As expected, the Federal Open Market Committee decided not to adjust interest rates during its latest meeting this week. The central bank cited uneven growth. “Economic activity has been expanding at a moderate pace despite the global economic and financial developments of recent months,” it noted in a statement. “Household spending has been increasing at a moderate rate, and the housing sector has improved further; however, business fixed investment and net exports have been soft”… Read more »
Foreign real estate investors went on a buying binge last year, acquiring a record $91.1 billion in properties in the U.S.—more than double the amount spent in 2014. Despite some global headwinds, that momentum is expected to stay strong in 2016 as investors continue to expand their acquisition activity across property types and into more secondary markets. Just this week, for example, Chinese insurer made a $6.5 billion deal for the acquisition of Strategic Resorts & Hotels and put in a $13 billion bid for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide… Read more »
The renter population has grown in both central city and suburban areas, while more renters have been struggling to find affordable housing in the 11 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., according to a recent report from the NYU Furman Center and Capital One on the National Affordable Rental Housing Landscape… Read more »
There are ample opportunities for loan originations for both healthcare and multifamily, and CMBS demand for traditional multifamily will continue to remain strong throughout 2016. Read more »
The U.S. Census data show that only 34 to 36 percent of the population of adult Americans under the age of 35 owned a home in 2015. Compare that with the overall home ownership rate of 63 to 64 percent. There is a wide range of possibilities for the decrease in home-ownership over time. The increase in the price of real estate and the burden of household expenses is important, but so is the fact that many millennials are still feeling the effects of a recession in employment opportunities… Read more »