It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com, told Forbes home prices are rising at an 'unsustainable pace' but as supply and demand return to somewhat of a balance, a 'plateauing in prices' is more likely than an outright decline by later this year or early next year. McBride also points out that unlike the 2006-2008 period, lending standards have greatly tightened and banks are now only lending to the most creditworthy mortgage customers, suggesting a price crash is probably not in the cards."

"But McBride warns that if lending standards loosen again and 'we see the [excessive lending] practices we saw from 2004-2006, then all bets are off.'"

"For both homebuyers and office-seekers, one thing is true about Manhattan’s Financial District: There’s lots of space for the taking. A boom in luxury-condo construction, aimed at people wanting to live near work, has saddled the area with the most unsold inventory of any neighborhood in New York City. Some of those units haven’t even come to market yet. One project alone -- Macklowe Properties’ One Wall Street -- is promising 565 apartments when sales start later this year."

"Meanwhile, lower Manhattan office life is shrinking. 'It’s absolutely going to be a challenge to sell all those units,' said Orest Tomaselli, chief executive officer of National Condo Advisors."

"Mike Tyson's old seven-bedroom mansion where he famously 'lost' his pet tiger has had its sale price slashed by £2million. The stunning Maryland home is now on the market for £4m after his ex-wife Monica Turner decided to sell up."

"A wild day of Travis County foreclosure sales May 4 saw several high-profile properties owned by Nate Paul's World Class Holdings hit the auction block, but little clarity as to what comes next after an afternoon marked by chaos. Nate Paul was bidding, as was Will Hardeman, who along with his father has been accused by Paul of perpetuating a fraudulent scheme to wrest control of World Class properties through foreclosure, with the aid of a federal judge and a court-appointed receiver."

"Multiple observers suggested the scene was unlike anything they had ever scene at a foreclosure sale. World Class is a major owner of Austin real estate, rising to local and national prominence in recent years as Paul employed a 'buy and hold strategy.' But it has been hobbled since federal authorities raided its offices in August 2019. World Class has filed more than 20 bankruptcy cases in federal court in Austin, including three new cases filed May 4 to head off other foreclosures."

"On May 4, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board reported that the 'influx of new listings improved supply with total active inventory reaching 6,030 in April 2021.' The FVREB noted that April 2021 inventory was 20 per cent higher than in March 2021, and the 'highest it’s been in six months.' Combining the inventory levels in the Lower Mainland, Realtor Kevin wrote in his report: 'The total number of homes currently listed for sale across all of Metro Vancouver is 16,275, the highest level since June of last year.'"

"Skipworth wrote in a report that the 'incredible froth that has characterized the market over the past few months is settling down.' The Dexter Realty executive noted that Greater Vancouver sales in April were down 14 percent compared to March, which was the 'first month-over-month decline in nearly a year.' Skipworth added: 'Fatigued buyers will regain the opportunity to shop the market more carefully and present more normal subjects and prices when negotiating on a sale.'"

"The number of properties changing hands in Toronto declined 20 per cent in April on an annualized basis from the month before, while the average price for a home fell 3.6 per cent to $1.05 million, according to the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board. Both declines were the steepest since April 2020. 'It makes sense that we had a pullback in market activity compared to March,' said Lisa Patel, president of Toronto’s real estate board. 'We’ve experienced a torrid pace of home sales since the summer of 2020 while seeing little in the way of population growth. We may be starting to exhaust the pool of potential buyers.'"

"Entrepreneur Evan Thornley is using data to turn long-held myths in Australia’s real estate industry – including where best to buy to get the most capital growth – on their head. He is puzzled that in an industry where so much comprehensive data is available, 'weapons grade bullshit' remains widespread. 'The real estate industry is owned by the sales people and it’s all narrative and no numbers and that’s strange to me because there’s so much good data,' he said. 'It’s heartbreaking to see so many mums and dads work hard, play by the rules and put money aside to invest for a prosperous retirement and the next generation, only to be sold properties that will never deliver on that dream.'"

"He believes the large volumes of new-build property in the investment mix is a key culprit. 'There’s these big industries of developers who want to sell new-build product, and real estate sales agents who often get double or triple the commission to sell new product than they would selling other products, who both have an incentive to sell bling and tell people this is a great investment,' he said."

"Apartment owners in Sydney’s Mascot Towers will vote this month on a $40 million proposal to sell their troubled apartment tower as a redevelopment site, with many resigned to losing up to 80 per cent on their property as the most realistic way to end their two-year nightmare. Strata body chairman Gary Deigan said rectification of the 10-storey tower was too costly as the strata body already had a $32 million loan facility – and had drawn down nearly half of it – and would need to raise more than owners could afford to meet the current repair estimate of $38.5 million."

"'It just isn’t viable to fix the building,' he said. 'There would have to be a levy raised against owners for $6 million that’s got to be paid up front. The numbers are horrendous. It’s about $50,000 for a two-bedroom apartment owner to come up with. That’s why we investigated the route of collective sale.'"

"An expressions of interest campaign run by the strata body yielded an offer for the building worth about $40 million. 'What that would mean, if we get it through, would still be a 70 to 80 per cent loss of value for all the owners on their pre-evacuation values,' Mr Deigan said."