Slow and steady growth coupled by cautious optimism seemed to be the overall sentiment shared by real estate economists and industry experts at the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting in Boston, where panelists revealed their forecast for the U.S. economy and real estate market heading into 2019, as well as the annual ULI-PwC Emerging Trends in Real Estate Report, which discusses major trends to watch over the next several years. The overall outlook for the U.S. economy was positive, according to a forecast of 45 economists and analysts surveyed by ULI in September 2018, with expectations for continued, moderate growth despite a sea change in macroeconomic policy, including rising interest rates, tax reform, and more restrictive immigration. Fundamentals are expected to remain strong through 2020, with a slight moderation in some areas. Highlights include: • GDP growth: The survey forecasts GDP growth to end this year at 3.0%, before it slows to 2.5% in 2019 and 1.7% range in 2020. • Unemployment rate: The current record-low rate of 3.8% is expected to bump up slightly to 4.0% by 2020. • Transaction Read the full article…

Technology is proving to be a major disruptor across sectors and real estate is no exception. Ride hailing and driverless vehicles were two top-of-mind disruptors at the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting in Boston, with industry panelists noting that these technological developments are fundamentally changing the way we build and manage our assets, and changing renter preferences from valuing public transit to putting a premium on walkability.

Here’s a quick look at the small balance multifamily finance and investment benchmarks for Q2 2018.

Strong economic growth, rising interest rates, and exceptionally tight labor markets contributed to small balance lending volume reaching an annualized rate of $47.0 billion through the first half of 2018, down 5.8% from last year.

The Southeast Region of the U.S. has continued to see strong rent growth, with nine of the 12 primary markets experiencing rent increases higher than the national average over the 12 months ending in Q2 2018. Vacancy rates across the region have skewed higher recently, driven by the addition of new supply in the markets.

Rental demand across the U.S. is on the rise, but the supply of apartments is not keeping pace, resulting in a housing shortage. Did you know that the U.S. needs 4.6 million more apartments by 2030 in order to keep up with demand? This new infographic from the National Multifamily Housing Council and National Apartment Association takes a look at the issue by the numbers:

As we enter the later stages of the current economic cycle, a major topic of discussion among real estate players is how much longer will this trend of slow and steady growth continue. At the Mortgage Bankers Association’s CREF Market Intelligence Symposium 2018 in New York City, hosted by the New York University, Schack Institute of Real Estate, leading industry participants came together to discuss the state of the real estate market and where it’s likely to go, as well as the key factors impacting commercial real estate and the U.S. economy.

Here’s a quick look at how demographics are contributing to a surge in renting single-family homes.

Here’s a quick look at the small balance multifamily finance and investment benchmarks for Q1 2018.

Buoyed by the favorable economic outlook, a robust labor market and higher inflation, small balance multifamily lending in Q1 2018 was $44.5 billion, improving on Q1 2017.