From Benzinga:
AI Boom May Be Creating Hidden Risks In Housing Market
Artificial intelligence is driving massive productivity gains — but it may also be creating hidden risks in one of the most important pillars of the financial system: housing.
Mortgage markets rely on a simple assumption — borrowers will remain employed and continue earning stable incomes. AI-driven job disruption could challenge that foundation.
In their recent note, Citrini Research warns that the rapid displacement of white-collar workers is forcing markets to confront an uncomfortable question: “Are prime mortgages money good?”
Unlike previous housing crises driven by speculative lending or interest rate shocks, this potential risk stems from structural changes in employment itself.
White-collar workers account for a disproportionate share of economic activity. According to the report, the top 10% of earners account for more than half of all consumer spending, making their financial stability critical to housing markets.
As AI replaces higher-paying jobs, many displaced workers are forced into lower-paying roles, reducing their ability to sustain prior spending levels. Even borrowers who remain current on mortgage payments may cut discretionary spending to compensate for income uncertainty.
This creates a delayed but potentially powerful effect on housing demand and home prices.
The broader concern is structural. Mortgage underwriting models assume income stability over decades. AI disruption challenges that assumption.
As Citrini Research explains, many borrowers “borrowed against a future they can no longer afford to believe in.”
If AI continues to reshape labor markets, housing could become one of the most important transmission channels between technological disruption and financial stability.
Was trying to find the non-paywall version:
https://www.wsj.com/economy/housing/in-california-about-the-only-way-to-get-a-house-is-to-inherit-one-752fa87f
As AI replaces higher-paying jobs, many displaced workers are forced into lower-paying roles, reducing their ability to sustain prior spending levels. Even borrowers who remain current on mortgage payments may cut discretionary spending to compensate for income uncertainty.
Thus, the family-sized box of Cheez-Its drops significantly.
now that ayatolla assaholla is gone, let’s get back to the real meat and potatoes.
Elite Doctors Served Jeffrey Epstein While Treating His ‘Girls’
A small stable of doctors gave V.I.P. medical services to the sex offender and the women around him. Some doctors bent or broke the ethical rules of their profession.
I would love to see freedom in Iran. Long live Iran! Is that the new MAGA slogan? Will the 125,000 Islamic Revolutionary Guards surrender? To whom? Is there a plan for succession? Ugh.
Starting my tour of homes in an hour.
There’s very good inventory in Pittsburgh if you are a little bit flexible with location. But a sub 800 set 2BR shouldn’t be $350K with a HOA of $462/month in “desirable” neighborhoods. All such sellers bought it for under 200K, paid off, and don’t care how long it sits on the market.
But steal a candy bar from Target, that same “justice department” will send you to prison quickly unless the local popo ventilates you first.
In the United States, top Justice Department officials have said they do not plan to file additional charges related to Mr. Epstein based on materials in the latest disclosures, leading lawmakers from both parties to clamor for more action.
RentL0rd says:
March 1, 2026 at 8:54 am
I would love to see freedom in Iran.
I’d love to see it in America.
It used to be more free. Then the handlers took over the government.
You need to concentrate on the homeland, it won’t be long before you will need someone from the outside to free your kids from the upcoming oppressive American regime.
Basement of a 100yr old house in Pittsburgh now converted to condos. https://imgur.com/a/FHn2mmN
Sandstone foundation. Apparently porous to let water in. But the beams look solid. 3 units on top of this basement. The 3rd floor is for sale.. nicely kept. But no elevator.
I may need to buy a horse along with the house. Some of the cobblestone streets in these areas are not for cars.
Where’s The Board of Peace?
Various faction united to overthrow the Shah in 1979. The Islamist fanatics were the strongest and most organized as their focus was on establishing an Islamic ruled country. They took over the government and killed or imprisoned members of the other factions.
Grim,
The California real estate market is heavily driven by asian money laundering, just take a look at Vancouver. The only way to affect it and make it match the rest of the continental US is to have foreigner purchase restriction rules like Canada and Florida did. The good thing is the immigration restrictions are having an effects as can bee seen in asian hoods.
