Finance & Business

Real Estate

Housing markets, rates, and investment trends

Stories: 112
Sources: 8
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Real estate coverage swings between alarmism and Zillow-tour fluff. The actual story is in the rates, the inventory, the regional divergences, and the policy moves that quietly shape what's buildable and where. Owl Post reads the housing data, the mortgage market, and the commercial sector, and surfaces what actually moved — not what made for a good headline.

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Will getting rid of property taxes make Florida more affordable?

Supporters argue it could ease affordability pressures while critics warn it may fuel higher home prices and reshape local tax structures.

housingwire.comMay 29, 2026

Scotiabank moves to expand US mortgage reach with MapleMark Bank purchase

Scotiabank has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Maple Financial Holdings Inc., a deal that will support its U.S. mortgage capital markets business.

housingwire.comMay 29, 2026

HMDA analysis shows wide gap in down payment assistance use

An analysis of HMDA data by Down Payment Resource and Urban Institute found 43.6% of purchase mortgages are eligible for DPA, but usage lags.

housingwire.comMay 29, 2026

Rezonings Are Now Driving Land Development in New York City

New York City’s development landscape has evolved from a market driven mostly by location premiums to one where regulatory entitlement is now driving new residential development. The scarcity of well-located development sites has only intensified this shift. Today, zoning entitlements are treated almost like their own asset class, and sophisticated developers and investors are now

commercialobserver.comMay 29, 2026

Benefit Street Partners Provides $82M Refi for Sarasota County Multifamily

Crescent Communities and FCP have secured $82.1 million to refinance Render Legacy Trail, a 450-unit multifamily community in Florida’s Sarasota County, Commercial Observer can first report. Benefit Street Partners provided the debt, structured as a three-year loan with a pair of one-year extension options. The Berkadia team of Patrick McGlohn, Brian Gould, Hunter Wood, Natalie

commercialobserver.comMay 29, 2026

Speaker Spotlight: Adam Greene of RXR

Adam Greene, Executive Vice President of Development at RXR, joined Commercial Observer’s Future of New York Forum to discuss the future of New York City’s real estate market, including the growing momentum behind office-to-residential conversions, the continued demand for high-quality office space, and how evolving industries like artificial intelligence are shaping the next generation of

commercialobserver.comMay 29, 2026

New home sales stumble in April, as affordability pressures mount

U.S. new home sales fell to a 622,000 SAAR in April, down 6.2% from March and 11.3% year over year. The median price rose to $422,500 and supply increased to 9.4 months as affordability pressures persisted.

housingwire.comMay 28, 2026

Urban Institute study makes the case for a 100% LTV FHA mortgage

Researchers propose a slight bump to upfront mortgage insurance premiums to offset the risks of a zero-down FHA product.

housingwire.comMay 28, 2026

Walmart Pays $223M for SoCal Cold-Storage Facility

One of the world’s largest companies has acquired a building in Southern California that it uses for its grocery and food distribution in a deal that’s equal to roughly $440 a square foot. Walmart Realty, a subsidiary of Walmart, put down $223 million for a 507,000-square-foot cold-storage facility in California’s Inland Empire region. State Street

commercialobserver.comMay 28, 2026

Is Zillow a public utility? Attorneys weigh in on MRED, Compass suit

Attorneys say Zillow’s antitrust suit vs MRED and Compass tests listing data control, consumer harm and MLS broker agreements post Sitzer.

housingwire.comMay 28, 2026

Bain, 11North spend $300M on open-air retail portfolio

Bain Capital Real Estate and 11North Partners are putting their billions in raised capital to use across the country. A joint venture between the two companies paid roughly $300 million for five open-air retail centers, the firms announced on Wednesday. The retail centers span markets, including properties in Carlsbad, California; Falls Church, Virginia; Altamonte Springs, Florida; and Sugar Land, Texas. The portfolio of five retail centers spans a combined 757,000 square feet, breaking down the acquisition costs to roughly $396 per square foot. Major tenants complete the portfolio, including Harris Teeter, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Costco, and Equinox; occupancy across the […] This article originally appeared on The Real Deal. Click here to read the full story.

