News & Resources

The US Consumer Price Index, a key metric of inflation, does not include the rising price of homeowner insurance.  According to Bloomberg Intelligence, increased homeowners’ insurance would have added 80 basis points or approximately .8% to the reported CPI increase of 3.4%, meaning inflation would be more like 4.6 %. By not including home insurance, the CPI does not factor […]

There is a sense of uncertainty in the residential real estate market due to the recent  settlement of the National Association of Realtors (“NAR”) in which NAR agreed to not continue a longstanding practice that required home sellers to indicate the amount they would pay a home buyer’s agent. Questions as to the timing as to when  prospective buyers or […]

Late last week, the National Association of Realtors  (“NAR”) reached a $418 million nationwide settlement of claims, pending approval by a federal court, that the industry conspired to keep agent commissions higher.  As we discussed in a recent blog, the NAR had been faced with a jury verdict of $1.8 billion in damages, finding that industry rules for how buyer’s […]

There is a different type of housing that is becoming increasingly popular in the United States: small houses. In fact, colonies of homes, approximately 350 to 600 square feet, and even smaller being built. Why? For many who decide to purchase these homes, it is an alternative to simply renting. In fact, these small homes are a means for many […]