A report from the Toronto Sun. "The issues that Arizona voters are grappling with will sound familiar to any Canadian: The cost of living, a housing crisis, immigration, and the general state of the economy. 'The economy sucks right now,' Kenney says on Saturday night in one of the craft breweries along the main drag in Kingman. While not as bad as in Canada, the cost of housing has become an increasing worry. Home prices in places like Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa metroplex have increased dramatically, especially in the last four years. Since 2020, home prices in this area have increased by 47% , a rate that far outpaces income growth. 'It’s out of control, everything is so expensive,' a patron at Judy’s Saloon in Oatman opines as customers gripe about the cost of living, housing in particular."

The Times Union. "Real estate brokers in the Hudson Valley are expressing a sense of uncertainty amid a stagnant market that signals the pandemic-era housing boom has officially ended. The Hudson Valley real estate market exploded during the pandemic as the region became a popular place for New York City residents to move. That momentum lasted for a few years. But now, the state of the market is officially getting closer to what it was pre-pandemic. That means fewer bidding wars, fewer all-cash offers and fewer egregiously priced homes. 'I have clients who have gone to the trough two or three times and have not won a single bid,' said DeWayne Powell of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, of those reasonably priced homes. However, the luxury market is seeing a decrease in interest, which has led to lower prices. Powell says he’s seen several listings reduce prices to attract more attention. 'A lot of the higher-end luxury properties, anything over $1 million, are seeing a longer sale cycle,' he said."

The Pueblo Chieftain in Colorado. "'Overall, Pueblo's real estate market is still going slow, but sellers are reducing prices to get things sold. They are realizing it is not 2020 or 2021 anymore,' when sellers were able to dictate higher asking prices, said Dave Anderson, spokesperson for the Pueblo Association of Realtors. The biggest issue in Pueblo, Anderson said, is that 'buyers don't qualify for home loans because their FICA credit scores are bad. In Pueblo, our buyers need help with down payments to get a loan as they barely have been able to save enough for earnest money.' 'There are clearly a lot more homes for potential buyers to look at with active listings jumping 17% to 869 compared to September 2023. Looking at just the Pueblo West market report, there is a five-and-a-half month supply of homes for sale with 237 homes available,' Anderson explained."

The Epoch Times. "A New York-based property management company has broken its silence on recent reports that a Venezuelan gang known for its violent and illegal activities took control of several apartment buildings it manages in Aurora, Colorado. The company said gang members seized control of some units, allegedly assaulted one of their employees, and tried to extort the company. 'To address this entity (gangs) we contacted every city official we could think of to help with the problem,' the company said in one of the posts. 'Unfortunately, none were willing to take meaningful action.' CBZ Management said that it spoke to Aurora police, the FBI, and Homeland Security, who reportedly said that the gang was part of the Tren De Aragua criminal organization, which was also causing problems in other parts of the country."

"'Two days after our FBI meeting, the gang confronted our on-site manager, asserting control over all three properties,' CBZ Management said. 'They offered an ultimatum: share rental income 50/50 or lose the buildings permanently. They also threatened to harm him and his family.' 'Despite clear evidence, many still deny the reality of the situation, sometimes using us as scapegoats,' the company said. 'That’s why we are no longer staying silent. We will continue to counter falsehoods with simple facts and evidence. Yes, gangs did take control of our apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado, and the government did nothing. That is the real story.'"

The Associated Press. "Rhoda Moehring, who turns 86 this month, says she doesn’t have a lot of faith that insurance companies will help her salvage the flooded rental homes she owns in the river town of Steinhatchee in Florida’s Big Bend. 'I usually get zip with these things,' Moehring said. ‘Was I insured for that?’ ‘No, sorry, you weren’t.’ And it goes on and on. So I don’t put a whole lot of confidence in it.' While Helene was primarily a flood event, there may be disputes over what is or isn’t 'wind-driven rain' from Milton. Don Hornstein, an insurance law expert at the University of North Carolina, said the line between wind and water is a thin but very clear line that technical experts can determine. Should there be a proverbial tie, the law favors the insurance company. 'If the house was simultaneously destroyed by flood and, concurrently (by) wind, it’s not covered by private insurance,' Hornstein said."

