Chuck Barberini Real Estate

  Scroll through your feed and you’ll see plenty of finger-pointing about why homes cost so much. And according to a national survey, a lot of people believe big investors are to blame. Even though data shows that’s not true, nearly half of Americans surveyed ( 48% ) think investors are the top reason housing feels so expensive  ( see graph below ): But that theory doesn’t actually hold up once you look at the data. The Truth About Investors Investors do play a role in the housing market, especially in certain areas. But they’re not buying up all the homes like so many people on social media say. Nationwide,  Realtor.com  found only 2.8% of all home purchases last year were made by big investors (who own more than 50 properties).  That means roughly 97% of homes were bought and sold by regular people, not corporate giants. Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at  Realtor.com , explains: “Investors do own significant shares of the housing stock in some neighborhoo...

“Just Thinking" I had a little extra time on my hands this week and was reflecting on some of the decisions that I made in my life and, weather good or bad, how they led to where I am now. The truth is that it is never just the one choice that we make, but the choice, plus the subsequential choices that pave the path of the road that we travel.  As Yogi Berra said, when you come to a fork in the road, take it. People have interpreted this advice about making decisions as to not getting stuck in indecision. I reality Yogi used this phrase when giving directions to his home in Montclair, New Jersey. The road leading to his house literally split into two paths that both ended up at his driveway so no matter which fork you took, you’d arrive at the same place. Our Lives are filled with daily moments that seem small or insignificant at the time, a decision, a conversation, a simple yes or no. Yet it is often these moments that shape the directions that our lives take, that we would nev...

  Check Out This Weeks Newsletter Between 1997 and 2014, homes within a quarter mile of a Starbucks rose in value by 96%. Meanwhile, nationwide, home prices climbed only 60% in that same period.  For years, that difference was enough to convince investors that the coffee chain’s presence was a shorthand for growth. But according to a recent  Bigger Pockets  report, the “Starbucks Effect” may finally be running out of steam. The company is closing hundreds of stores across North America, and it’s not just caffeine lovers who are noticing. Landlords and investors are watching too, wondering whether the exit of one of the most recognizable retail brands could signal something deeper about consumer habits, neighborhood stability, and the future of urban commercial space. How Starbucks Became a Real Estate Signal For more than two decades, a new Starbucks was like a stamp of approval from the real estate gods. The familiar green-and-white awning often appeared in neighbor...

  If you’ve seen headlines or social posts calling for a housing crash, it’s easy to wonder if home values are about to take a hit. But here’s the simple truth. The data doesn’t point to a crash. It points to slow, continued  growth . And sure, it’s going to vary by local area. Some markets will see  prices  rise more than others. And some may even see  small , short-term declines. But the big picture is:  home prices are expected to rise nationally, not fall, over the next 5 years. The Real Story Is in the Expert Forecasts In the  Home Price Expectations Survey  (HPES)  from  Fannie Mae , each quarter over 100 leading housing market experts weigh in on where they project home prices will go from here. And in the report that was just released, the experts agree prices are projected to climb nationally through at least 2029 ( see graph below ): Here’s how to read this visual. Each bar in that graph shows an increase, not a loss. It’s just...

  “Just Thinking" This week’s newsletter is a follow up to the September 19 th  article about leaving California, I had so many notes leftover that I decided to make a leaving California part II, this is a non-political, somewhat emotional, article with my opinions and some facts. A musical quote from Guy Clarks L.A. Freeway and a movie recommendation. Pack up all your dishes Make note of all good wishes And say goodbye to the landlord for me That son-of-a-bitch has always bored me Throw out all them L.A. papers And that moldy box of vanilla wafers Adios to all this concrete Gonna get me some dirt road back street If I can just get off of this L.A. freeway Without getting killed or caught I'll be down the road in a cloud of smoke To some land I ain't bought… Fire and Water The year started in horrific fashion with the Palisades Fire which began on January 7, the fire began in the Santa Monica Mountains area, near the Pacific Palisades, it was not fully contained until Janu...

  In its latest September Rent Report, Realtor.com found that the typical U.S. household now spends less than a quarter of its income on rent for the first time in two years. It’s a milestone that marks the 26th consecutive annual decline in rents and a rare stretch of good news for Americans who’ve been feeling the squeeze of housing costs on all fronts. The median asking rent for 0–2 bedroom units across the 50 largest metros dropped to $1,703 in September, down 2.1% year over year and $10 month over month. That puts rents $56 below their August 2022 peak, though they remain 16.5% higher than before the pandemic. Rent growth has been muted throughout 2025, with asking prices up just 0.4% year to date, compared with 1.9% over the same period in 2024. For renters, that moderation is starting to add up to something meaningful. Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at Realtor.com, summed it up best. “Two years of gradual rent declines have given renters a bit more breathing room. Still, eve...

  If you paused your plans to move because of high rates or prices, it may finally be time to take a second look at your numbers.  Affordability is  improving   in 39 of the top 50 markets, according to  First American.  And that’s the  5th straight month  where buying a home has started to get a little bit easier. Let’s break this down into real dollars, so you can see the difference this could make for you (and your move). Monthly Payments Are Coming Down One of the clearest signs of this shift is in monthly payments. The latest data from  Redfin  shows  mortgage payments on a median-priced home are now $283 lower than they were just a few months ago  ( see graph below ): This kind of monthly savings adds up fast, and totals nearly  $3,400 over the course of a year . While this isn’t enough to completely change the affordability game overnight, think about it this way. When you’re putting together a homebuying budget, a ...

    After a couple of years where the housing market felt stuck in neutral, 2026 may be the year things shift back into gear.  Expert forecasts show more people are expected to move – and that could open the door for you to do the same. More Homes Will Sell With all of the affordability challenges at play over the past few years, many would-be movers pressed pause. But that pause button isn’t going to last forever. There are always people who need to move. And experts think more of them will start to act in 2026 ( see graph below ): What’s behind the change? Two key factors: mortgage rates and home prices. Let’s dive into the latest expert forecasts for both, so you can see why more people are expected to move next year. Mortgage Rates Could Continue To Ease The #1 thing just about every buyer has been looking for is lower mortgage rates . And after peaking near 7% earlier this year, rates have started to ease. The latest forecasts show that could continue through...