SBR-Authors Podcast: Finding True Happiness Through Acts of Kindness: A Conversation with Karen Olson
Creative Housing Solutions Pop Up Across Oregon
Affordable Housing on the Front Range: Inclusionary Housing Ordinances and the New Middle Income Housing Authority
Office-to-Apartment Conversions – A Good Idea, but Tricky to Pull Off (Audio)
Episode 15 | Hot! Hot! Hot! Don't get Burned by the Perils of Buying and Selling Residential Real Estate
California CRE to Expand in 2022
Across the United States, empty office buildings have become a common sight. According to Moody’s Analytics, office vacancies are at their highest since the 1990s. The COVID hangover has left us with an abundance of vacant or...more
President Trump’s budget permanently extends numerous provisions of the Internal Revenue Code from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 scheduled to expire at the end of 2025 and includes several changes that will have...more
Deep in the 1,100 pages of the “big, beautiful bill” is a plan to retool and extend one of the big policies from the first Trump administration: Opportunity Zones. Under this tax incentive program, investors defer capital...more
Fannie Mae (1938) and Freddie Mac (1970) were created with the end goal of promoting homeownership across the United States. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, both government-sponsored entities (“GSEs”), are publicly traded and...more
There is a proverb, “May you live in a time of change.” It appears that with the new administration not only are we living in a time of change, but also one of break-neck speed without precedent or predictability....more
Mr. Pulte is now the great poohbah of Fannie and Freddie supervising the Twins from his seat at FHFA and also now acting as chair of their respective boards. What is he going to do (assuming he has any agency here)?...more
In our latest roundup, REITs ramp up development, U.S. water infrastructure funding plateaus, Giant’s mixed-use development raises questions, and more!...more
In a significant policy shift under the Trump administration, the new Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte issued an order on March 25, 2025 terminating special purpose credit programs (SPCPs) supported...more
On March 14, the FHFA announced that Director William Pulte was sworn in as its fifth director in a ceremony held in Washington, D.C., on March 14. Pulte was appointed by President Trump and will serve a five-year term...more
On March 4th, President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and Canada, the United States’ two largest trading partners. Two days later, those tariffs were largely lifted as President Trump signed...more
Civic Federation Says Illinois Should Extend Sales Tax to Services to Help Bridge $3B Budget Deficit - “Illinois should extend its sales tax to services like haircuts, dry cleaning and plumbing, the nonpartisan Civic...more
BuzzFeed has struck a deal with Verizon Media to acquire HuffPost, a mash-up that “would join a pair of digital-media giants that have found themselves searching for readers and revenue as they have fallen prey to some of the...more
Breaking down Thursday’s GDP report, which—as expected—was gangbusters in isolation but in context shows U.S. economic output “3.5 percent below where it was in the last pre-pandemic quarter, equivalent to a severe recession...more
In Washington: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in a Thursday morning letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pressed the White House for a response to the Democrats' latest coronavirus relief package proposal....more
In Washington: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) set a Tuesday deadline for her and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to reconcile significant policy disputes if they want to pass a coronavirus relief bill before Election...more
In Washington: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Thursday that White House negotiators seeking a coronavirus relief deal have simply not offered enough money to bring Democrats on board. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on...more
In Washington - The White House Wednesday signaled it is open to supporting the Problem Solvers’ coronavirus relief bill released yesterday. The President encouraged Senate Republicans to support the deal that would...more
Late last week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued its final order relating to claims of “disparate impact” under the Fair Housing Act. Under the theory of disparate impact, the Fair Housing Act can...more
In Washington - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (R-CA) has rejected calls by caucus members for a separate vote to automatically extend unemployment insurance benefits when the House returns for a vote on Saturday. In a "Dear...more
In Washington - Senate Republicans will delay the release of their coronavirus relief plan until early next week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Thursday, assuring Congress will miss a deadline to...more
In Washington: The House is set to vote on the two high-profile policy issues before leaving town for the two-week July 4 recess, however, neither of the measures is likely to be taken up in the GOP-controlled Senate,...more
In Washington: Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will be launching a messaging campaign on “the cost of Republican inaction during the COVID-19 crisis.” Schumer said President...more
A mounting death toll (over 106 and counting) and fears of a coronavirus pandemic sent markets tumbling early on Monday and kicked off a selloff that continued all day....more
What legislative activity can we expect in 2020 in the area of housing finance reform? With the Senate kicking off the New Year with an impeachment trial, it is highly unlikely Congress will make much headway on housing...more
The City of London has denied Uber’s request to extend its license in the city over concerns for rider safety. The decision puts Uber’s 45,000 drivers there in limbo, though they’ll be able to continue operating while the...more