I’m all in with the Citrini long term outlook. Not just because of AI. But because RE speculation still strong with many of the parties bailed out 20 yrs ago still going strong. Plus all the financial scams aka innovations like private credit on top of that.
Then add the regional stuff. Like Englewood Cliff just changed zoning on Sylvan Avenue to allow 20-24 units per acre. So a gigantic batch of initially expensive 5 over 1 match boxes and crappy townhouses are going up the next few years. Initially expensive and later discounted as demand won’t be there. The Englewood Cliff/ Fort Lee area demand is based on asian immigration, NYC jobs, and students/employees out of Yeshiva U,Columbia U and Presby Med Ctr.
Finally, layer in the personal stuff of boomers circling the drain, like someone I know with a 2 family house, an apartment in south florida, and another apartment in northern NJ that both as a couple are ill, can’t take care of any of the properties and all will be for sale within 2 yrs tops.
Release the E pstein files
The Shah of IranMohammad Reza Pahlavi, was cemented in power following a 1953 coup d’état (Operation Ajax) orchestrated by the CIA and British intelligence. The coup overthrew democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh to protect Western oil interests, restoring the Shah’s monarchical rule. This established a 25-year, U.S.-backed dictatorship.
But steal a candy bar from Target, that same “justice department” will send you to prison quickly unless the local popo ventilates you first.
This is no longer true. Target and every other retailer have an official policy to let shoplifters get away scott free. As a mom & pop shop, even if you call the police, they will have no interest in actually arresting the offender as the charges are likely dropped at the prosecutorial level. In other places like California, they just legalized the shop lifting.
There are obviously exceptions. Try to pull off shoplifting in your upscale New Englander town, they’ll throw the book at you and make sure you never come back.
Every person from Iran that I met at Rutgers was an amazing person, friendly, personable, intelligent, and down to Earth.
9:49 I’ve yet see any effect on prices in the Asian heavy Peninsula of SF.
Prices are insaaaaane here. Homes are “occupied” but the owners are often rarely home.
BRT,
You underestimate Target. They collect data. When they get to a felony level, they hammer you. They don’t forget. Don’t mistake it for kindness.
But you are right, Target was the wrong choice of retailer for me to choose.
Trump says they all want to kill you.
BRT says:
March 1, 2026 at 11:42 am
Every person from Iran that I met at Rutgers was an amazing person, friendly, personable, intelligent, and down to Earth.
The number of homes purchased by overseas buyers has jumped for the first time since 2017, signaling a possible turning point in international interest in the U.S. real estate market, according to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors.
From April 2024 through March 2025, foreign buyers purchased 78,100 residential properties nationwide, up 44% – or the equivalent of 23,800 more transactions – compared with the previous year.
Overall dollars spent on U.S. homes also jumped with buyers pouring $56 billion into the real estate market – about a 33% increase from the previous year. The median price they paid on a home purchase reached a record-high of $494,400, which is more than the national median sales price of $408,500 recorded during the same period. Of the foreign buyers who bought homes during this period, nearly 1 in 5 (18%) purchased properties worth more than $1 million.
California saw much of this activity. The state ranked as the top destination for Chinese citizens, who represented the biggest share of overseas buyers and accounted for nearly a quarter ($13.7 billion) of overall dollars foreigners spent on housing. This amount is more than double the $7.5 billion Chinese buyers spent a year earlier, the report shows.
Well, at least we now understand who we are dealing with
Columbia University anti-Israel group posts ‘Death to America’ after US and Israel kill Khamenei
Chicago: No protests when the Iranian regime killed thousands of innocent protesters, their own people. How is this protest not organized and paid for?
Maybe an F-35 Lightening II should fly over Columbia University.
Rent-
Wait until you find one with a Pittsburgh Potty in the basement. Friggin yinzers.
>> Every person from Iran that I met at Rutgers was an amazing person, friendly, personable, intelligent, and down to Earth.