The Oaklandside. "The National Association of Realtors and California Association of Realtors have collectively spent $302,703 on two hotly contested local races: the Oakland City Council District 3 election and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors District 5 race. 'I’ve said publicly that I think housing is a human right,' Oakland Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas told The Oaklandside this week. 'A landlord organization attacking an affordable housing champion isn’t a surprise.' Fife said she wasn’t surprised to see the real estate industry target her. 'None of the attacks are really about anything I’ve done — they’re about hyperbole and misinformation,' said Councilmember Carroll Fife. 'I think they are reading the room and using people’s fear about public safety to address the thing they care about most, which is their pockets. They understand people see Oakland as a crazy, scary place, and if they can make me a boogeyman, it’s a win-win.'"

"Kiran Shenoy, government affairs director for Bridge Association of Realtors, told The Oaklandside that the real estate spending is less about housing and more about the public safety issues facing small businesses in Oakland. He said the association believes current Oakland leadership has failed to put the city on a safer path. 'We were receiving reports from our members of being assaulted and attacked while trying to conduct business in Oakland,' Shenoy said. 'Our members are small business owners — [our spending has] mostly stemmed from that, and seeing the city as a whole spiral downward in terms of economic health.' He said Realtors, who’ve seen vacant houses on the market get burglarized, are also concerned that people might not want to move to the city because of safety issues."

Bisnow Baltimore in Maryland. "Longtime D.C.-area developer Peterson Cos. expanded into the industrial sector five years ago, just before the market's pandemic-era boom. Its timing was impeccable: It struck deals to develop build-to-suit warehouses in Fredericksburg, Virginia, for Amazon and O'Reilly Auto Parts. 'We felt good about it, so we built a spec building,' Peterson President of Development Taylor Chess said. But it hasn't found a taker. Chess said Peterson is 'still trying to lease it.' 'The market's a little bit soft,' he said. 'In the last year, we really felt that softening. … We're waiting for what we see as the next wave to come. We still have that hangover of that huge push of industrial from Covid to 2023.'"

"The D.C. and Baltimore metro areas' industrial markets combined to record negative net absorption of 1.2M SF in the second quarter of this year, according to JLL. 'Since 2017, we have seen almost consecutively positive net absorption in the industrial market,' JLL Executive Managing Director John Dettleff said. 'Vacancies [were] at record lows. We've delivered record amounts of industrial buildings. Rents hit record highs. And then at the beginning of 2024, the music stopped.'"

CTV News in Canada. "Police are asking for the public's help in identifying a suspect wanted in connection with an arson investigation after two more fires in a new Bradford community. On Sunday around 4:30 a.m., emergency crews received reports about two separate structure fires in new homes yet to be occupied on Rowe Street in Bond Head. Bradford West Gwillimbury Deputy Fire Chief Steve Hall told CTV News one of the houses is 'a total loss.' No injuries were reported. Authorities believe the weekend fires were intentionally set and called the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office to assist with the investigation."

"Last week, crews were called about another suspected arson at a home under construction in the same development. In June, two more new builds were significantly damaged by what is believed to have been intentionally set fires. And in February, two more newly constructed homes sustained damage as flames spread inside. Officials say both houses were close to being ready for occupancy. South Simcoe police say Sunday's incident marks the eighth residential fire in the new development on Rowe Street north of 88, west of Highway 27. A spokesperson with Northbridge Financial Corporation, a leading insurance provider for homebuilders, told CTV News that in 2023, it saw 10 times more suspicious fires in residential homebuilding than in the previous five years combined."

The Telegraph in the UK. "Landlord profits have collapsed in the past decade following an onslaught of taxes and red tape, analysis reveals. A London landlord in the higher rate income tax band would have made £2,200 profit on a £500,000 property with a 75pc LTV two-year fixed buy-to-let mortgage in 2013, according to analysis from estate agents Hamptons. In 2024, the same landlord would have made a £1,300 loss despite near-identical mortgage rates. Landlords have sold 300,000 more properties than they bought since 2016. Paul Shamplina, of law firm Landlord Action, added: 'Most landlords are pretty robust – they’ve seen crackdowns before. But for some, it’s not worth the aggravation any more, and they’ll get out. The days of the hobby landlord are over.'"