therealdeal.comMay 28, 2026

An entrepreneur’s guide to multifamily housing investment

Investing in multifamily housing rewards local insight, patience, persistence and the development of operational excellence, Michael Zaransky writes.

inman.comMay 28, 2026

New home sales fall, but the trend is still sideways

Monthly numbers can swing wildly, but new home sales have been stuck for many years in a range that doesn’t show any real growth.

housingwire.comMay 28, 2026

Bank of America extends Community Homeownership Commitment program

Bank of America will continue its program after $15B in loans and $600M in grants for 57,000 homebuyers since 2019.

housingwire.comMay 28, 2026

New home sales falter under ‘challenging’ spring market

New residential sales declined 11.3 percent annually in April, as buyer activity wilted under rising mortgage rates.

inman.comMay 28, 2026

Homebuyer affordability slips in April as median mortgage payment rises to $2,152

MBA’s April 2026 PAPI shows homebuyer affordability slipped month over month as median payments rose to $2,152.

housingwire.comMay 28, 2026

Home affordability hits new lows as buyers pull back

U.S. home purchase loans hit their lowest quarterly level since early 2014 and pending home sales fell for a second consecutive week, according to new reports from Attom and Redfin.

inman.comMay 28, 2026

Dwight Mortgage Trust Lends $55M on Rockland County, N.Y., Multifamily Development

Sky Equity Group has landed $55 million of construction financing to develop a mixed-use multifamily project in New York’s Rockland County, Commercial Observer has learned, Dwight Mortgage Trust closed the loan in a deal originated by Katie Goldenberg for the developer’s 104-unit project with 45,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space at 10 Ashel Lane

commercialobserver.comMay 28, 2026

HUD trims environmental review for federally-backed multifamily projects

The Trump administration is carving another layer out of the federal housing approval process, this time targeting environmental reviews tied to affordable housing deals. The Department of Housing and Urban Development published an interim rule this month eliminating a final approval requirement for multifamily developments with more than 200 units or mortgages exceeding $5 million that receive federal support, Bisnow reported. The rollback takes effect June 22 and is expected to primarily affect affordable housing developers working with HUD-backed financing. Under the old framework, projects cleared through environmental review still needed a final signoff from HUD clearance officers before moving […] This article originally appeared on The Real Deal. Click here to read the full story.

therealdeal.comMay 28, 2026

NAR REACH taps real estate firms for tech program

The REACH program focuses on identifying and accelerating technology companies serving the residential real estate industry.

housingwire.comMay 28, 2026

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Why Owl Post covers Real Estate

Will getting rid of property taxes make Florida more affordable?

Scotiabank moves to expand US mortgage reach with MapleMark Bank purchase

HMDA analysis shows wide gap in down payment assistance use

Rezonings Are Now Driving Land Development in New York City

Benefit Street Partners Provides $82M Refi for Sarasota County Multifamily

Speaker Spotlight: Adam Greene of RXR

New home sales stumble in April, as affordability pressures mount

Urban Institute study makes the case for a 100% LTV FHA mortgage

Walmart Pays $223M for SoCal Cold-Storage Facility

Is Zillow a public utility? Attorneys weigh in on MRED, Compass suit

Bain, 11North spend $300M on open-air retail portfolio

An entrepreneur’s guide to multifamily housing investment

New home sales fall, but the trend is still sideways

Bank of America extends Community Homeownership Commitment program

New home sales falter under ‘challenging’ spring market

Homebuyer affordability slips in April as median mortgage payment rises to $2,152

Home affordability hits new lows as buyers pull back

Dwight Mortgage Trust Lends $55M on Rockland County, N.Y., Multifamily Development

HUD trims environmental review for federally-backed multifamily projects

NAR REACH taps real estate firms for tech program

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