Adam Neumann’s Flow: Stupid, Evil or Both?

I am a 100% free market capitalist. In fact, I’m an AnCap (anarcho-capitalist) with strong Austrian economics leanings. So it is rare that I run across a business model that I detest. Yet, Adam Neumann’s new company, Flow, might have achieved that feat. From The Real Deal’s article Neumann reveals his vision for Flow renters … Read more

What If Housing Affordability Is Not About Supply and Demand?

I’ve been thinking about this topic for a few years now, but felt motivated to write on it after reading Ryan Gorman’s Medium post announcing what he’s working on now with btcRE. Gorman as the former CEO of Coldwell Banker understands real estate better than most people, and yet… there was something I felt was … Read more

Housing Market 2023: Another Prediction Sure to Be Wrong

I left out any predictions about the housing market in 2023 in my Seven Predictions post for a bunch of reasons. The most important being that it’s really kind of boring for people who are not super interested in the topic, which means just about everyone who isn’t a VIP subscriber. But now that 2023 … Read more

2023 Starts With Hopeful Signs, or Average People Are Smarter Than a Writer for The Atlantic

A reader sent me this provocative article in The Atlantic, with the provocative title, “The Homeownership Society Was a Mistake.” At first, as I read through the damn thing, I was concerned that the writer had tapped into something real in the psyche of younger Americans who are getting royally screwed by the economy generally, … Read more

Four Horsemen of the Housing Apocalypse, Part 4: On a Pale Horse – Political Turmoil

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, … Read more

Four Horsemen of the Housing Apocalypse, Part 3: On a Black Horse – Recession

In part 1, we covered legal and regulatory challenges to the real estate industry. In part 2, we covered the insane money printing that has devalued the dollar, and stuck the Fed into a corner with no options. But, thanks to rising inflation that no amount of book-cooking can cover up, the Fed has been … Read more

These Chickens Will Come Home to Roost Soon

If you’ve been reading Notorious ROB for a while, then you know that I’ve been sounding the alarm for a few years now on the plight of Millennials. You also know that the plight of the Millennials are directly tied to housing, to real estate. Well, here’s a key segment from a popular podcast/YouTube channel … Read more

Notorious POD, Ep 38: Musings – #RenterNation Is Coming

Musings is a solo version of the Notorious POD in which I think out loud about issues in the economy, technology, and real estate industry. This episode is a bit of an exploration, a weaving together of disparate news items that are all interconnected. I look at data on foreclosures in 2021, purchase mortgage applications, … Read more

Notorious POD, Ep 36: Musings – Millennial Financial Well Being, Housing & Crypto

Musings is a solo version of the Notorious POD in which I think out loud about issues in the economy, technology, and real estate industry. In this episode, I look at a report from Morning Consult on where consumers are with banking and finance, and zero in on two sections. The first section is on … Read more