The Soko Directory. "In Nairobi, real estate prices defy logic. How is it that a property in Nairobi, a city facing significant poverty and infrastructure issues, costs more than one in Cape Town, New York, or even London? This paradox has left many questioning the forces driving Nairobi’s real estate market. Unlike the global trend where housing costs correlate with economic growth and local purchasing power, Nairobi’s property boom seems fueled by an undercurrent of illicit cash that’s turned the sector into a money-laundering paradise. The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) indicates that housing prices have risen over 350% since 2000, yet household incomes have barely doubled in that time."

"With a per capita income of around $1,870, according to World Bank data, how does the average Kenyan afford such inflated prices? The answer lies in the capital flows coursing through Nairobi’s real estate, sourced from tax evasion, drug trafficking, and political kickbacks. These opaque investments have made Nairobi’s property sector a cash-laundering haven where wealth acquired outside legal boundaries is washed and parked as 'safe' investments. With weak regulatory oversight, those with money to hide can find a soft landing in real estate. This influx artificially inflates prices, pricing out genuine homebuyers and leaving Nairobi with a skyline full of high-priced, often unoccupied apartments."

"This is not just a story of illicit money; it’s a tale of failed governance. As international experts continue to warn of Kenya’s vulnerability to a real estate bubble burst, the government appears resistant to reform. The country’s political class benefits too much from the status quo. This demand is driving up construction costs, which, when coupled with regulatory apathy, creates a highly fragile market. It’s no surprise that some developments have stalled, unable to find legitimate buyers who can sustain inflated rental or purchase prices."

Radio New Zealand. "Some Auckland property owners are considering renting out their homes when they move overseas and it's contributing to the slowdown of the rental market. New migration data shows in the year ended August there was a record net loss of 56,100 New Zealand citizens, with just over half headed to Australia. Barfoot and Thompson general manager Samantha Arnold said the data is being reflected in housing in the Auckland region. She said there is a lot more stock than there are tenants. 'We're seeing owners move overseas wanting to rent their properties out, but we've also got tenants moving overseas as well so there's a slight over supply.'"

News.com.au in Australia. "The property clock is ticking for Geelong home values to turn around as new figures reveal how far prices have slipped in the past year. The biggest fall added up to more than $100,000 off the value of a typical house in Barwon Heads. 'The areas where we are seeing the biggest declines are actually those more expensive areas,' PropTrack economist Anne Flaherty said. Buxton, Highton agent David Gray said competition was scarce, even though there were plenty of buyers around. 'Each deal has certainly had its challenges, nuances and just a bit more of an arm wrestle,' he said. 'I feel it’s a very balanced market at the moment, and that can take a 12 month period for a vendor to realise that’s where my house sits, and for the buyer to be comfortable to pay that price. I don’t think anyone’s getting anything at an unbelievable discount, they’re just being able to buy it with less of a frenzy around it.'"

The Christian Science Monitor. "China has a glut of tens of millions of unoccupied housing units, many unfinished and unsold. An inescapable part of the landscape, seen from roads or trains, are compounds of hulking, empty high-rise buildings. Many of these 'ghost cities,' as they’re often called, have no lights and a see-through quality due to their unfinished, open windows. Some 80 to 90% of new housing in China is presold, meaning people buy a home before it’s ready to move into, and start paying the mortgage before they have physical possession of the property."

"Yet buyers have no way to enforce contracts if developers fail to deliver the housing on time, or at all. 'All the risk is borne by the household,' says Andrew Batson, China research director for Gavekal, a Hong Kong-based financial firm. He says the defaulting of the China Evergrande Group taught everyone in China that the system is no longer reliable. 'You could hand over your life savings to a developer and receive nothing. That is a pretty big risk. The people paying the price for developers’ bad behavior are not the developers, but the households themselves – and in fact every participant in the Chinese economy, which remains quite depressed.'"

"Huang Yuxia, a migrant worker from Hebei province, mustered her family’s savings to buy an apartment for her son, who was engaged to be married. But the apartment, promised for completion in 2021, was never finished. In China, men are traditionally expected to provide a home prior to marriage, and her son’s engagement broke off. 'We didn’t get the house, so he had no place to go,' Ms. Huang says. 'Homebuyers … are worried prices will keep falling,' says Yin Bolin, a senior broker at Deyou real estate in Chengdu."