Wall Street Journal, July 25, 2023-Maggie Eastland (subscription)Self-storage facilities, which boomed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, are cutting rents by record levels.https://www.wsj.com/articles/self-storage-rents-fall-record-amount-as-pandemic-boom-cools-609f6169
Category: Top National News
S.F. Tries to Spur Housing Development by Reducing Fees and Affordable Unit Requirements
San Francisco Chronicle, July 25, 2023-J.K. Dineen (subscription)The San Francisco Board of Supervisors appears set to slash affordable housing requirements and lower or delay a slew of associated fees in …
Hedge Funds Brawl Over Battered Commercial Real Estate
Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2023-Matt Wirz (subscription)Big fund managers that specialize in distressed investing have eagerly watched the yearlong selloff in commercial real estate. Now, they are snapping up …
Bank Regulators Urge Flexibility in Commercial Real-Estate Loan Workouts as Defaults Grow
Wall Street Journal, July 24, 2023-Peter Grant (subscription) Bank regulators are taking a page from their playbook of the 2008-09 financial crisis to help lenders weather the approaching tidal wave …
Turning Unused Office Space Into Housing Could Solve 2 Problems, but It’s Tricky
NPR, July 24, 2023-Erin KenneyConverting offices into apartments is easier said than done. And while it’s easy to imagine the process behind conversions, like adding in walls and plumbing, it …
Strong U.S. Apartment Construction Suggests Slide in Rental Costs
Reuters, July 19, 2023–Safiyah RiddleA surge in U.S. rental home construction could soften rent prices in the months ahead, a much-awaited milestone in the Federal Reserve’s effort to tame inflation …
Op-Ed: Remember GSE Reform?
Weekly Real Estate News, July 17, 2023–Phil HallOn July 30, 2008, President George W. Bush signed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA), which established the Federal Housing …
Commercial Real Estate Lending Fell for the First Time in 2 Years Last Month as Credit Conditions Tighten
Business Insider, July 17, 2023-Jennifer SorLending in the commercial real estate shrank for the first time since 2021, a sign that higher mortgage rates and tighter credit conditions are weighing …
Reintroduced Bill Would Make It Easier for Private Sector to Participate in Section 8 Housing
Globe St.com, July 17, 2023-Erik ShermanCongress is bringing back yet another attempt to expand the Housing Choice Vouchers Program, otherwise known as Section 8, to make it easier for private …
What Does Meaningful Housing Deregulation Look Like?
Forbes magazine, July 13, 2023–Roger ValdezDeregulation. It’s a word that sparks controversy. Why use it? Because it’s the best word to describe what’s needed to create better access to housing …