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Steve Marcinuk
11 Dec 2025

The Chicago real estate market is experiencing a notable change as the fall selling season brings increased buyer selectivity and seller price adjustments. Unlike the spring market’s more forgiving conditions, current dynamics require property owners to sharpen pricing strategies and enhance presentation to attract serious buyers. “This is a very property-specific market,” explains Alex Wolking, ...

Steve Marcinuk
11 Dec 2025

The Chicago real estate market attracts professionals from many backgrounds, but few combine performance skills and personal engagement like Sherry Watkins, Real Estate Broker Associate at Baird & Warner. A professional opera singer who moved into real estate during the pandemic, Watkins has found her two careers reinforce each other in practical ways. From Stage ...

Steve Marcinuk
11 Dec 2025

The South Florida luxury real estate market is entering a new phase as buyers become more selective and informed. After years of rapid price increases and quick sales, the region is settling into a more measured environment where property quality and preparation are critical to closing deals. From PR to Properties Kirsten Smith, a realtor ...

Steve Marcinuk
10 Dec 2025

The idea that banks can indefinitely extend troubled commercial real estate loans is likely overstated, according to Bill Bymel, founder and CEO of First Lien Capital LP. While regulatory forbearance and creative loan restructuring have allowed banks to avoid recognizing losses, Bymel contends that structural and political forces will eventually require banks to confront the ...

Steve Marcinuk
10 Dec 2025

A mounting systemic risk in the credit markets is being overlooked, according to Bill Bymel, founder and CEO of First Lien Capital LP. He points to two intersecting problems: a surge in collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) and approximately $1.5 trillion in loans from banks to non-bank financial institutions that he describes as opaque and potentially ...

Steve Marcinuk
10 Dec 2025

The commercial real estate default crisis is deeper than official bank reporting suggests, according to Bill Bymel, founder and CEO of First Lien Capital LP. While major banks currently report default rates between 3% and 5% on their commercial real estate loan portfolios, Bymel contends the true level of distress is much higher once loans ...

Steve Marcinuk
10 Dec 2025

The Central Florida real estate market is undergoing a significant correction, with local factors in Winter Haven revealing shifts in buyer behavior, inventory, and pricing that differ from broader regional trends. Patricia de Graaff of RE/MAX Heritage Professionals, a Dutch-born real estate agent with nearly a decade of experience in Winter Haven, provides a close-up ...

Steve Marcinuk
10 Dec 2025

South Florida’s luxury real estate market is undergoing rapid change, with oceanfront condominiums facing intense pressures from new regulations and soaring costs, while single-family homes in prime locations continue to attract affluent buyers seeking second and third residences. Lynne Gewant, a veteran broker with Coldwell Banker Realty specializing in Boca Raton and Highland Beach for ...

Steve Marcinuk
10 Dec 2025

The real estate development landscape in California is undergoing a significant shift, driven by new legislation and powered by innovative technology platforms that are changing how developers identify and evaluate opportunities. At the forefront of this change is Deepblocks, a proptech company that has positioned itself as a critical tool for navigating California’s evolving housing ...

Steve Marcinuk
10 Dec 2025

Real estate professionals are discussing fee disclosure practices as the industry continues implementing changes following recent settlements and regulatory updates. Various state associations are developing disclosure forms and guidance documents as agents and brokerages adapt to new negotiation frameworks where buyers and sellers directly negotiate compensation with their respective agents. Courtney Poulos, Founder and CEO ...

Rudi Davis
09 Dec 2025

Seller psychology and demographic trends are creating a housing shortage in Rhode Island that extends far beyond the 20% of homeowners holding onto low mortgage rates, according to local real estate advisor Walt Buteau of Engel & Völkers Oceanside. Rhode Island’s inventory crisis is often blamed on homeowners with sub-4% mortgages who are unwilling to ...

Rudi Davis
09 Dec 2025

The traditional real estate brokerage model, built on networks of physical branch offices across every market, is under increasing financial strain. Cheryl Wellman, Chief Financial Officer at AccountTECH and former controller at Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, says rising costs are forcing brokerages to close and consolidate branch offices at a pace not seen in decades. ...

Rudi Davis
09 Dec 2025

Established hotel owners are increasingly lending money to other hotel owners and operators, stepping into a role traditionally filled by banks and debt funds. As credit tightens and acquisition opportunities shrink, these experienced operators are using their own balance sheets to finance deals, effectively becoming lenders, but with the ability to step in and operate ...