Hot Topic: Converting Office Spaces Into Residential Places

By KIMBERLEY HAAS With a lack of housing plaguing the country, it may be easy to jump to the conclusion that vacant offices could be the perfect fit for new apartments and condominiums, but industry leaders say there are a number of considerations to take into account with these projects. Adam Ducker is the CEO of RCLCO Real Estate Consulting, which offers strategic and tactical advice about property investment, planning, and development. They have offices in Austin, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, and Washington, DC. Ducker said in a recent interview with The Mortgage Note that the concept of renovating office spaces into residential housing precedes the pandemic, even though it is a hot topic now. He authored a…

Luxury Markets: What Do The Wealthy Really Want In Their Homes?

By KIMBERLEY HAAS Large saltwater pools, massage rooms, and places to store extensive wine collections are popular, but there may be more important things to prospective mansion buyers. During the National Association of Real Estate Editors conference in Las Vegas this month, a panel discussion was held to flush out current demands in the luxury market. Speaking during “Mansions 2024” was Mike Leipart, managing partner of The Agency Development Group; Rob Jensen, president of the Rob Jensen Company; Architect Michael Gardner of Luxus Design Build; and Architect Johnny Cruz of Robert A.M. Stern Architects. Here are five key takeaways: Wellness technology is popular with the rich. Leipart said he was in a home recently where the owner had a sauna,…

AI’s Impact Highlighted At Real Estate Editors Conference In Las Vegas

By KIMBERLEY HAAS As artificial intelligence continues to dominate news headlines, real estate leaders are speaking about what this wave of technology means for the future of their market. Glenn Phillips, CEO of Lake Homes Realty, said AI is a “massive game changer” during the National Association of Real Estate Editors conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday morning. “In real estate, there is going to be a massive transition of who’s going to get consumer’s attention,” Phillips said. Phillips said AI is going to enhance how they look at consumer behavior and suggested that industry professionals form partnerships to bring themselves to scale. Michael Gerrity, founder and CEO of Global Listings, said they’re already planning to flip the whole listings…

Listen To The Mortgage Note Podcast

The Mortgage Note’s Editor Kimberley Haas has been interviewing some of the leaders in the country over the past year. This podcast highlights the successes and innovations taking place in the mortgage industry. If you would like to participate in future episodes, please email us at [email protected].   Read Articles Featuring The Guests: Meet The Woman Behind “Wall Street South” You Can Get A Mortgage At Walmart Learn About Financing Manufactured Homes With Rocket’s EVP Of Capital Markets Guild Leaders Hope To Help Hispanic Homebuyers Through New Partnership The Future Landscape Of Cities: Live-Work-Play, Science Centers, Medical Offices Follow Us On Twitter: The Biden-Harris administration announced new actions to protect renters this week and leaders at the U.S. Department of…

Researcher: The U.S. Needs 4.3 Million More Apartments

By KIMBERLEY HAAS The vice president of research at the National Multifamily Housing Council says 4.3 million new apartments will be needed by 2035 to meet demand. Caitlin Walter spoke at the National Association of Real Estate Editors conference on October 13. She is primarily responsible for conducting NMHC’s research on apartment industry trends, according to the council’s website.  Walter said there were 737,000 apartments under construction in 2021. “The issue is that it takes a long time to build an apartment community, and we’re not actually seeing those under-construction numbers turn into completions. And that is largely due to the delays that started during the pandemic that have continued to persist,” Walter said. Walter referred to a study the…

Inflation, Interest Rates Cited As Top Issues For Residential And Commercial Real Estate

By KIMBERLEY HAAS The global chair of The Counselors of Real Estate says inflation and interest rates are this year’s leading concerns of his 1,000-member organization. At the National Association of Real Estate Editors conference at The Westin Buckhead in Atlanta, GA, William McCarthy said everyone they talk to wants to know about inflation and interest rates. The Counselors of Real Estate is an international consortium of commercial property advisors which has posted a top ten list of issues affecting real estate for 11 years. “Inflation dictates interest rates. Interest rates dictate inflation,” McCarthy said. McCarthy told the crowd they have some questions about the current interest rate narrative. “Interest rates are supposed to go up a little bit more, level,…

Reality Check: COVID Deaths Will Lead To Increase In Housing Inventory

By KIMBERLEY HAAS It may be a harsh reality to face, but the data is clear: There will be more houses on the market in 2022 because of the number of people who have died due to COVID-19 and its variants. This sobering fact was highlighted during the National Association of Real Estate Editors conference in Miami, Fla., last week. As of Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 793,937 COVID deaths of Americans. More of those deaths have occurred since the first vaccines became available than before. Approximately 77% of people over the age of five have had at least one vaccination, according to their website. Community transmission is high in many parts of the country…