2025

Hong Kong's residential property market remains caught in a tug-of-war, with bullish momentum stymied by a host of bearish fundamentals, according to the latest market outlook from JLL. While a drop in HIBOR, rebounding equities, and targeted stamp duty relief have offered glimmers of support, the broader housing landscape remains clouded by persistent structural and macroeconomic challenges. These include...

Image In this episode of the REIT Report special series, “Building Resilience,” Deborah Cloutier, chief sustainability officer of Legence and president and founder of RE Tech Advisors, discusses how the strategic alignment of sustainability and business priorities is accelerating the implementation of capital improvements that enhance building...

Mortgage applications don’t always fail with a formal rejection — many simply stall. A report released last month by Cotality found that homebuyer hesitation often predicts loan fallout, even without an official withdrawal. As a result, the property analytics firm found that 16% of buyers “ghosted” their mortgage applications last year — a trend attributed mostly to confusion and lack of...

Hundreds of affordable housing programs across California may be in legal jeopardy after a new federal lawsuit challenged the constitutionality of one of the state’s most widely used housing tools. The suit — filed Thursday in federal court in San Francisco and first reported by CalMatters — targets East Palo Alto, California’s “inclusionary zoning” ordinance. That legislation requires...

While some brokerages are leaning into the use of private listing networks, luxury firm Douglas Elliman said it does not want private listing networks to become the norm. “At Douglas Elliman, we have a long- standing commitment to offering clients greater choice and flexibility while continuing to promote equal access to listings and uphold a transparent, fair housing market,” Michael Liebowitz, the...

Rocket Companies has begun to reshape Rocket Homes, its real estate subsidiary, following the closing of its acquisition of Redfin. The changes include sunsetting Rocket Homes’ search portal, consolidating agent networks and executing layoffs. Users who visit the Rocket Homes website are now met with a message stating they “can search for homes on Rocket until August 4.” After that, they will be...

UBS Group said on Monday that it will pay $300 million to settle lingering obligations tied to a Credit Suisse deal with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) over the sales of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS). UBS inherited the obligations when it acquired Credit Suisse in a 2023 rescue arranged by Swiss regulators. The bank confirmed on Monday that its U.S. Credit Suisse Securities LLC...

In a bold move signaling the next phase of digital disruption in global real estate finance, Miami-based World Property Ventures -- a real estate technology development firm operating at the true intersection of Main Street real estate, Wall Street finance, Silicon Valley innovation and DARPA disruption -- announced its newest portfolio company under development: World Property Bank. Slated to launch in...

The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (H.R. 2808) passed through the U.S. Senate with unanimous consent and without amendments late Saturday. The legislation gained approval from the U.S. House of Representatives earlier in June. The legislation is designed to enact a national prohibition on the misuse of trigger leads. Under this act, companies are prohibited from making credit offers unless the...

Mortgage rates fell 0.18% last week, breaking below the key threshold of 6.64%. Why is this important? Because in the last three years, when mortgage rates fell from 6.64% to 6%, housing demand has improved. Now the question is: can rates go lower? 10-year yield and mortgage rates In my 2025 forecast, I anticipated the following ranges: Mortgage rates between 5.75% and 7.25% The 10-year yield...