A report from Arlington Now in Virginia. "As we’re sure you’ve picked up on in recent times, inventory has been tight and houses are not lasting long out there. However, looking at this week’s Just Reduced figures, we’ve eclipsed the '50 price reductions in the past week' mark for the first time in a year-plus. So, while some properties are flying off the shelf at or above listing price, there are a decent amount offerings out there with pricing wiggle room. And, just remember, these Just Reduced prices should only be the beginning of your negotiations."

From WNYT in New York. "Deana Mancini says one of her rental apartments was damaged by its last tenant, who she says refused to pay rent, knowing she'd be protected under New York's eviction moratorium. 'We have mortgages to pay, we have taxes to pay, we have upkeep,' said Mancini. 'For the people that need it, we're there for them, and they have been very communicative and discussed all of their obstacles, and we understand. But it's the blatant abuse that's really kind of tearing us down, and it's leaving us frustrated, in debt, with a pit in our stomach. I mean, we're not sleeping at night because we're just feeling helpless as property owners.'"

The Union Tribune in California. "San Diego leaders adopted a countywide temporary rent cap Tuesday, May 4, and new rules to make evictions more difficult for landlords during the pandemic. Small landlord Sandra Labelle said many people renting properties would need to take rental housing off the market if eviction bans and rent caps continue. 'Small landlords like me will have to somehow figure out how to sell our rentals to pay our mortgages,' she said."

The Real Deal. "Romeo Budhoo, a Schenectady landlord just featured in a stunning Washington Post story on the acrimony resulting from a year of unpaid rent, doubts his tenants, protected by an eviction moratorium at least through August, will bother to apply. 'They’re telling themselves, ‘Why should we go and do all these things and hustle to apply when nobody can put us out of our apartment?’ Budhoo said. 'Our guys are small property owners who haven’t been paid rent since March,' said landlord lobbyist Joe Strasburg. 'They’ll take the money knowing full well that if the tenant decides to game the system for the next year, they’re stuck.'"

The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report on Louisiana. "The yearlong pandemic has created uncertainty in the market that makes it difficult to predict the future of the multifamily and commercial real estate sectors in Baton Rouge, according to expert. 'We used to factor in hurricanes and floods,' says Craig Davenport of Cook, Moore, Davenport and Associates. 'With COVID, we’ve got to worry about people working from home, schooling from home and what’s the new normal? It’s difficult to say.'"

"Class A complexes near LSU, which were overbuilt before the pandemic, had an average vacancy rate last year of 17%, while older student housing complexes near LSU saw vacancy rates of nearly 14%. 'We have 3,352 vacant units,' he says. 'That doesn’t sound like a lot but it’s still a lot of vacant units and we still have a lot of complexes under renovation.'"

The Globe and Mail in Canada. "Toronto’s housing market started to slow in April after months of frenetic activity, with sales and the average price falling from March. Instead of seeing more than a dozen bids on a house, some are receiving fewer than 10 offers. In some cases, realtors reported no offers for certain suburban properties. 'This was unheard of one month ago,' said Anthony Anichini, a sales representative with Royal LePage Premium One Realty."

The Georgian Straight in Canada. "Agents with the Fraser Valley Real Estate sold 3,016 homes in April 2021, setting a new record for the month. Last month’s sales beat the previous record high for April, which totalled 2,969 in 2016. But is this the last hurrah for a market that has been having a spectacular run for months? FVREB president Larry Anderson said that while the region’s market 'remains very competitive and challenging for buyers, April could be the turning point in this historic market.'"

"'In the last couple of weeks, we have seen evidence of a change in pace,' Anderson said. 'In general, we’re seeing fewer multiple offers, fewer subject-free offers, and homes over-priced are starting to sit longer. These are positive signs that the market is responding to near-record levels of new inventory.'"

"The FVREB stated that the total active inventory of homes for sale reached 6,030 in April 2021. The board noted that the April inventory was 20 percent higher than in March 2021, and it’s the 'highest it’s been in six months.'"

From Bloomberg on Hong Kong. "There’s rarely been a better time to be apartment hunting in Hong Kong than right now. Rents in one of the world’s most expensive real estate markets dropped to HK$33.60 ($4.33) per square foot in the first quarter, the lowest since the end of 2016, data from Centaline Property Agency Ltd. show. So a typical two-bedroom apartment in Soho now rents for about $3,500 a month, down from $4,200 two years ago."

"High-end properties in districts including the Mid-Levels and Deep Water Bay favored by western expats and wealthy mainland Chinese saw the most decline, with rents plunging as much as 25% from mid-2019, according to Spacious. Soho in Sheung Wan district, popular among foreign students and young professionals, saw rental values drop by 20% in the same period."

From News Talk on Ireland. "Officials have found investment funds are not breaking competition rules by leaving Dublin luxury apartments vacant. It’s estimated that hundreds of high-priced flats around the capital are empty. Rents for many of these properties are over €2,000 per month or higher. They are typically owned by large investment funds. It has been reported that owners are afraid to drop prices and get stuck with lower rents."

"A report from Goodbody stockbrokers estimated that vacancy rates in some new luxury developments are at 'about 30%.'"

From Domain News in Australia. "Property price growth is outstripping rent growth in Australia’s largest cities as the housing market booms, with the gap most pronounced in the weakened inner-city apartment markets. And if international students are unable to return to Australia soon after more than a year of closed borders to slow the spread of coronavirus, CBD unit values could take a hit, a top economist warns."

"'Normally it suggests there’s something unsustainable about it, because the price of a house should reflect the value of the services it provides, and the best measure of those services is the level of rents,' AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver said."

From Stuff New Zealand. "The Real Estate Institute and Tony Alexander said the Government was achieving its intention of dampening investor demand for existing property, but also causing a reduction in the interest of first-home buyers. Previous house price cycles showed that when predictions of continued strong price gains gave way to talk of prices flattening or falling, young buyers pulled back from the market, the Institute and Alexander said. 'At the very time conditions move in favour of young buyers they tend to step back, taking their cue from what other parties, such as investors, are doing.'"

"'People have likely pulled back from the market for the moment amidst high levels of uncertainty about what other people will do, partly because they see a chance that the frenzy of previous months could have pushed prices to unsustainable levels on average in some locations,' he said."

"Barfoot & Thompson managing director Peter Thompson said April’s trading was excellent with prices edging slightly higher and strong sales, although sales were down by 40 per cent on March."