development
Rising interest rates, tighter lending and flattening rents in parts of the country have left property companies from California to Florida waiting for financing that may not come soon.
+500 days (up 45% from 2019)...
Why Johnny can’t build
We were once a nation of builders—from the toll roads and canals of the early nineteenth century and the railroads of the second half of that busy century, to the construction of power, energy,...
Appliance payoff models explode
^58 percent increase in requested quotes to thousands of appliance repair businesses y/y (2022-2023)
^43 percent increase in appliance spend in 2023 compared to 2013—rising from $390 to $558 over the decade
Why? 1987. Home appliances...
Creating habits in an age of distraction
There’s no doubt that we are more distracted than ever in our age of screens. Everything from the latest news on social media to our favorite movie to online shopping is only a few...
Lawyers take big government to the Supreme Court
“We all get to vote, but the ability to make legislation is no longer in the hands of the people we elect,” Columbia law professor Philip Hamburger said.
As the administrative state implements more regulations...
Professionally managed apartments report lower vacancies than the broader market
Professionally managed apartments report lower vacancies than the broader market, according to data from RealPage and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Since 2010, the professionally managed segment of the multifamily industry has averaged five...
Rules that make dishwashers, wash machines perform worse also illegal
Plaintiffs argue that the Department of Energy has no legal authority to impose its own water use limits on energy-consuming home appliances.
The federal regulations that make dishwashers and washing machines worse are also illegal....
Bozzuto acquires Gables property
Over the last decade and a half, it has made much more sense for Bozzuto to build rather than buy apartments. However, as it has become harder to pencil out new projects, the Greenbelt,...
Monopolies, elections and power, oh my
Technology is engineered toward empowering individuals, not government. Therein lies the problem.
From the Gutenberg press to automobiles to a networked world enabling people to work remotely, history’s greatest innovations—in some way great or small—liberate...
Lawyers take big government to the Supreme Court
“We all get to vote, but the ability to make legislation is no longer in the hands of the people we elect,” Columbia law professor Philip Hamburger said.
As the administrative state implements more regulations...
7 student housing property management strategies
With its high turnover rate and steady demand, the student housing market remains a lucrative niche within the real estate industry.
Student housing properties come in various on and off-campus forms, including dormitories, apartments, and...
The character trait of competence
When most people think of character, there is a list of attributes or “traits” that comes readily to mind. Some of the more common ones might be honesty, responsibility, patience, perseverance, loyalty, and courage....