Originally published in May 2023 by the National Association of Realtors.

In May 2023, NAR surveyed its members pertaining to data collectors in the appraisal process. The findings are as follows:

• Sales agents accounted for the largest proportion, with 45% of participants holding this license. Brokers followed with 24%, and appraisal-certified professionals comprised 14% of the respondents. Broker-Associates and Appraisal Licensees accounted for 13% and two percent, respectively, while the remaining two percent reported holding other types of real estate licenses.

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Originally published on September 5, 2023, by Pete Schroeder for Reuters.com.

The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is seeking buyers for the $33 billion commercial real estate (CRE) loan portfolio of failed New York lender Signature Bank, it said on Tuesday.

Originally published on September 19, 2023 by Veronica Grecu.

Miami was the most competitive rental market during this summer’s peak moving season, but the Midwest was America’s hottest apartment region, with three markets in the top five nationally. That’s largely because the Midwest offers housing options that fit more ranges of budgets, as well as a cost of living that’s lower than on the coasts. Naturally, this makes it a very attractive region to live in for renters seeking a balance between budget and quality of life.

Originally published on September 5, 2023, by Elizabeth Thompson and Stephanie Pagan for the National Association of Home Builders.

Rising mortgage rates and elevated construction costs have taken a toll on the pace of single-family construction in markets across the nation, with the slowdown most pronounced in large metro areas. Multifamily market growth also fell in most areas of the country, according to the latest findings from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Home Building Geography Index (HBGI) for the second quarter of 2023.

Originally published on September 15, 2023, by the Face Value Appraisal Insitute Podcast.

The Appraisal Institute on Aug. 31 released its latest episode of the Face Value podcast, “Dedication to Diversity: A Conversation About the Appraiser Diversity Initiative.” Hosts Tonia Vailas, MAI, AI-GRS, and Warren Boizot, SRA, AI-RRS, are joined by Smedmore Bernard Jr., MAI, Brent Quashie and Elana Wroten to share their experiences and the advice they have for others. Additionally, they talk about the new William S. Harps DEI Award.

Originally published on September 6, 2023, by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

The inventory of single-family homes for sale fell in nearly all Fed districts during the past month, resulting in a boost in new construction activity, the Federal Reserve reported Sept. 6 in its latest Beige Book. The construction of affordable housing has become strained in many districts amid rising financing costs and higher insurance premiums.

Originally published on August 28, 2023 by Phillippa Maister for GlobeSt.com.

Restaurants have become attractive targets for acquisitions despite ongoing challenges with sales rising 10.3% over the previous year in the second quarter of 2023 following a 3.2% gain in Q1, according to BizBuySell, an online business for sale marketplace. Furthermore, restaurants that sold in Q2 generated more revenue and buyers paid more for them. 

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Originally published on August 21, 2023, by Barbara Ballinger for GlobeSt.com.

Originally published on August 1, 2023, by Troy Green for the National Association of Realtors. 

oreign buyers purchased $53.3 billion worth of U.S. existing homes from April 2022 through March 2023, slipping 9.6% from the previous 12-month period, according to a new report from the National Association of Realtors®. Foreign buyers purchased 84,600 properties, down 14.2% from the prior year and the fewest number of homes bought since 2009, when NAR began tracking this data. Overall, U.S. existing-home sales totaled 5.03 million in 2022, down 17.8% from 2021.

Originally published in July 2023 by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau stated in a July 26 supervisory highlights report that it found some mortgage lenders violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act by discriminating against borrowers in protected classes, such as race, national origin, sex and age. The CFPB directed lenders to review, identify and provide relief to any applicant negatively affected by these violations.

Originally published on July 21, 2023, by Christine Stricker for ATTOM.

According to ATTOM’s newly released Q2 2023 U.S. Home Sales Report, profit margins on median-priced single-family home and condo sales in the U.S. increased to 47.7 percent in the second quarter – the first gain in a year.

The most flood-prone U.S. counties saw 384,000 more people move in than out in 2021 and 2022—a 103% increase from the prior two years, when 189,000 more people moved in than out, according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage.

The same trend took hold in the places most vulnerable to wildfires and heat as the pandemic homebuying boom and a housing affordability crisis pushed Americans into disaster-prone areas.

Originally published on July 13, 2023, by the McKinsey Global Institute.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, it dramatically changed the way people worked, lived, and shopped in cities around the world. The starkest change was where and how they worked. Obeying lockdowns and office closures, tired of uncomfortable masks, and enabled by remote-work technology, many employees abruptly retreated from traditional offices to home offices. Many of those employees, newly freed from their daily commutes, chose to move out of urban cores. And now that fewer of them were working and living near urban stores, fewer of them shopped there. In recent months, some of those behavioral shifts have slowed. Others persist, particularly among office employees continuing to engage in hybrid work (that is, a combination of remote and in-office work).

Originally published on July 6, 2023, by Sophia Wedeen for the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

The supply of low-cost rentals fell by 3.9 million units over the last decade, according to our latest State of the Nation’s Housing report. As a new interactive tool (Figure 1) released in conjunction with the report shows, the supply of low-cost rentals decreased in every single state, leaving lower- and middle-income renters with even fewer housing options they can afford.

Originally published on June 29, 2023, by Realtor.com.

The U.S. median home listing price slipped -0.9% annually in June, posting the first yearly decline since 2017, the start of Realtor.com®'s trends data, according to its June Monthly Housing Trends Report released today. At the same time, while home shoppers had more homes to choose from this month, improvement stalled as the active inventory growth rate slowed for the fourth month in a row (+7.1%) and came in well below May's +21.5% rate. 

Originally published on June 20, 2023, by Barbara Ballinger for GlobeSt.com.

The purpose-built student housing segment has been a steady winner for many developers for years, faring well even in recessionary and down periods. Students needed a place to live and didn’t always want to reside on campus, especially after freshman year. These off-campus dwellings long offered a robust list of attractive amenities seen in conventional multifamily housing, as well as comfortable apartment layouts with living and sleeping spaces typically furnished. Students are leased by a “bed” rather than a room.

Originally published on June 14, 2023, by Danielle Nguyen for John Burns Research & Consulting.

Originally published in June 2023 by JLL.

The potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to transform businesses, industries and society has been mounting for decades. But recent advancements, have moved the science from niche to mainstream. The technology’s proficiency in writing, drawing, coding and composing has compelled corporate leaders to consider both the opportunities and threats that AI presents for their future.

Originally published on June 15, 2023, by Richard Berger for GlobeSt.com.

Houston was named the overall “winner” when it comes to market attractiveness when evaluated for five key tenant types, according to a new report from Cushman & Wakefield.

Originally published on June 8, 2023 by Troy Green by the National Association of Realtors. 

The U.S. housing market is short more than 300,000 affordable homes for middle-income buyers, according to a new analysis from the National Association of Realtors® and Realtor.com®. The country's persistent housing inventory crunch impacts middle-income buyers more than any other income bracket.