
Top of Mind
The Top of Mind podcast features top real estate industry insiders and experts to unpack the most important housing, real estate, mortgage data and trends that are shaping the housing market. Hosted by Altos founder Mike Simonsen and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.
Latest episodes

May 24, 2023 • 1h 6min
Housingwire’s Logan Mohtashami - Straight Talk on the Housing Market
In this episode of the Top of Mind podcast, Mike Simonsen sits down with Logan Mohtashami, lead analyst at Housingwire, to talk about the big economic trends impacting the housing market. Logan does a deep dive on inventory challenges, offers his take on what to expect with mortgage rates, and shares what buyers and sellers are thinking right now. He also gives his predictions for where the market is headed in the coming months. About Logan Mohtashami Logan Mohtashami is a housing data analyst, financial writer, and blogger covering the U.S. economy specializing in the housing market. He is also a Lead Analyst for HousingWire. Logan has been an invited speaker to many conferences and is a frequent guest on CNBC. Logan has been called a social media star by National Mortgage News and “the chart guy.” His astute analysis of economic data and years of direct lending experience allows him to present a unique, informed, and unbiased perspective on the financial markets. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: What we learned from the 2022 collapse in housing demand, and why home prices didn’t collapse Why the millennial demographic cycle still drives everything in housing The one factor that’s more important than mortgage rates when calculating housing demand The range to expect for mortgage rates over the next year Why home prices look like they’ll climb again in 2024 When inventory will finally rise, and which new economic variables might add to inventory Why he rejects the mortgage-rate-lock-in hypothesis Long-term trends buyers and sellers should be thinking about Predictions for where the market is headed Resources mentioned in this episode: Logan Mohtashami on LinkedIn Logan on Twitter HousingWire HousingWire Daily Mike Simonsen on LinkedIn Altos Research Featuring Mike Simonsen, President of Altos Research A true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. The company now serves the largest Wall Street investment firms, banks, and tens of thousands of real estate professionals around the country. Mike's insights on the market have been featured in Forbes, New York Times, Bloomberg, Dallas Morning News, Seattle PI, and many other national media outlets. Follow us on Twitter for more data analysis and insights: Altos on Twitter Mike on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 23, 2023 • 13min
How the debt ceiling crisis could derail the real estate market (5/22/23 Market Update)
Welcome to How’s the Market, our weekly look at what’s happening in the US housing market, powered by data from Altos Research. If you want to see all the inventory, pricing, and supply and demand charts we reference in the show, head on over to our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/altosresearch. Enjoy the data! Hosted by Mike Simonsen, President of Altos Research A true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. Altos provides national and local real estate data to financial institutions, real estate professionals, and investors across the country, and the company is now part of HW Media, publisher of HousingWire and RealTrends. Mike uses Altos data to identify trends in the real estate market well before the headlines, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Fortune, Forbes and other publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 16, 2023 • 14min
The Unusual Supply and Demand Dynamics of Today's Housing Market (5/15/23 Market Update)
Welcome to How’s the Market, our weekly look at what’s happening in the US housing market, powered by data from Altos Research. If you want to see all the inventory, pricing, and supply and demand charts we reference in the show, head on over to our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/altosresearch. Enjoy the data! Hosted by Mike Simonsen, President of Altos Research A true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. Altos provides national and local real estate data to financial institutions, real estate professionals, and investors across the country, and the company is now part of HW Media, publisher of HousingWire and RealTrends. Mike uses Altos data to identify trends in the real estate market well before the headlines, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Fortune, Forbes and other publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 9, 2023 • 13min
Home Prices Inching Up Despite Difficult Affordability (5/8/23 Market Update)
