Let’s commence the discussion today on axioms. An axiom is defined as that which is evident. Axioms are also an anchor or starting point on which to logically build. I had a land economics professor at Texas A&M (Dr. Ivan Schemedemann) whose primary axiom was… Read more

Just a few years ago, U.S. housing markets in aggregate were overbuilt, and that was reflected in declining rents, home prices and home sales. What has happened in the interim has been a quicker than anticipated absorption of surplus property, and when viewed in today’s… Read more

There’s a real dilemma as an investor relations person when it comes to Wall Street and your company’s earnings performance. If you have a bad quarter and fail to meet expectations, the market will react negatively and essentially punish your stock price – sometimes literally… Read more

As an appraiser and investor, I have always stated that a residence, to be truly considered an investment, must rent for at least 1 percent of its market value each month.  I can recall in 1990 traveling in a shuttle van in Oahu, Hawaii, with… Read more

Existing home sales statistics for February 2013 were just released by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), and the housing recovery is now close enough to reach a normal level of sales activity within the next 12 months. Existing home sales, on a seasonally adjusted… Read more

The National Association of Realtors® release on December 2012 housing sales and related data again illuminates the path of recovery of U.S. housing markets. While many would focus on the improving home prices, the story once again is how few homes are currently available for… Read more

As housing markets continue to recover, the story to be told is how quickly the supply of homes for sales is shrinking. And as inventory contracts, homes sell quicker and prices rise. That is exactly what is happening in many parts of the country. Realtor.com… Read more

Homeownership in the U.S. is good for everyone—correct? And the more people that own homes, the better—correct? Not necessarily so, conclude some individuals. Many would argue that the Federal government’s push to increase homeownership rates from 2004 through 2007 via subprime lending with little or… Read more

Knight Frank offers both residential and commercial real estate property brokerage and rental services in 43 countries, and reports research on 55 countries. AOL Real Estate analyzed housing value changes in the Knight Frank research pool, and reported those top markets based on increase in… Read more

The stagnant economy and massive liquidity actions from the Federal Reserve have driven interest rates to record lows. Freddie Mac, which has tracked residential mortgage loan rates since 1971, reported 30-year fixed loans this week at 3.31 percent while 15 year rates were 2.63 percent…. Read more