Maureen Mengel Blog

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp grew its holdings in shares of Realty Income Co. by 16.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. British Columbia Investment Management Corp Grows Holdings in Realty Income Co. curated from Real Estate News

Light is projected by Bell Visuals on the Trump International Hotel, March 28, 2018, in Washington. A federal judge allowed Maryland and the District of Columbia to proceed with their lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of accepting unconstitutional gifts from foreign interests. From Mueller to Stormy to 'emoluments,' legal teams aim to expose Trump Organization curated from Real Estate News

Having had over a week now to reflect on my time at last week's ShopTalk 2018 gathering in Las Vegas, I decided to forego my original plan to write a more detailed summary of "key" take-aways. For one thing, there are a number of excellent summaries out there already. Like this one . Or this . Or CoreSight's thorough  recap of each day . Also, it's a fair amount of work. So there's that. What struck me the most thematically--aside from how much better ShopTalk has become than the NRF's "Big Show"--was that the talks, panels and hallway discussions tended to fall into one of three buckets. Hope Despite the often relentlessly negative retail narrative in the mainstream media, there was a hopeful tone. As everyone should realize by now, the future of retail will not be evenly distributed --yet at the conference there was solid optimism. I attribute some of this to (generally) improving retail trends. I think there was also a sense that some o...

Girders for the SoNo Collection mall rise skyward on Jan. 24, 2018, at the construction site in South Norwalk, Conn. Girders for the SoNo Collection mall rise skyward on Jan. 24, 2018, at the construction site in South Norwalk, Conn. New York real estate firm acquires owner of two Connecticut malls curated from Real Estate News

The initiative was developed through a joint effort of Intero's executive team, marketing group and the Silicon Valley-based branding firm Reinvent. "Over the last 15 years the world has changed," said Tom Tognoli, Intero President & Chief Executive Officer. Intero Launches a New Look After 15 Years of Leading the Real Estate Industry in the Bay Area curated from Real Estate News

One of the things drilled into my head as a college student in the economics department was the concept of the "cost-benefit analysis." Simply put, this concept asks whether something is worth the price you pay for it. How the 'farm-to-table' real estate agent can save our industry curated from Real Estate News

The firm currently has C$10.00 price target on the stock. was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a hold rating to a buy rating. Equities Research Analysts' Upgrades for March, 29th (AGF.B,... curated from Real Estate News

Seattle-based tech-powered brokerage Redfin  announced on Thursday the expansion of Redfin Mortgage into Minnesota — its sixth market since first launching  the lending arm in Texas in January 2017 . Redfin spokesperson Alina Ptaszynski told Inman Minnesota was a logical next step for Redfin Mortgage since the company recently made Title Forward available in the state. “Redfin launched Title Forward in Minnesota and Wisconsin earlier this year, so it’s a natural early market for Redfin Mortgage,” she said in an emailed statement to Inman. “Redfin Mortgage is built to seamlessly integrate with Title Forward, should a customer elect to use both services.” Redfin Mortgage, serving Redfin’s buyer clients exclusively, offers fixed- and adjustable-rate conforming mortgages as well as jumbo loans for higher-priced homes with a 30-day closing guarantee. Redfin says the guarantee is based on the fact that all buyers go through a fully underwritten pre-approval process that in...

Attom Data Solutions released the results of its Q1 2018 U.S. Home Affordability Report , which showed that average wage earners ($57,009) could not afford a median-priced home in 68 percent of U.S. counties (304 out of 446). Attom determined “affordability” by calculating the amount of income needed to make monthly house payments — including mortgage, property taxes and insurance — on a median-priced home with a 3 percent down payment and a 28 percent maximum “front-end” debt-to-income ratio. One thing the study did not take into account was how these wage earners would fare if they were buying a house with a partner who may bring more income to the table. Wage data derived from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was used to determine average income for one person. (Similar data “is not available for a two-income household,” explained an Attom spokesperson.) According to the National Association of Realtors , 66 percent of recent buyers were married couples, and eight p...

If one goal of the B.C. government's new housing taxation policies was to cool home sales in the province, it has likely succeeded, if the results of a new poll of real estate agents are anything to go by. Nearly 80 per cent of the 400 Royal LePage real estate advisors surveyed by their brokerage said they expected home sales in the province to decrease in the first three months of the policy announcements. B.C. home buyer confidence damaged by new tax measures, says poll curated from Real Estate News

We’ll be focusing on how agents and brokerages can all move Faster, Better, Together this July at  Inman Connect San Francisco . Not got your ticket yet?  Buy them here , and remember that Select members always get a $100 discount. Thinking of bringing your team? There are special onsite perks and discounts when you buy those tickets together too. Just  contact us  to find out more. More and more real estate agents are choosing to start or join independent real estate brokerages.  In a  recent NAR study of Realtors, 51 percent identified themselves as being affiliated with an independent company. But the rise of niche brands coupled with fierce competition from national competitors and thinning profit margins is making it harder to create and sustain a profitable independent business. Those who’ve proven the most successful have identified ways to leverage their indie brand and showcase its unique value proposition in a noisy world. Register for ...

 We’ll add more market news briefs throughout the day. Check back to read the latest. Most recent market news Friday, March 30 Bankrate mortgage rates The average rate you’ll pay for a 30-year fixed mortgage is 4.27 percent. The average 15-year fixed-mortgage rate is 3.69 percent. Source: Bankrate News from earlier this week Thursday, March 29 Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) Monetize more referrals and leads with ReferralExchange Contact-to-close support for referrals with vetted agents across the US READ MORE 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.44 percent with an average 0.5 point for the week ending March 29, 2018, down from last week when it averaged 4.45 percent. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.14 percent. 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.90 percent with an average 0.5 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.91 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 3.39 percent. 5-year Treasury...