Welcome to How’s the Market, our weekly look at what’s happening in the US housing market, powered by data from Altos Research. If you want to see all the inventory, pricing, and supply and demand charts we reference in the show, head on over to our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/altosresearch. Enjoy the data! Hosted by Mike Simonsen, President of Altos Research A true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. Altos provides national and local real estate data to financial institutions, real estate professionals, and investors across the country, and the company is now part of HW Media, publisher of HousingWire and RealTrends. Mike uses Altos data to identify trends in the real estate market well before the headlines, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Fortune, Forbes and other publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 2, 2023 • 16min
Rising inventory is boosting home sales (5/1/23 Market Update)
Welcome to How’s the Market, our weekly look at what’s happening in the US housing market, powered by data from Altos Research. If you want to see all the inventory, pricing, and supply and demand charts we reference in the show https://youtube.com/altosresearch. Enjoy the data! Hosted by Mike Simonsen, President of Altos Research A true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. Altos provides national and local real estate data to financial institutions, real estate professionals, and investors across the country, and the company is now part of HW Media, publisher of HousingWire and RealTrends. Mike uses Altos data to identify trends in the real estate market well before the headlines, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Fortune, Forbes and other publications. Learn more at https://altosresearch.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 26, 2023 • 53min
BiggerPockets’ Dave Meyer on What’s Working for Real Estate Investors in 2023
In this episode of the Top of Mind podcast, Mike Simonsen sits down with Dave Meyer, VP of Data & Analytics at BiggerPockets, to talk about what’s working for real estate investors right now. Dave discusses why flipping still works even as the market slows, why he thinks prices on bigger multifamily buildings have more room to drop, and what new investors should be thinking about. He also talks about which local markets look the healthiest in 2023. About Dave Meyer Dave Meyer is the VP of Data & Analytics at BiggerPockets, host of "On the Market" Podcast and long time real estate investor. BiggerPockets is the leading media network and community of 2.5 million members in the real estate investing space. The platform provides invaluable education, effective tools and a robust community for real estate investors worldwide. BiggerPockets podcasts are built to empower individuals through real estate investing, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and more, with over 150 million all-time downloads and the #1 podcast in Real Estate. BiggerPockets podcast business includes “The Real Estate Show,” “BiggerPockets Money,” “On the Market,” “The Real Estate Rookie” and “InvestHER” shows. The company launched Wealth Magazine, a successful YouTube channel and has quickly become a powerhouse book publisher with over 2 million books sold and titles that range from “Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down” and “Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat.” Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: What’s working for real estate investors right now What is “House Hacking” and why is it so important Why flipping still works even as the market slows How to view current cap rates and what that means for investors in 2023 Which investors are winning in this market Whether there’s an “AirBnBust” coming What happens to new investors in a recession Why the big surge in multifamily construction is a blip — not a trend Which local markets look the healthiest Resources mentioned in this episode: Dave Meyer on LinkedIn BiggerPockets BiggerPockets on Twitter Mike Simonsen on LinkedIn Altos Research Featuring Mike Simonsen, President of Altos Research A true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. The company now serves the largest Wall Street investment firms, banks, and tens of thousands of real estate professionals around the country. Mike's insights on the market have been featured in Forbes, New York Times, Bloomberg, Dallas Morning News, Seattle PI, and many other national media outlets. Follow us on Twitter for more data analysis and insights: Altos on Twitter Mike on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 19, 2023 • 57min
Roofstock's Gary Beasley on the Top Trends in Real Estate Investing
In this episode of the Top of Mind podcast, Mike Simonsen sits down with Gary Beasley, CEO and co-founder of Roofstock, to talk about today’s biggest trends and opportunities in real estate investing. Gary shares his experience leading two fast-growing real estate technology companies through IPOs, offers a deep-dive into what’s happening with institutional real estate investors right now, and talks about what to expect with mortgage rates, inflation and recession for the coming year. He also tells us why he continues to be bullish on housing for the foreseeable future. About Gary Beasley Gary is the driving force behind Roofstock's goal to power the future of real estate investing. Gary brings a valuable perspective on using technology to disrupt incumbents through his deep industry expertise leading various real estate, hospitality, and tech companies. Gary has a proven track record of starting and launching successful companies, having led two companies through IPOs: ZipRealty as CFO and Starwood Waypoint Residential Trust (now a part of Invitation Homes, the largest single-family rental home REIT in the United States) as co-CEO. In addition, Gary was instrumental in acquiring and integrating more than $800 million of resort properties for KSL Resorts and also served as CEO of Joie De Vivre Hospitality, then the second-largest boutique hotel management company in the United States. Gary was named a 2019 Top 50 Fintech CEO by Financial Technology Report and HousingWire's 2018 HW Vanguard. He earned his BA in Economics from Northwestern and holds an MBA from Stanford, where he regularly participates as a guest speaker. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: Gary Beasley on LinkedIn Roofstock Mike Simonsen on LinkedIn Altos Research Featuring Mike Simonsen, President of Altos Research A true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. The company now serves the largest Wall Street investment firms, banks, and tens of thousands of real estate professionals around the country. Mike's insights on the market have been featured in Forbes, New York Times, Bloomberg, Dallas Morning News, Seattle PI, and many other national media outlets. Follow us on Twitter for more data analysis and insights: Altos on Twitter Mike on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 29, 2023 • 1h
Redfin’s Unique Insights Into the Housing Market
In this episode of the Top of Mind podcast, Mike Simonsen sits down with Taylor Marr, deputy chief economist at Redfin, to talk about the big trends shaping today’s housing market. Taylor shares some unique (and surprising) insights from Redfin data, talks about where he sees mortgage rates and home prices going this year, and busts some common myths about housing affordability. He also tells us why uncertainty is the biggest risk this year rather than recession or inflation. Featuring Mike Simonsen, President of Altos Research A true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. The company now serves the largest Wall Street investment firms, banks, and tens of thousands of real estate professionals around the country. Mike's insights on the market have been featured in Forbes, New York Times, Bloomberg, Dallas Morning News, Seattle PI, and many other national media outlets. About Taylor Marr Taylor Marr is the deputy chief economist on the research team at Redfin. He is passionate about housing and urban policy and an advocate for increased mobility and affordability. He laid the framework for Redfin’s migration data and reports and diligently tracks the housing market and economy. Before Redfin, Taylor built financial market index funds for Vanguard at the University of Chicago. Taylor went to graduate school for international economics in Berlin, where he focused on behavioral causes of the global housing bubble and subsequent policy responses. Taylor’s research has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and The Economist. He was also recently the President of the Seattle Economics Council and collaborates frequently with the Fed, HUD, and the Census Bureau. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: The biggest housing market trends coming out of the pandemic Which unique insights we can get from Redfin user and agent data Where he sees mortgage rates this year and the threshold for consumers to buy What’s happening with affordability, and what the media gets wrong about it How to look at price reductions as a predictive tool Where Redfin sees home prices going in 2023 Why uncertainty is the biggest risk this year rather than recession or inflation Resources mentioned in this episode: Taylor Marr on LinkedIn Redfin Mike Simonsen on LinkedIn Altos Research Follow us on Twitter for more data analysis and insights: https://twitter.com/altosresearch https://twitter.com/mikesimonsen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 22, 2023 • 55min
A Deep Dive on Today’s Biggest Housing Market Trends
In this episode of the Top of Mind podcast, Mike Simonsen sits down with Lisa Sturtevant, Chief Economist for Bright MLS, to talk about the big trends shaping the housing market in 2023 and beyond. Lisa looks at how housing preferences have changed across generations, provides insights into current demographic trends, gives her take on what’s working (and what’s not) with public policy, and outlines her expectations for inflation, recession and more. She also shares a few optimistic signs for affordability this year and offers some helpful advice for potential buyers. About Lisa Sturtevant Dr. Lisa Sturtevant has been involved in research on economic, demographic, and housing market issues for more than 20 years. She currently serves as Chief Economist with Bright MLS, one of the largest multiple listing services in the country, serving over 100,000 subscribers across 6 states and the District of Columbia. In her role, she leads research and forecast activities for Bright, serving as a thought leader on the housing market. Prior to her position at Bright MLS, Dr. Sturtevant was Chief Economist with Virginia REALTORS ® . She was founder and president of LSA Planning, a housing consulting firm, and has served in other research capacities at non-profit organizations and universities. Dr. Sturtevant completed her PhD in public policy from George Mason University, a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Maryland, and a BS in mathematical economics from Wake Forest University. