Beyond the Buildings

Latest Episodes:

Are algorithms or agents the missing link for disconnected homebuyers? Jul 30, 2025

Show notes

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.

Silent shifts in mortgage fraud raise concerns Jul 16, 2025

Show notes

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?

Energy is a powerful bridge for the property value divide Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

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

What happens when lodging becomes a liability? Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

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?

Home insurance shortfalls may turn cheap homes into costly futures Jun 04, 2025

Show notes

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.

Property tax cuts could upend the Florida housing market May 07, 2025

Show notes

Florida’s proposal to eliminate property taxes sounds like a radical affordability solution — but what would it actually cost? In this episode, Maiclaire Bolton Smith and Chay Halbert unpack the financial, political, and social tradeoffs behind this bold move. • Eliminating property taxes would gut funding for schools and public services, forcing states to consider more inconsistent funding alternatives like sales tax hikes. • Florida’s affordability crisis is already pushing people out of major cities like Miami, and this proposal could deepen inequality. • Replacing lost revenue isn’t as simple as it sounds — and may create more complex issues than it solves Florida on the Brink: https://www.cotality.com/insights/articles/florida-on-the-brink Meet Cotality: https://www.cotality.com

Cotality is more than a name — It’s a vision Apr 30, 2025

Show notes

CoreLogic rebranded as Cotality, and the company’s CEO Patrick Dodd explains why now was the right time to make the change. - The transition from CoreLogic to Cotality wasn’t just a rebrand, it was transformation with purpose. - What happens when a legacy powerhouse hits refresh? Beyond better serving client needs and adapt to changing market dynamics, this rebrand better showcases what this company has become. - Cotality is setting a new standard by pushing the boundaries of insight, collaboration, and impact to lead the property industry forward. In this episode of Beyond the Buildings, Patrick Dodd sits down with host Maiclaire Bolton Smith to explain what drove the change, why now was the right time, and how this new identity honors the past while boldly stepping into the future. From the collaborative naming process to the careful crafting of the mission, vision, and values statements, he gives us an inside look at how Cotality came to be and where it’s heading next. In this episode: • 2:31 – Who is Cotality? • 5:38 – Why was the CoreLogic brand changed now? • 9:30 – What have been the reactions to the rebrand? • 13:19 – How was the name “Cotality” selected and what does it mean? • 20:37 – Where will the Cotality brand take the company? • 24:31 – Erika Stanley looks at the numbers in the housing market in The Sip. • 25:25 – Why is it important to be people-centric? • 29:17 – Patrick Dodd explains when he will feel like Cotality has achieved its mission.

How Gen Z will write new rules for homebuying Apr 30, 2025

Show notes

Gen Z is entering the housing market and encountering challenges both familiar and unfamiliar to previous generations. - High mortgage rates and home prices are forcing many to explore alternative markets and creative strategies like house hacking. - Tech tools and digital platforms are central to how Gen Z researches, finances, and navigates homebuying decisions. - This generation is redefining ownership to embrace shared purchases, multi-use properties, and nontraditional paths to affordability. In this episode of Beyond the Buildings, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith and Cotality economist Molly Boesel explore the trends shaping Gen Z’s path to property ownership — what’s driving them, what’s holding them back, and how their creativity is changing the landscape of housing for everyone. In this episode: 2:00 – How big of a presence is Gen Z in the housing market? Are they having an easier or more difficult time buying homes than previous generations? 3:29 – What sort of homes are Gen Z buyers looking for? 6:14 – Are Gen Z buyers spending more than the recommended amount when they purchase homes? Is homeownership out of reach for much of this generation? 10:49 – Erika Stanley looks at the numbers in the housing market in The Sip. 11:57 – Is house hacking a possible path to homeownership for this generation? 15:12 – How are affordability issues propelling Gen Z buyers to look into creative financing options? 18:00 – Is AI changing how Gen Z buyers shop for homes?

How Will Property Data Help Manage the California Insurance Crisis? Aug 16, 2023

Show notes

Home insurance is a critical consideration when applying for a mortgage. Without insurance, it’s exceedingly difficult to purchase a property. However, with climate change influencing weather patterns and contributing to the increasing severity of natural disasters, some insurers are reassessing their coverage to better manage their risk.

Insurance risk management is a topic that has cropped up in several U.S. states. This summer, Allstate and State Farm announced that they would no longer write new policies in California and indicated that the frequency and intensity of natural disasters contributed to their decision.

What drove two of the largest insurers in the U.S. to make this decision? How can regulators help manage risk for insurers, carriers and homeowners?

In this episode of Core Conversations, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down with Senior Product Manager Jamie Knippen to talk about these questions and how understanding wildfire risk scores can help indicate where there are opportunities for risk mitigation.

In This Episode:

3:01 - What happened when two major insurers stopped writing new policies in California?

4:35 – Why are insurers only now saying “This is enough”?

5:54 – Are governmental regulations and mitigation requirements the only answer to rising risk?

8:37 – Erika Stanley gives an overview of the housing market in The Sip

9:36 – How do property, structural and community-level mitigation differ?

12:15 – Maiclaire and Jamie discuss how their jobs have made them hyper-aware of property-level risk

Links:

Up Next: Will Wildfire Risk Mitigation Requirements Change the California Insurance Industry?

Find full episodes with all our guests in our podcast archive here: https://clgx.co/3zqhBZt

How Do We Deconstruct Home Values? May 05, 2021

Show notes

Market value. Replacement value. Reconstruction value. Assessed value. Appraised value. The real estate ecosystem is filled with hundreds of similar-sounding names, with similar-sounding purposes, and even seasoned professionals get them confused.

In this episode, Core Conversations host Maiclaire Bolton Smith chats with valuations expert Sherrie Clevenger to get to the bottom of this matter: what do all of these values mean? And how do we ensure they're accurate?

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected