Beyond the Buildings

AI is becoming more involved in the homebuying process, but disconnected systems are leaving buyers confused and looking to people in order to rebuild trust throughout the process. - Buyers are entering the homebuying process stressed and looking for guidance. Technology has promised speed, but it hasn’t delivered confidence. - Trust in technology doesn’t map neatly to age or buyer stage. It has to do with AI literacy. - People still want people to bridge gaps, build trust, and lead to confident decisions.

Mortgage fraud cases haven't surged dramatically, but subtle shifts in tactics and technologies are reshaping the industry. - Under the umbrella of purchase fraud, transaction fraud risk, such as undisclosed agreements between the parties and down payment fraud, is making waves. - While New York has long been the top state for fraud risk, California ranks in third-place, but the Golden State did show a double-digit increase in risk from the prior year. -Fraud can delay transactions, increase costs, and even prevent first-time buyers from securing deals, eroding trust in the market. In this episode 2:35 – An overview of fraud risk in the U.S. 5:22 – How has the rate of occupancy fraud changed over the past year 8:23 – Why is mortgage fraud so difficult to detect and how can it be mitigated? 10:35 – Has automation opened the door to new mortgage fraud vulnerabilities? 13:44 – How can big data and advanced analytics help with fraud detection? 17:53 – Erika Stanley goes over the numbers in property market in The Sip. 19:29 – How can regulation help with fraud detection and mitigation?

In the second episode of Beyond the Buildings' three-part sustainability series with Cotality Australia, guest host Eliza Owen delves into this often-overlooked but increasingly pressing issue: energy efficiency in Australian homes.   But why is energy efficiency coming into the public conversation now? And what’s driving this shift?   To unpack these questions, Owen is joined by two industry leaders shaping the future of energy-smart housing. Cecille Weldon, founder of WeldonCo Advisory & Future Agent and creator of the award-winning Livability Real Estate Framework, and Tim Lawless, Research Director at Cotality Australia, are breaking down which energy-efficient investments are beneficial for homeowners and why these upgrades will influence the direction of Australian housing. In this episode:  2:55 – Why is energy efficiency becoming a critical factor in the property market? 5:30 – What are some of the key energy efficiency features that buyers and renters should look out for when trying to find a home? 7:12 – How can renters and buyers make their homes more energy efficient? 9:30 – What are some common misconceptions about energy efficiency? 15:29 – How will the role of energy efficiency evolve in the property industry over the next decade? 19:05 – What or who has the greatest potential to drive widespread energy efficiency in the residential market? 21:40 – Erika Stanley looks at the numbers in the housing market in The Sip.  23:45 – What key findings about energy efficiency reveal about the evolution of Australia’s housing stock? 32:02 – How is technology changing the way we assess and understand energy resilience across the market? Find out more at Cotality.com/insights

The ripple effects of unaffordable—or unavailable—insurance reaches beyond individual households and is distorting entire housing markets. — In the U.S. and Australia, increasing natural disasters are putting pressure on governments and homeowners to find safe and affordable housing solutions. —Data is providing key insights to help identify and prioritize mitigation measures for particularly vulnerable communities. —Environmental pressures have altered natural disaster response over the past decade, and there are a few things the U.S. could learn from Australia's approach. In this episode: 2:37 – How have recent natural disaster events in the U.S. and Australia shifted how we understand environmental risk? 5:47 – How has natural disaster response changed in the last 10 years, and what role does data play in disaster response? 9:53 – How is the property industry keeping up with the increasing severity of natural disasters? 14:31 – Where are the biggest opportunities to build smarter, safer communities? 17:45 – Erika Stanley goes over the numbers in property market in The Sip. 18:50 – Why is it becoming more difficult to insure high-risk homes? 20:56 – How can better data and insights help insurers mitigate risk rather than exit the market. 25:22 – What is one change that could effectively help insurers prepare for environmental risk?

This episode of Beyond the Buildings host Maiclaire Bolton Smith and Cotality’s Assistant Vice President of Product Marketing Tom Larsen explore the escalating crisis in homeowners insurance, revealing why premiums are rising and what it means for homeowners and insurers nationwide. Discover why some states are hit harder than others, how government insurance programs can remain sustainable, and what new innovations might offer hope for homeowners. - Insurance costs are climbing non-coastal states like Oklahoma and Texas, pressuring the long-term affordability of homeownership. - Billion-dollar natural disasters, shifting risk tolerance, and more expensive reinsurance is transforming how insurers are pricing — and providing — policies. - Explore why this routine homeownership policy has become a barrier to homeownership.

Chay Halbert, a principal in public policy at Cotality, discusses Florida's radical proposal to eliminate property taxes. He and Maiclaire Bolton Smith delve into its potential repercussions, revealing how it could drain funding for schools and public services. The conversation explores the looming affordability crisis, noting that affluent families might exacerbate inequality by gravitating toward better-funded schools. They also evaluate complex alternatives for lost revenue and the challenges this proposal poses for the housing market.

Patrick Dodd, President and CEO of Cotality, previously drove growth at CoreLogic. In this discussion, he shares the bold move to rebrand, emphasizing that it reflects a transformational vision rather than a simple change. Listeners learn about the collaborative process behind the name 'Cotality' and its commitment to being people-centric in the evolving property industry. Dodd also outlines how this rebranding seeks to enhance client engagement and set new standards through insight and innovation.

Molly Boesel, Senior Principal Economist at Cotality, sheds light on the unique hurdles facing Gen Z in the housing market. As this generation navigates high mortgage rates and soaring home prices, many are turning to creative solutions like house hacking and co-buying. Boesel discusses how tech-savvy Gen Z is leveraging digital tools to inform their homebuying decisions and redefine ownership, embracing shared purchases and multi-use properties in their quest for affordability.

For years homeowners’ insurance was just there. It was a safety net in the background, ready to catch someone when disaster struck. But now, that net is fraying, and homeowners are scrambling to understand why coverage is becoming so expensive — or in some areas, nearly impossible to obtain.Homeowners across the country — especially in wildfire-prone states like California — are seeing their premiums skyrocket, their policies canceled, or, in some cases, they are left without any options at all. Insurers too are feeling the pressure. For years, they relied on traditional risk models to calculate premiums, issue policies, and assume predictable loss patterns. But the landscape is changing. Rising claims, extreme weather events, and economic pressures are pushing the industry to a breaking point.At the center of this crisis is a fundamental question: how does the industry adapt to a world with accelerating natural hazard risk? On this episode of Core Conversations, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down with the co-founder of Wows Insurance to talk about this issue and what can be done to address this ongoing crisis.In This Episode2:46 – Why are insurers paying out more than they are taking in?4:48 – What will happen to the housing market if insurance becomes too expensive or impossible to get?6:52 – Are there alternative paths to providing insurance beyond the traditional avenues?9:51 – How can governmental policy development and homeowner participation help improve insurance accessibility?14:08 – Is it possible for insurance to remain a profitable business long-term?17:10 – Erika Stanley does the numbers in the housing market in The Sip.18:12 – How do you insure the value of a home long-term as the market continues to drive up prices?22:26 – Comparing the 2024 and 2025 California wildfire season.24:27 – In which other states is wildfire risk increasing dramatically?26:43 – What does the future landscape of wildfire insurance look like?Up Next: The Homes the LA Wildfires Left: A Hidden Insurance Crisis?Links: Will Trump Tariffs Harm Home Affordability?What Is the Real Price of LA’s Wildfire Disaster?What Will a Second Trump Presidency Mean for U.S. Housing?Explore CoreLogic DataRead CoreLogic Intelligence 5 Copyright 2025 Cotality

As the U.S. waits for the final decision on the fresh tariffs imposed on Canadian, Mexican, and Chinese imports, the housing industry is bracing for the impact of this policy decision. With material costs already a growing concern, these new trade policies could send ripples through supply chains, development timelines, and affordability.Tariffs on steel, lumber, concrete and other key building materials have the potential to drive up construction costs, exacerbating an already tight housing market. Builders and developers may need to rethink sourcing strategies, while policymakers weigh the broader economic consequences of trade restrictions on inflation and consumer spending.From rising home prices to shifting supply chains, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down with industry experts Pete Carroll CoreLogic's, EVP of Public Policy and Industry Relations, and Jay Thies CoreLogic's Vice President of Pricing Analysis and Delivery to explore the immediate and long-term effects of these tariffs. Tune into this episode of Core Conversations to listen to the break down on what thse tariffs could mean for homebuilders, affordability, and the future of the housing market.In This Episode:2:10 – What are Trump’s tariffs and how will they affect the property industry — particularly construction?5:50 – What are the preliminary estimates on how much tariffs could increase homebuilding costs?9:12 – Will adding additional cost to homebuilding conflict with Trump’s executive order to provide affordability relief to the housing market?13:58 – How will material and labor costs be affected?16:32 –  Erika Stanley does the numbers in the housing market in The Sip.17:32 – Canadian lumber tariffs, they’re not new, but these tariffs will make them substantial.19:22 – Could the U.S. domestically supply the necessary materials for home construction? Are there alternative materials that could be used?22:30 – Will the tariffs have long-term consequences on U.S. home affordability?24:54 – How will these tariffs affect rebuilding efforts following January’s Los Angeles wildfires?28:30 – Will these tariffs affect the future of the U.S. property market?Up Next: What Will a Second Trump Presidency Mean for U.S. Housing?Links: What Is the Real Price of LA’s Wildfire Disaster?Construction Cost Update ReportRead CoreLogic Intelligence Find full episodes with all our guests in our podcast archive here: https://clgx.co/3HFslXD5 Copyright 2025 Cotality What Is the Real Price of LA’s Wildfire Disaster?Construction Cost Update ReportRead CoreLogic Intelligence