Can they say the same about you and the people you voted for?
now that ayatolla assaholla is gone, let’s get back to the real meat and potatoes.
Operation
EpicEpstein FuryRent,
I’m not going to even entertain the idea of you judging my character after the disgusting things you’ve posted on this forum.
Feminist for burqas.
1:39 you smell like dim sum and dick
BRT, didn’t expect any more from you. Truth hurts.
So got more information about a property I like here. It is a condo, corner unit of a 2 storey building. 90 years old. HOA about $480/ mo which is actually low for this type.
One thing sticks out. Apparently it is non-warrantable and lenders will not provide a loan because the majority if the units are owned by one investor. Anyone heard of this before?
U.S. crude oil set to top $70 a barrel when trading begins on fears of Iran supply disruption
PUBLISHED SUN, MAR 1 20261:26 PM ESTUPDATED AN HOUR AGO
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Spencer Kimball
Are the Leftist protestors wearing hijabs in support of the Iranian Islamic regime?
Brent trading 8%-10% up to around $80 per barrel over the counter
A note from RBC Capital Markets suggests that Washington has been warned by regional leaders that $100-a-barrel oil is a “clear and present danger.”
especially with limited OPEC spare capacity.
RentLord,
Run away as far as you can. Is a trap. What it means is that you can’t get Fannie/Freddie conforming mortgages. Because Fannie and Freddie know that they will likely take a loss.
When it is investor owned like that, at best is that one or multiple parties that might be in cahoots or fighting each othet under multiple entity controls the units and HOA and can make it very expensive for the non-investors resident by infighting and overpaying contract for services to other entities that they control. At worst they will vote to disolve the HOA and sell out the building at rock bottom price to some other entity that they control for development.
There always a few buildings like these around, you can spot them because apartments are always for sale and don’t sell becasue can’t get mortgages and then once in a while a really cheapo apartment comes in the market as the bagholder finally had enough and takes a loss.
Hoboken condos in the early 80’s when the mobsters got into real estate development were in the same jam. It took a more than a few years and prices to climb enough for the “investors” to bail out of their units and have a truly free HOA.
Dubai stock exchange has been closed until further notice .
Inheritance is one of the last reliable ways for younger Californians to own their first home.
About 18% of all property transfers in the state last year, representing nearly 60,000 homes, were made through inheritance, according to a recent analysis by real-estate data firm Cotality.
That share is a record for California in data going back to 1995, up from 12% in 2019. It is also roughly double the national share of 8.8% last year.
Cheryl Norris, a 76-year-old who works as an independent antique dealer, has owned a pair of homes in Northern California for decades. Her two children in their 30s don’t see a clear path toward buying a home there themselves. California’s home prices rank among the highest in the U.S., reaching a median single-family sales price of nearly $900,000 last year.
When Norris dies, she plans to leave her Santa Rosa property, with its low-pitched roof and large picture window, and her more expansive three-bedroom retreat set on more than 2 acres in San Rafael to her daughter and son.
Which truth, the one about how you started off on this forum wishing Eddie’s friends die of COVID or the one where you celebrated the actual death of someone?
3:00 – Big thank you!
I started on this blog about 15 years ago.. before there was anything called COVID. Second, I never celebrated anyone’s death. I may in the future though.
BRT, you really are a dumbass ABC.
BRT, I can’t ever remember making a dumb post. I can remember many insightful ones.
But I can imagine he pisses off crazy lefties driving alone in masks with various leftist decals on the back. There’s a convoy of them in these comments trying to run everyone else off the road.
No One: I wholeheartedly agree.
Everyday we get more and more new posters, it’s hard keeping up with all the new names.
CNN reports that the Taliban has decreed that sodomy is punishable by death, and that men may beat their wives as long as no marks are left or bones broken.
Hopefully, this madness stays in that part of the world.
3b, it’s a few people creating multiple names. It’s either bipolar disorders or multiple personalities. There are various mental illnesses on display and they all have one thing in common: they hate traditional principles.
I tried to delete some of the fake posts yesterday.
Ex – stop posting under other peoples handles.
Fast: I believe it’s one or perhaps two people doing it. And it’s just juvenile. And posting under other peoples handles is a new low. Some serious mental health issues or mad at world thing working there.
Grim: Thanks for your efforts. You should not have to do that because of one or two assholes.
Wag, wag, wag.
Sounds like some government insiders made a million or two on polymarket betting on Iran.
Why is all presidential communication being done via video Truth Social posts?
I’m guessing I’ll get a few manufacturers price increases in the morning.
International oil prices had already climbed about 20 percent this year, nearing $73 a barrel on Friday. On Sunday, they crossed $80 a barrel.
if the law would’ve allowed me to do this, I might’ve actually got some justice
, and that men may beat their wives as long as no marks are left or bones broken
UPDATED SUN, MAR 1 2026
6:23 PM EST
Dow futures drop 500 points as oil prices spike following U.S. attack on Iran: Live updates
Yun Li
According to the WSJ Trump has to finish his Iran thing before munitions run out?? What a plan!
Fine. Geeeez
Grim says:
March 1, 2026 at 5:57 pm
“Ex – stop posting under other peoples handles.”
Complete loser! A grown man with no job, no ambition, an unhealthy drug habit and now reprimanded for polluting the blog like a zit-faced teenage dork. Idiot!
BREAKING NEWS!
Asia-Pacific markets tumble after Iran strikes, oil futures spike by over 8%
PUBLISHED SUN, MAR 1 2026
6:58 PM ESTUPDATED 4 MIN AGO
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Lim Hui Jie
Why is all presidential communication being done via video Truth Social posts?
He makes more money that way.
3b says:
March 1, 2026 at 6:56 pm
“What a plan!”
Not terribly worried about running out of ammo. I doubt that you are either.
In any case, key take-ways so far…
– Astonishing efficiency in killing so many military and political leaders in the opening strike. Shows that we/Israel have sources inside the regime that are as good as those we had in Venezuela.
– Israel is our only truly capable and worthwhile ally — militarily, intelligence gathering. Their capabilities and seriousness highlight how utterly useless our Euro/NATO allies are.
– The UK is officially ‘lost’ as a meaningful ally. The Muslim constituency is so powerful and so essential to Labour, that the UK government cannot say whether they support the US, or the Iranian regime.
– Saudi Arabia’s relatively low-key response tells me they were well informed beforehand
– Iran’s military response seems haphazard, but mullahs appear to still be very strong inside the country
Art says:
March 1, 2026 at 3:00 pm
“Washington has been warned by regional leaders that $100-a-barrel oil is a “clear and present danger.”
How will this affect the price of eggs?
In any case, DJT has sufficiently supported energy production such that domestic production — and Venezuela — will likely ramp up to take advantage of any temporary price spikes. Unlike SlowJoe, he won’t have to empty the strategic reserves.
Dark Phoenix says:
March 1, 2026 at 11:47 am
“Trump says they all want to kill you.”
This is a blatant lie. Surprising for someone who claims to never lie and to be an equal opportunity hater. Seeing much more misinformation and disinformation from you. Too bad Grim doesn’t have a Disinformation Czar like SlowJoe did.
Eddie,
Your quote: “Maybe an F-35 Lightening II should fly over Columbia University.”
Careful. This can look like you are advocating for bombing a part of NYC.
3b,
sodomy is punishable by death, and that men may beat their wives as long as no marks are left or bones broken.
Hopefully, this madness stays in that part of the world.
Which part of the world? Mid-east, south? Some say even the blue lines in red and blue states exhibit a bit of it.
Serf: You know exactly what I meant, so stop deflecting. There are no states that say it’s legal to bear your wife. So yeah, that miserable part of the world, that also forbids higher education for women.
I have never seen so much fake content on the social sites. Twitter, Truth, TikTok – all fake AI slop and bot accounts.
Socials are dead for on-the-ground reporting now.
