Is housing affordability as bad as we think?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released its report: Consumer Expenditures in 2016. It contains estimates of both income and spending by category. Analysis of the data it provides gives a different perspective...
Facebook and Helen Keller
I'm rarely away from the office during work hours but I recently found myself in a line of about 8 people waiting for the dealer to price a handful of collectibles for a friend. We...
Construction material prices continue their rise
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its Producer Price Index for March on Tuesday. It showed that overall prices for processed goods for intermediate demand were unchanged from February but they increased 5.3...
Our nation is changing
The pace is like at no other time in history. And here we are—apartment operators—at the center of it all. As the multifamily housing industry, a significant part of the nation's largest engine of GDP, begins...
Freddie Mac releases research on renters
Freddie Mac recently released the results of two polls. One studied renter preferences and attitudes. The other focused on renter mobility. Both provided interesting insights into how renters themselves view renting. While the polls...
Tech wreck, the social media backlash
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is in the data business. He has had this awareness, some say, since partnering with Sean Parker, cofounder of Napster in June 2004. It's a simple business: Facebook users trade...
Yardi Martix report shows decelerating rent growth
The Yardi Matrix monthly multifamily report for March was released this week. It shows, that while rents rose nationally in March, the rate of apartment rent growth is lower than it has been in...
The digital economy is now official
The Bureau of Economic Analysis, an agent of the U.S. Department of Commerce, in March released its first working paper assessing the economic value of the digital economy. While the government has reported on...
Seattle’s first in time law struck down
On March 30, a King County Superior Court judge ruled that Seattle's law requiring that landlords take on tenants on a first in time, first in line (FIT) basis violates the Washington State constitution. Seattle's...
It should be Facebook Friday the way the news has gone this week
It should be Facebook Friday the way the news has gone this week. Wall-to-wall tech in a week of non-stop news. However, I must address something of a sensitive nature, so I hope that...
Homelessness in LA
Homelessness is a problem in major cities across the country, but it is especially so in large cities like Los Angeles. The City and County of Los Angeles, and their voters, have taken steps...
Who is Katerra and why should you care?
Backed by over $1 billion in venture capital money, Katerra aims to become a disruptive presence in the multifamily construction industry. But where its disruptive power will be most keenly felt is not yet...
If you’re suffering from Facebook fatigue, let’s switch it up.
In a series of tweets this week, a web developer outlined exactly what the mega search giant knew about him dating back to 2008. IT specialist Dylan Curran downloaded both his Facebook and Google...
Who makes minimum wage?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released a report on the characteristics of minimum wage workers. The report focused on workers paid at hourly rates and looked at their wages when compared to...
Major increase in older Americans coming
As Yogi Berra said, “It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” In spite of this, the US Census Bureau has given it their best shot. Census recently released its projections for how...
