The nationwide rebound in housing prices has been treated as welcome news. But should we be celebrating the growing presence of large investment firms in our communities, often at the expense of the ordinary buyer?
"The last time the housing market was this hot in Phoenix and Las Vegas, the buyers pushing up prices were mostly small time. Nowadays, they are big time — Wall Street big," reports Nathaniel Popper. "Large investment firms have spent billions of dollars over the last year buying homes in some of the nation’s most depressed markets. The influx has been so great, and the resulting price gains so big, that ordinary buyers are feeling squeezed out. Some are already wondering if prices will slump anew if the big money stops flowing."
"Some see the emergence of Wall Street buyers as a market-driven answer to the nation’s housing ills. Investment companies are buying up rundown homes at a time when ordinary people can’t or won’t."
"Yet some investment companies are already pulling back in the markets that have had the fastest growth," he cautions. "In Phoenix, the percentage of all house purchases involving investors fell to about 25 percent in March from a high of 36 percent last summer, according to the Campbell HousingPulse Survey. The same survey shows that investors have been increasing their presence in new areas like Florida and California."
FULL STORY: Behind the Rise in House Prices, Wall Street Buyers
As Amazon's Arrival Approaches, Northern Virginia Housing Market Heats Up
Houses are in high demand and prices have soared since Amazon announced a new headquarters would be located in Arlington County, Virginia. The buyers, however, are not new Amazon workers.
The ‘Lock-In Effect’ Keeping Home Prices High
Housing prices dropped slightly last year, but first-time and middle-income buyers found little price relief due to the “lock-in effect” of the historically low interest rates in effect for more than a decade prior to 2022.
Rent Control Approved for Montgomery County
The Montgomery County Council has approved a new law that sets limits on how much landlords can raise rents from year to year.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal
The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.
Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification
The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.
Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation
Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service