The REconomy Podcast

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi continue the REconomy Summer School series with a discussion of a possible solution to the housing affordability crisis. From easing zoning restrictions and regulatory hurdles to addressing financing challenges and quelling NIMBY opposition, the episode unpacks how revi...

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi continue season two of The REconomy Summer School series with an in-depth look at the supply side of the housing market, explaining the long-term structural shortage in the nation’s supply of housing and the challenges limiting builders’ efforts to build more homes in t...

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi reconvene season 2 of The REconomy Summer School series with an in-depth discussion of the factors that drive the decision to buy a home – from lifestyle events like marriage, children, and career changes to economic realities like affordability, inventory, and credit c...

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi call class back into session as they kick off season 2 of The REconomy Summer School with an in-depth look at the foundation of housing demand – household formation, who forms households and when, and what even counts as a household.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi examine growing concerns regarding the health of the housing market, finding that distress is rising and prices are declining in some markets, but the broader fundamentals underpinning housing remain strong.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi commemorate National Homeownership Month with a deep dive into the state of homeownership, including how it’s measured, the demographics of homeownership and what the future holds for prospective buyers.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi and Senior Commercial Economist Xander Snyder examine the wave of retailers going out of business and how their abandoned retail space may impact retail leasing dynamics across the country.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi discuss the impact of recent market volatility and tariff uncertainty, analyzing data to determine if housing has slipped into a recession.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Senior Commercial Economist Xander Snyder discuss the impact rising insurance premiums are having within the commercial real estate market and how CRE property owners are adapting.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi analyze the economic question of the moment – will the downturn in consumer sentiment turn to sediment and usher in a recession?

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi share their thoughts on the outlook for the 2025 spring home-buying season.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi and Senior Commercial Economist Xander Snyder discuss what the encouraging fourth-quarter sales trends mean for the outlook for commercial real estate in the year ahead.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi examine local housing market dynamics, explaining how changes in active inventory and new inventory impacts house prices and sales volume, and highlighting how these dynamics are playing out differently in markets across the country.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi discuss the housing impacts of the recent Los Angeles wildfires, including a preliminary estimate of how much housing supply was lost, with the help of native Angeleno and Senior Commercial Economist Xander Snyder.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi discuss the dynamics fueling the dramatic increase in homeowner’s and property insurance, and what it means for the housing market.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi examine the latest signals from the Federal Reserve about the direction of interest rates and the potential for rate cuts in 2025.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi and Senior Commercial Economist Xander Snyder turn their crystal ball to the commercial real estate market, breaking down the outlook for 2025 for all asset classes.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi break out their crystal ball and discuss the outlook for the 2025 housing market, including their expectations for mortgage rates, affordability, sales and house prices in the year ahead.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi explain the Federal Reserve’s tools for providing “forward guidance” on the anticipated direction of the economy, interest rates and inflation, and share how to interpret the Fed’s signals regarding the year ahead.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi discuss the mysterious metric that moves mortgage rates – the neutral rate of interest – and what it is signaling for the housing market heading into 2025.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi examine the history of homebuilding and the dynamics that have fueled our chronic housing supply crisis and explain the daunting challenges homebuilders face in trying to meet the demand for housing.

In this special 100th episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi gather the entire First American Economics team to address some of their most frequently asked questions about real estate, housing and affordability, recap some of their favorite predictions, and look ahead to what 2025 may bring.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Senior Commercial Economist Xander Snyder explain why there are some glimmers of light in the commercial real estate market for the first time since 2022.

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, the seventh and final episode in the Summer School series, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi delve into urban economics, from zoning regulations to land use patterns, examining the dynamics of monocentric and polycentric cities, while exploring the potential impact of remote work on traditional urban mo...

In this episode of The REconomy Podcast™ from First American, the sixth in the “Summer School” series, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi trace the journey of mortgages, shedding light on how the U.S. stands out with its 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage, while exploring how this unique loan product shapes the accessibility and stability of the nation’s housing market.