Category Archives: Real estate

A Harbinger? Tech Jobs Plunge in San Francisco & Silicon Valley Brings Condo Prices Drop Back to 2015, Single-Family Home to 2018

Software hiriing has been falling for years, and is finally affecting the economies in its heartland, San Francisco and Silicon Valley.

Abundance vs. Degrowth in a Time of Climate Catastrophe

While Trump’s Liberation Day policies might bring about accidental degrowth, Democrats embrace DOGE-style Abundance. Is there another way?

Company Accused of Organizing National Rental Housing Cartel Goes on Offense as Trump DOJ Mothballs Price-Fixing Case

In a lawsuit against Berkeley, RealPage contends that using pricing algorithms to coordinate residential rents among mega landlords is “free speech.”

The Structural Transformation of the Public Space: High Street Changes and Populism

An intriguing connection between retail districts and populism.

Climate Change: Insuring the World of Tomorrow

Leading edge conventional wisdom on the role of insurance as climate disasters increase underestimates the severity of the problem.

How Climate Denial is Fueling a U.S. Homeowners Insurance Crisis and Risking a 2008-Style Financial Meltdown

A climate-change-driven insurance and eventual mortgage/housing price crisis is getting momentum. And unlike 2008, price recovery is unlikely

How Climate Change and Widespread Unaffordable Home Insurance Will Wreck Property Values

The death spiral of home insurance in climate afflicted areas has begun. The will and means to tackle underlying issues are sorely wanting

Wolf Richter: DOGE Seeks to Shed Vast Amounts of Government Office Space. Here’s How Much the Government Leases, and Where, and What Leases it Can Shed During Trump’s Term

For CRE, the motto in 2024 was “Survive till 2025” via extend-and-pretend. Now it’s 2025, and here comes the government’s office space.

How Los Angeles Can Fireproof Communities, Not Just Houses

Ideas about how to reduce fire risk in Los Angeles do not appear to go far enough.

Actuaries and Scientists Warn Climate Shocks Risk ‘Planetary Insolvency’ as Power Struggles About How to Rebuild LA Begin

A new report shows a 50% GDP fall from 2070 to 2090 due to climate change. Los Angeles gives a taste of coming struggles about what to do.

Trump’s HUD Secretary and Our Reverse Robin Hood Housing System

A Trump-Turner housing agenda appears destined to continue the worst aspects of the US approach to affordable housing.

Rebuilding Rate for Santa Cruz Mountains Lightning Complex Fire Bodes Ill for Los Angeles Reconstruction, Even Before Getting to Insolvency of California State FAIR Plan Wildfire Insurance

The pace of rebuilding after the Santa Cruz Mountains wildfire in 2000 bodes ill for the likely speed of Los Angeles reconstruction.

This Week’s Unholy Mix of Drought, Wind, and Fire in Southern California: A Warning of an Accelerating Insurance Crisis in Climate-Risk Areas?

More and more homeowners are understandably worried about what insurance increases might look like in the face of intensifying climate risks.