Perspective

Hindsight is 2020

Looking Back on Last Year’s Top REI Insurance Claims by Shawn Woedl With 2020 in the rearview mirror, we can look back on the year and see what we learned. Last year proved that you cannot prepare for everything, but some of the most common insurance losses that happen across the real estate investment industry, year after year, can be mitigated or avoided completely with some planning and commitment. Let’s

Read More

2020 Has Been a Year of Adaptation and Expansion

Using Your Core Values for Record Performance by Peter DiLello Investing in real estate demands constant adjustments to factors outside our control. That has been particularly true this year, as the world confronts a global pandemic. At Invitation Homes, we spent the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic adjusting our practices and protocols to protect our residents and associates and developing programs to assist residents in financial distress. However, by

Read More

2020: A Year to Forget For Most, But Not For SFR

The SFR Industry Resiliency By: Adam Stern, CEO, Strata SFR There are some industries that tend to do better than average or even flourish during times of economic downturn. If we look back to past recessions in the US, those tended to be segments of the economy where demand does not much fluctuate based on changing prices; sectors such as basic household staples, healthcare, and consumer goods. The reason these

Read More

The Great Migration

What does the urban center exodus and work-from-home evolution mean for real estate investors? The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many things about our lives, and these changes run much deeper than wearing masks and social distancing. In the housing market, the pandemic has renewed a trend away from densely populated urban centers and toward more spacious dwellings in the suburbs. This trend is so significant that it is driving headlines

Read More

What to Expect in Changing Times

When times change, people change too. Bob Dylan famously sang, “The times they are a’changin.’” We can certainly say they’re a’changin’ as a result of COVID-19’s business as unusual. Here are just a few. Impact of Working From Home People are becoming accustomed to working from home. This means we’re going to see a lot of open commercial spaces. Change always inspires creative entrepreneurs. We’re going to see a tremendous

Read More

Real Estate’s Short, Hot Summer

With any luck, demand will heat up the housing market this summer. Spring is a home-buying season. However, the 2020 season had a false start. 2020 started with new and existing home sales at a 12-year high. In late February to early March, mortgage applications were up, and the market looked optimistic. Then COVID-19 hit, and the U.S. sheltered in place. Open houses were canceled, and future homebuyers were suddenly

Read More