Beyond the Buildings

A look at the news lately can make people jittery. The Federal Reserve is ratcheting up interest rates, inflation is rampant and, as a result, mortgage payments have skyrocketed. However, these realities do not necessarily spell doom and gloom for the U.S. housing market. In fact, these trends may just indicate a light at the end of the tunnel. In this episode, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits dow...

While most people know that carrying homeowners’ insurance is critical, few are aware of the extent to which climate change influences policies – after all, no two properties are created equal. Similarly, investors are often in the dark when it comes to the effects of changing weather patterns on pieces of property. To help lessen the confusion on this subject, the U.S. government is working to re...

As a provider of data-driven insurance solutions, CoreLogic knows that damages from extreme weather events are stressful and expensive for everyone involved. While repairing catastrophic property damage has never been simple, it is no secret that the magnitude — and the costs — of these events is expanding due to climate change. To ensure that owners can recover from these devastating natural cata...

By the time they reach middle school, many girls are already convinced that they will not pursue a career in the sciences — at least in the stereotypical sense of the profession. So how can these girls see the potential that a science career holds beyond lab coats and experiments? They meet female scientists in-person whose degrees have led to work in a wide array of positions from communications...

Insurance — it is an essential financial resource that homeowners and businesses rely upon to navigate the uncertainty that comes with disasters big and small. While most people know how critical carrying insurance can be when faced with a disaster, few have a full grasp of the different types of insurance, why policies are structured in certain ways and how the ecosystem of insurance providers wo...

The location, design and architecture of a luxury home can grab the imagination and lead to fantasies about jet setting to the French Riviera or vacationing in an exclusive Asian metropolis. However, the luxury real estate market has so much more nuance in terms of location, price point and even buyer demographic than a daydream could ever convey. In this episode, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits...

Discussions about property taxes are often met with a frown and a change of subject. But these homeowner taxes are not just one of life’s inescapable truths; they also help create essential revenue for cities and maintain healthy economies. So, when owners fall delinquent on property tax payments, the consequences can be pronounced. In this episode, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down CoreL...

Seasonal changes affect the property industry. They also affect companies. As summer arrives, CoreLogic is commemorating its one-year mark as a private company that is also now under the leadership of CEO Pat Dodd. To discover what all this change means for the business, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down with Pat to discuss who he is as a leader, investigate what it is like to guide a private...

This week, we are taking a moment to remember CoreLogic Chief Economist Dr. Frank Nothaft who was not only an influential force in the property industry but also a friend to many. In early June, Dr. Nothaft passed away unexpectedly. As the heart of CoreLogic in many ways, he will be greatly missed but not forgotten. In this episode, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith recounts her memories of Dr. Nothaft...

As a topic of conversation, interest rates have come to the forefront of the nation’s consciousness in recent weeks as the Fed has incrementally raised the rates of federal funds, widely affecting prices. However, not all industries are equally impacted. Real estate is one sector where many people are watching closely to see whether the ballooning interest rates will cool off the red-hot real esta...

Weather and climate are important risk factors that we monitor closely here at CoreLogic since these phenomena affect not only homeowners but also insurers and the property market at large. However, climate change is altering familiar seasonal climatic patterns, leading to more frequent and severe weather events that are sweeping across the nation and leaving billions of dollars in damages in thei...

It’s no secret that the property market has been out of the ordinary, but how far from the norm have things actually deviated? While a quick scan of recent headlines may lead to the assumption that the U.S. is facing a brewing housing bubble, the reality of the country’s economics and the future of the property market is far more complex. In this episode, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down with...

At CoreLogic, one of the areas we keep close tabs on is how weather and climate affect property as this can directly affect not only homeowners but also insurers. While the CoreLogic Hazard HQ team keeps tabs on an assortment of catastrophic weather events, one of the costliest but least talked about is hail. And spring is hail season here in the U.S.   Host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down w...

In April, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be updating its flood insurance risk grading systems. After decades of using the same system to understand the flood risk for properties in and around flood zones, these changes will be far-reaching, and the results of this shift will be numerous. In this episode, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down with Scott Giberson, principle of flood co...

We are wrapping up the season by bringing back five of our favorite guests from the year to get their take on 2021 and their outlook for the new year ahead.

At CoreLogic, supporting veterans is close to our hearts. One organization that we are proud to align with is the World War II Foundation. On Veterans Day, they will release a documentary, Elvis and the USS Arizona, and CoreLogic is a presenting sponsor. In this episode, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith speaks with Tom Gray from the WWII Foundation to learn more about the documentary and the foundation...

Natural disasters can have long-term effects on a community. As noted in our 2021 Hurricane Report , lower-income homeowners are left with few options when homes are destroyed. When affected homes are deemed unsuitable for habitation, displaced people may resort to living at motels and similar, creating added expenses. Natural catastrophes can result in financial hardship as people struggle with a...

Real properties have a jumble of identifiers rather than a single standardized number that clearly defines each piece of property. Often, these overlapping and incomplete data sets of property information can result in a mess that takes hours to unravel before the property data is clean enough to use. This applies to if data is being used for understanding property vulnera...

Browsing for a new home is a hobbyist activity, even for people not looking to immediately purchase. The home buying experience tends to now start online, and shoppers are seeing estimates from an automated valuation models or AVMs. In this episode, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down with Ann Regan, Executive Product Manager from Collateral Solutions to learn what exactly is an AVM? How does it...

At CoreLogic, one of the areas we keep close tabs on is how weather and climate affect property as this could have some surprising downstream effects. The CoreLogic Hazard HQ team keeps a close eye on the state of weather covering catastrophes in the US and around the world.  Host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down with David Smith, Senior Leader of Science and Analytics to answe...

It’s been over a year since the beginning of the pandemic, and in that time, much has changed in the world of property. Home prices, rent prices and construction costs have skyrocketed, and housing inventory has only been getting slimmer. Host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down with Chief Economist Dr. Frank Nothaft to get a status update on the situation. When will home prices come down? What will...

When we think about climate change, we often think of its impact on life as a whole, and the lifestyle changes that will occur from rising temperatures and sea levels to solar panels and electric cars. But one of the most profound areas, a changing climate can impact is our homes. Host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down with Chief Scientist Dr. Howard Botts to ask the questions on everyone's mind: W...

Let's put in a pool. Remodel the kitchen. Upgrade the bathroom hardware. Throughout the pandemic especially, people have been putting in some serious elbow grease into home renovation--but how much does this make a difference when selling a house? In this episode, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith is joined by the Appraiser Coach, Dustin Harris. He discusses the value of truth, the impact of appraisal b...

In the U.S. lumber prices were up 54% year over year as of the second quarter of 2021, and this trend reflected across the globe. In simpler terms, the cost to build just about anything, but in particular homes, skyrocketed. These price increases go well and beyond normal demand surge. To unpack this, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down with construction aficionado Glenn Bearden. He peels back w...

In the real estate economy, we all know the old adage "location, location, location," but location matters for far more than just determining the market value of a home, and the science of finding the answer of where that home is located is a lot more involved than meets the eye. Is it behind the Whole Foods? Is it halfway down the street, at a specific pair of coordinates, or where the building s...