Perspectives

Unambiguous Climate Risk: Building Performance Standards Policies

Climate risk is often discussed as a statistical hypothetical in real estate. The chance of extreme weather events and the potential for rising energy prices are addressed in any number of predictive models or financial projections. But one transition risk has come to the forefront in the last few years by virtue of its objective… Read more

Features

Build-to-Rent Homes: A Promising Solution to Chronic Housing Shortages

Introduction When homeownership is increasingly out of reach for many, build-to-rent (BTR) housing offers a desirable alternative to traditional homeownership. First, BTRs provide flexibility that traditional homeownership cannot match. By renting rather than owning, tenants are free to move around the city or the country as their jobs, family situations or lifestyle decisions dictate. They… Read more

Where the Pacific’s Magic Becomes Success

A sequel to “No Siesta for Los Cabos”. (Pub. Real Estate Issues December 2022) The State of Baja California Sur (BCS) in México, home for Los Cabos, considered one of the World´s top 3 places to invest in Real Estate, is comprised by 5 major market areas: Cabo San Lucas (and its Corridor), San José… Read more

Perspectives

The Challenge of Data in ESG

With the SEC expected to release a final version of its climate disclosure rule in the near future, the impact of this ruling is anticipated to be far-reaching as investors demand greater visibility into the risks that climate change may have on their investment strategies. That reach not only includes publicly traded companies but also… Read more

Perspectives

A Proposed Methodology to Explore Racial and Ethnic Bias in Multifamily Appraisals

Abstract Current industry research to identify racial and ethnic bias has mostly focused on single-family appraisals but the primary players in multlifamily lending (Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency) are not addressing bias with the same resources or attention. Racial or ethnic bias is more than a single observation of a… Read more

Features

The Office Market Reckoning is Nigh

Remote working is still upending the office property sector. In an article I wrote for Real Estate Issues in 2021, I considered the early evidence that working from home and hybrid work arrangements were likely to be lasting legacies of the pandemic.1 Two years later, the “will they or won’t they return to the office“ debate is largely settled: workers won’t be sitting at their company desks nearly as often as before the pandemic – and... Read More