Probably not the right time for a TSA shutdown, workers not getting paid.
7:25 let’s protect our pedophiles daddy.
Opinions on this place?
https://www.sergeantsvilleinn.com/uploads/b/6a5d6020-83fb-11ef-aa9d-af8fc9ac933c/cbf3de00-110d-11f1-9a84-0d165523df46.pdf
Serf,
Okay, how about a rainbow-colored weather balloon?
Are there any all girl elementary schools near there? If so please give those kids the day off first.
Serf says:
March 1, 2026 at 8:02 pm
Eddie,
Your quote: “Maybe an F-35 Lightening II should fly over Columbia University.”
Re:AI Slop
From the prediction thread.
The Tech Wildcard: “The Dead Internet”
The Scenario: The open web becomes unusable due to AI slop.
The Shift: By late 2026, 90% of online content is AI-generated spam/bots fighting other bots. Search engines break.
The Pivot: “Human-Gated Communities.” The most valuable online real estate becomes paid, ID-verified communities (digital country clubs) where you can prove you are speaking to a human. Advertising models collapse, forcing a shift to subscription-only models for almost everything
what color is your parachute?
Fast Eddie says:
March 1, 2026 at 8:55 pm
Serf,
Okay, how about a rainbow-colored weather balloon?
8:49 – Can it get any more boring?
Any asian place will kick ass over this menu.
Question to the board. How can this person be such a churlish clown show?
I have a hard time believing he’s been posting for 15 years.
I can’t recall this character for more than 3 or 4 years ago.
RentL0rd says:
March 1, 2026 at 9:44 pm
8:49 – Can it get any more boring?
Any asian place will kick ass over this menu.
From WSJ,
“As China’s economy slows, some young people are snapping up cheap apartments to ‘retire’ early
The “Life in Venice” housing development, a multibillion-dollar replica of the Italian city on the Chinese coast, stands silent. Many of the tens of thousands of homes are hollow husks of concrete and alabaster.
But in recent years the remote, partially abandoned complex has drawn unlikely new residents like Sasa Chen, a burned-out young Chinese woman who until recently worked a high-earning finance job in Shanghai, China’s bustling commerce hub.
The appeal?
Chen pays just 1200 RMB, or $168, a month for her apartment in faux Venice in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu. It’s so cheap that it’s allowed Chen to retire at the tender age of 28.
Experts say Chen is part of a broader trend that has seen a growing number of young people across China migrating to small towns and cities, taking advantage of cheap real estate prices that have been plummeting since the COVID pandemic.
It’s a stark reversal from previous generations that prized upward mobility. In decades past, China’s ascendent middle class flocked to booming megacities to chase jobs and dreams, once abundant as the country went from rags to riches . But as the once red-hot economy cooled, expectations have soared, opportunities have dwindled and competition has grown fierce.
Most large Chinese companies, especially high-paying tech firms, requires a work schedule of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, a grueling lifestyle popularly known as the 996 culture. Under the intense pressure, some young professionals have called it quits altogether and joined a resistance movement called “ lying flat ” — shunning careers and capitalism for a “low-desire life.”
Some are redefining their dreams to focus on rest and relaxation, much like what some young adults in the West are doing under what they call FIRE: “Financial Independence, Retire Early.”
That’s much more achievable in China because the cost of living in some places can be so low compared to prices in the West.
Home prices at the massive “Life in Venice” development have more than halved since the downturn in China’s property market a few years ago , and a lunch of noodles or a rice dish costs under three dollars in the neighborhood’s restaurants.
The bargain prices have benefited young people like Chen willing to live in remote but affordable housing now available across the country. Chen describes it as the perfect life: a sea view, clean air, and cheap rent.
“I have all the time in the world, the freedom of doing whatever I want,” said Chen. “I am living the life that I want.”
The dream life
“Life in Venice” was envisioned in the early 2010s as a weekend resort for wealthy residents from nearby Shanghai, providing a luxurious yet peaceful life by the sea.