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: How housing preferences have changed across generations, and why that matters What we should know about millennials and new immigrants, including where they’re buying and implications for future housing needs The latest trends for Zoom Towns and first-tier suburban home demand What public policy gets wrong about planning for affordability Why she sees some optimistic signs for affordability this year, and where longer-term opportunities lie How housing decisions get made at the local level Which areas are having success with zoning and construction policy Why 2023 looks like a “touch-and-go” economy rather than a “soft landing” Her expectations for inflation and recession Her advice to potential buyers right now Resources mentioned in this episode: Lisa Sturtevant on LinkedIn Bright MLS Mike Simonsen on LinkedIn Altos Research Featuring Mike Simonsen, President of Altos Research A true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. The company now serves the largest Wall Street investment firms, banks, and tens of thousands of real estate professionals around the country. Mike's insights on the market have been featured in Forbes, New York Times, Bloomberg, Dallas Morning News, Seattle PI, and many other national media outlets. Follow us on Twitter for more data analysis and insights: https://twitter.com/altosresearch https://twitter.com/mikesimonsen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 8, 2023 • 51min
Why the Miami Market is Thriving in 2023
In this episode of the Top of Mind podcast, Mike Simonsen sits down with Ines Hegedus-Garcia, the current Chair of the Miami Association of Realtors, to talk about the dynamics behind Miami’s thriving real estate market. Ines shares her perspectives on why the Miami market has stayed strong through recent economic turmoil, looks at the opportunities and risks for the market, and discusses industry insights from her leadership roles in Miami’s 60,000+ member real estate association. She also gives us her take on the region’s distinctive architecture and what design and technology trends to watch. About Ines Hegedus-Garcia Ines Hegedus-Garcia is a REALTOR from Miami and Executive Vice President at Avanti Way Realty. Ines is at the forefront of the property technology industry due to her industry leadership and hands-on approach to technology adoption. She is the current Chairman of the Miami Association of Realtors and was the 2019 residential president. She is also a Director of Florida REALTORS, as well as a Director of the National Association of REALTORS. She chaired the 2020 Emerging Technology Committee and 2022 Communications Committee at Florida Realtors and is The Vice Chair of The Board Leadership Forum. Ines is also the chair of NAR’s Federal Technology Committee and sits on the board of directors of Second Century Ventures. The National Association of REALTORS identified her as a leader in forward thinking real estate ideas. Today she is invited to participate in conferences around the world to educate others about the power of new media and Ines’ participation in leadership, as well as the early adoption of social networks have earned her recognition and respect among her colleagues and clients. An architect by training with a passion for out-of-the box thinking, she’s also a Miami architecture + historic properties expert, and her Miami architecture and history articles are read by thousands each month on Miamism.com. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: Why Miami real estate is still thriving, and why this year’s market changes have been positive for buyers and sellers in South Florida Insights into the international political and financial dynamics that drive Miami real estate Opportunities and risk around the booming construction market, including some surprising new approaches to meeting rental demand Which exciting architects in Miami to pay attention to, which buildings in Miami are her favorites, and why Which technology and policy changes to note for Miami’s climate change risks Her perspectives on running one of the largest realtor associations in the country, with over 60,000 members How she uses market reports on the popular Miamism blog to engage readers. Featuring Mike Simonsen, President of Altos Research A true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. The company now serves the largest Wall Street investment firms, banks, and tens of thousands of real estate professionals around the country. Mike's insights on the market have been featured in Forbes, New York Times, Bloomberg, Dallas Morning News, Seattle PI, and many other national media outlets. Resources mentioned in this episode: Ines Hegedus-Garcia on LinkedIn Ines Hegedus-Garcia on Instagram Miamism Avanti Way Realty Mike Simonsen on LinkedIn Altos Research Follow us on Twitter for more data analysis and insights: https://twitter.com/altosresearch https://twitter.com/mikesimonsen See you next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices