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DC Office Vacancy Breaks New Record

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DC Office Vacancy in 2025: The New High As 2025 closed, Washington, DC office vacancy climbed to a record 20.4%. That puts the city above the national average vacancy rate of 18.6%. Vacancy Spike Signals Disruption The rate rose 50 basis points from Q3 and 100 basis points year over year. Earlier in 2025, the direct vacant available rate was 15.7% in Q2. It then accelerated sharply late in the year. CBRE measured 22.5% in Q4. Annual net absorption fell to negative 1.7 million square feet. Class B buildings bore the brunt, with Class B vacancy rising 250 basis points in Q4. Market Stress Reaches Budgets Leasing and rents Tenants leased 7.1 million square feet in 2025. That was about 10% below the ten year average. District asking rents ended 2025 at $57.19 per square foot, up 1.9%. Empty space continued to threaten municipal revenues. Reduced daytime occupancy also weakened retail spillover near the central business district. Direct vacant available space there hit 19.1% by Q3. What’s...
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How Kathleen McCarthy Helped Blackstone Redefine Institutional Real Estate Investing in the United States

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Celebrating Women’s History Month, 2026 The Institutional Capital Behind Modern Real Estate The Hidden Power of Institutional Ownership Real estate markets are not shaped only by individual investors. Behind the scenes, institutional investors control enormous amounts of property across the United States and around the world. These organizations manage pension funds, insurance capital, sovereign wealth, and private equity investment that flows directly into real estate markets. In modern real estate, institutional ownership plays a powerful role in determining what gets built, what gets financed, and what types of properties dominate the market. One of the most influential institutional investors in the world is Blackstone Inc . Blackstone operates the largest real estate investment platform globally. Its real estate division manages hundreds of billions of dollars in property assets across sectors such as logistics warehouses, apartment housing, hotels, life science campuses, and data...
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San Antonio CEO Pleads Guilty in $69.5M Ponzi Case

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What Did Devin Ward Elder Plead Guilty To? How the case narrowed became clear Tuesday when Devin Ward Elder pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of wire fraud. Prosecutors said the scheme raised money from about 345 investors . The plea followed a January 28 charge. He was summoned to appear in federal court on February 17. Courtroom Focus on the Fraud Count In a court admission, Elder accepted responsibility for using wire communications to further a real estate investment scheme. Offerings were marketed as high return and low risk. Disruption Ahead at Sentencing The conduct allegedly ran from January 2023 to March 2025 and paid earlier investors with new money. Payments stopped in March 2025, and projects were said to be failing. Similar collapses in real estate fraud cases have led to bankruptcy auctions that further dim investors’ hopes of recovering their money. Sentencing is set for the week of June 2, with up to 20 years exposure. How Much Did the DJE Texas Ponzi Scheme...
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Buffalo Investor Buying Slows 10 %

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Why Did Buffalo Investor Buying Drop 10% in 2026? How Buffalo’s investor buying slipped 10% in 2026 traces first to a predictable winter shutdown in market activity. Snow and short daylight pushed showings toward near all time lows, while holiday schedules delayed deals. With roughly 1.4 months of supply, Buffalo still sits firmly in a seller’s market. Seasonal Freeze Hits Closings Historical patterns show showings typically double in spring after the winter lull, supporting a seasonal, not structural, interpretation. With only 754 listings, or 1.4 months of supply, missed winter windows limited investor acquisition volume despite steady rental yields. Nationally, conditions look more like a stall than a crash because tight lending standards and the absence of forced selling are keeping price pressure contained. Financing and Policy Pressure Tighter Lending Standards reduced leverage for buyers seeking multifamily properties, even as unemployment stayed near 3.2%. Uncertainty around ...
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Little Rock Distressed Listings Increase 23 %

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What Counts as a Distressed Listing in Little Rock? How a listing earns the “distressed” label in Little Rock is typically tied to financial duress, compromised property condition, or a forced sales timeline. These factors narrow condition thresholds and sharpen seller motivation. Because they often require substantial renovations, distressed homes are frequently priced below market value . Financial and legal distress markers Missed mortgage payments can place a home in preforeclosure, often visible through Lis Pendens or Notice of Default filings. Nationally, foreclosure filings posted a 20% year-over-year increase in October 2025, signaling broader pressure that can spill into local preforeclosure activity. Tax liens, judgments, or bankruptcy records can also publicly indicate severe hardship and a shortened path toward auction. Condition and ownership red flags Distress can also apply when disrepair is evident, such as broken windows, peeling paint, sagging gutters, tarps, or vaca...
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Maryland Transfer Tax Debate Intensifies

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What Is the Maryland Transfer Tax (0.5%) and Who Pays? Transfer Tax Shock at the Closing Table Maryland levies a statewide transfer tax of 0.5 percent of actual consideration on instruments conveying real property interests. These instruments can include deeds, leases, easements, and contracts. The tax is flat, not marginal. Because transfer taxes can provide consistent revenue , governments often treat them as a stabilizer for general funds during budget shortfalls. A 497,000 dollar sale yields 2,485 dollars in state transfer tax. In many transactions, the cost is typically split between buyer and seller, though it can be negotiated. Who Collects and Who Typically Pays The 0.5 percent state charge is paid to the Clerk of Court. It is separate from county transfer taxes and county recordation taxes, which often push total burdens near 2 to 3 percent. Custom commonly splits transfer and recordation costs between buyer and seller. However, escrow responsibilities must follow the contrac...
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Salt Lake City Inventory Rises 22 %

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Why Is Salt Lake City Inventory Up 22%? Although new listings in Salt Lake County fell 8.7% year over year, Salt Lake City single-family inventory still rose to 145 homes in January 2026. That’s up 22.9% from January 2025. With mortgage rates declining , buyers may gain purchasing power even as listings accumulate. That increase coincided with 68 days on market, up 21.4%. With homes taking longer to sell, more listings stayed active at month end. NAR projections of lower rates near 6% in 2026 could further improve buyer affordability as inventory builds. Disruption From Slower Closings Closed sales in the county slipped 4.1%, with 621 sales against 1,227 new listings. A slower sales pace can raise inventory without distress, especially while delinquencies remain low. Inventory Builds Despite Lock In Mortgage lock-in kept many owners with 4% or lower rates from listing, tightening overall supply. Even so, seasonal listings and reduced buyer throughput pushed city inventory to 2.0 month...
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