But demand for the vast complex’s 46,000 units cratered after China’s debt-fueled property market popped. The developer, real estate giant Evergrande, went bankrupt in 2024 .
Today the site is a ghost town, with many villas just empty shells. Less than one in five apartments are occupied. Abandoned boats founder off its rundown pier and “For Sale” signs and empty storefronts line its streets. But a smattering of residents have moved in, some of them fishing in the development’s tranquil waters.
Chen used to work in a glossy high-rise in Shanghai, making up to 700,000 yuan ($98,480) a year at a large finance firm. But she had never liked the idea of working. After three years, she began plotting her escape from the drudgery of China’s white-collar workforce.
Her plan was to save up and find somewhere to live with rent so low she could live off returns on her investments.
Last year, her dream came true: Chen saved 2 million yuan ($290,000) and found a spacious apartment at “Life in Venice”. With such low rent, she calculates she can live there for the rest of her life without ever having to work again.
Though “Life in Venice” doesn’t have a branch of her favorite sour soup hotpot restaurant, door to door delivery, or proximity to major hospitals, her new residence has plenty of conveniences like a grocery store and eateries.
Chen used to dread the grind of her nine-to-six job, which she said “felt like marching to my own death.” Now, she wakes at 10 a.m. every day, filling her days with cooking, chilling, and long walks on the beach.
“I never believed that work is the meaning of life,” Chen said. “My ideal state of life is not to work and stay at places that I like.”
Quitting the rat race
Like Chen, scores of young Chinese people have left big cities.
While there’s no available data about how many have left the Chinese workforce in recent years, figures show that from 2019 to 2024, Beijing lost 1.6 million people in their twenties and early thirties — around the total population of Philadelphia — according to China’s capital statistic office.
“People are quitting this competition, this very clear, linear, upward career track,” said Xiang Biao, director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany. “It’s a broader trend.”
China’s economy has cooled in recent years, growing just 5% in 2025 — still higher than the U.S. and other rich countries, but a far cry from the double-digit growth the country saw in past decades.
As the economy slows, young Chinese are struggling to find jobs . As of December, 16.5% of 16-24 year-olds who aren’t in school were unemployed.
Some, like 29-year-old Ban Zhao, are rejecting the corporate rat race altogether.
Last summer, Ban moved from a bustling commercial city on China’s east coast to a small town in China’s southwestern Yunnan province. Tucked away in a lush valley, the town is famed for fresh, clean air and healing hot springs. There, for just 800 yuan a month ($110) Ban rents an apartment with three bedrooms, one of which she converted to a yoga studio.
She and her boyfriend work less than 20 hours a week, offering yoga classes online to make ends meet. The rest of the time, she walks around her scenic neighborhood surrounded by trees and blossoms, often enjoying the region’s famed sunshine.
“I can do whatever I want and not do whatever I don’t want,” Ban said. “I live in heaven.”
Apartments cheaper than cars
Some are flocking to places like Hegang, a cold and remote coal mining city in northeastern China famous for shockingly cheap housing prices. As resources dried up and mines closed, young people left, turning Hegang into a city with far more homes than people.
Apartments there are now cheaper than cars, making sales easy for realtor Yang Xuewei.
Yang has sold more than 100 bargain-priced apartments to clients across the country — and even to some foreigners who contacted Yang after watching his online virtual tours. A one-bedroom apartment can be bought for $3,000, and $13,000 can buy a roomy four-bedroom place.
“I don’t know about big cities, I never lived in one,” Yang said. “I can only say that living in Hegang is easy.”
Chen Zhiwu, a University of Hong Kong finance professor, said higher living costs and fewer job opportunities in bigger cities are driving people to move to cheaper places.
“It’s natural,” Chen said. “Young people are facing reality and thinking hard about their futures.””
Not a fake poster. A long time lurker.
BRT, 3b, The Great Pumpkin, too name a few, are the so dumb licking the orange mango’s balls. It’s unbelievable.
Forgot about Fast Eddie. He’s the dumbest of the mango bootlickers.