December 17th – Spreading Out

What I'm Reading Spreading Out: There is building anecdotal evidence that a substantial portion of surging demand for housing is due to the US undergoing another episode of average household sizes shrinking, much as it did in the 1970s.  Calculated Risk Whack a Mole: People are ricocheting between skyrocketing rents...

December 16th – Leading the Pack

What I'm Reading Leading the Pack: Millennials were supposed to be the generation that spurned home ownership.  Instead, they now make up over half of all home purchase applications as the group enters prime household formation years.  The generation accounted for 67% of first-time home purchase mortgage applications and 37%...

December 15th – Delay Tactics

What I'm Reading Delay Tactics: Planning departments in California cities are going to great effort to try to comply with California's new housing mandates.  Unions and environmental groups are using CEQA to stifle those efforts.  Two stalled projects in my hometown of Newport Beach illustrate the problem.  OC Register  Latest...

December 14th – Drop Zone

What I'm Reading Drop Zone: Drone delivery is beginning to look inevitable as developers like Alphabet continue to make breakthroughs and retailers like Walmart test in selected markets.  The Diff Arms Race: Amenities aren't just for office employees anymore.  Gyms, childcare centers, and restaurants are making their way into logistics...

December 10th – Stretching Out

What I'm Reading Stretching Out: Multifamily investors are increasingly stretching their holding timeframes - sometimes by 2-3x.  This is being driven by both a dearth of product coming to market that makes redeployment of capital difficult and a desire to obtain fixed rate debt with inflation surging.  WealthManagement.com  Bubbling Over:...

December 9th – Dwindling Reserves

What I'm Reading Dwindling: American balance sheets have been historically strong during the pandemic era, thanks largely to infusions of government cash.  The infusions boosted consumer spending, helped pay off debts and reduced the urgency of employment.  According to Moody's Analytics, those excess savings are dwindling among many working and...

December 8th – Tailwind

What I'm Reading Tailwind: The US apartment market continues to strengthen with strong rent growth and occupancy at all time highs.  RealPage  FWIW, this is exactly what should logically be expected to happen in an environment with strong household formation demographics and an increasingly tight homebuying environment - Marginal buyers...