What’s the deal with reverse mortgages? This question was addressed in a recent Housing Wealth in Retirement Symposium held on March 23, 2018, in Washington, DC. The event was co-hosted by The American College of Financial Services and the Bipartisan Policy Center . While the symposium took a broader look at housing wealth and retirement security, a constant theme was the role of reverse mortgages under the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program sponsored by the federal government. A key takeaway from the researchers and policymaker presentations at the event was that reverse mortgages are underutilized by seniors today and can help provide added retirement funding security to Americans when used appropriately. So how can reverse mortgages be used appropriately? According to research presented at the symposium by Dr. Wade Pfau and Dr. Barry Sacks, reverse mortgages can be used in a number of ways to support a more secure retirement by allowing the homeowner to age in plac...

This Spring, Inman is obsessing over helping you to tune-up your business, with actionable insights, the best advice from top agents, and hundreds of helpful stories from all over the world. Interested in sharing your advice and insights with us? Reach out to me at matthew@inman.com . Don’t forget that we’ll also be focusing on how agents and brokerages can all move Faster, Better, Together this July at Inman Connect San Francisco . Not got your ticket yet? Buy them here , and remember that Select members get a $100 discount. Thinking of bringing your team? There are special onsite perks and discounts when you buy those tickets together too. Just contact us to find out more. SAVE MY SEAT FOR ICSF 18 We recently had the opportunity to chat with Kristina Gershteyn, an agent out of Staten Island, New York. Kristina shared with us her unique approach to networking, what she does to win listings as a daily habit and how she never pays for leads. What are the three most effective thi...

Recent market shocks have investors on edge. After February’s spike in volatility and the largest one-day drop in the history of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), many investors are wondering if the nearly decade-old bull market in equities is finally coming to an end. Following the 2008 financial crisis, the equities market has outperformed almost all expectations and has provided a boon for investor’s portfolios. But with higher rates on the horizon and multiple other signs pointing to a potential shift in the market cycle, investors may want to trim their allocations to equities and explore other investment opportunities. One sector that is attracting strong inflows right now is the U.S. commercial real estate (CRE) equity and debt markets.  Over the course of my career, I have been involved in the funding or acquisition of several billion dollars of real estate loans, currently as the founder of a CRE lender. I've learned and personally observed the  many diff...

Aldi, Big Lots and a Greenwich, Conn. real estate investment trust are among the initial bidders interested in acquiring Toys R Us stores nationally, with Connecticut locations having yet to draw early bids in an initial auction for the morning of March 29, 2018. CNBC: Thursday auction omits Connecticut Toys R Us stores curated from Real Estate News

It was a quiet day for the market, as stocks head into month's end. While the Nasdaq Composite fell almost 1%, the Dow barely dipped, and the S&P 500's damage was well contained. After the Bell: An Awful March for Stocks Is Almost Over. Too Bad It Might Not Get Much Better. curated from Real Estate News

It’s no secret that cities in the southern US tend to have cheap cost of living. According to data from Numbeo , for example, a month’s worth of groceries costs close to $350 in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, in cities such as Lexington, Ky., Durham, N.C. and Houston, that price only runs in the $200 range. Cheap cost of living, however, isn’t the only advantage these places enjoy. In recent years, cities across the US south — from Florida to Arizona and everything in between — have experienced significant growth and economic development. The result: employment and incomes have risen, while cost of living, though increasing, has remained manageable...for now . High Salaries, Low Cost of Living, These Cities Dominate A study by GOBankingRates identified 12 cities that epitomize this trend the most, boasting high incomes against cheap living costs. Mentioned already, Houston, Durham and Lexington ranked No. 11, No. 5 and No. 3 respectively in the study, with Lexington sporting an av...

The white hot iBuyer startup  Opendoor,  which lets prospective home sellers offload their properties quickly and entirely online for a guaranteed price derived by an algorithm, is in the process of raising $200 million in a funding round that would value the company at $2 billion, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal . Opendoor has already raised at least $320 million in funding since its founding in 2014, and recently  brought on $100 million in debt financing in January. The debt financing from the homebuilder Lennar was connected to an earlier capital raise of $135 million in part facilitated by the real estate tech-focused venture capital firm Fifth Wall Ventures. People familiar with this ongoing round of talks told The Wall Street Journal that Opendoor would use this influx of $200 million to up its purchases of homes in the six areas it operates–Phoenix, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Orlando, and Raleigh-Durham–and to expand into new mar...

This Spring, Inman is obsessing over helping you to tune-up your business, with actionable insights, the best advice from top agents, and hundreds of helpful stories from all over the world. Interested in sharing your advice and insights with us? Reach out to me at matthew@inman.com . Don’t forget that we’ll also be focusing on how agents and brokerages can all move Faster, Better, Together this July at Inman Connect San Francisco . Not got your ticket yet? Buy them here , and remember that Select members get a $100 discount. Thinking of bringing your team? There are special onsite perks and discounts when you buy those tickets together too. Just contact us to find out more. We recently had the opportunity to chat with Brian Copeland from Village Real Estate in Nashville and ask him about the specific tactics he uses to keep his business fresh, and his team successful. What are the three most effective things you do every day to grow your business? Community-building: Buyers, ...