Beyond the Buildings

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Will Congress Regulate AI's Rapid Growth in Real Estate? Feb 05, 2025

Show notes

From Capitol Hill to the mortgage industry, AI is everywhere. It’s even finding its way into the halls of government. But while AI promises innovation, it’s also raising a ton of questions—especially for policymakers.

Last year, Congress introduced over 350 AI-related bills, and while many of these bills simply served to spark debate, it’s clear that lawmakers are considering everything from data privacy to mitigating bias in algorithms. Now, with a new Congress in session, the real question is: will AI regulation finally take center stage?

Although no property-focused AI bills made it to the floor last session, there’s been plenty of groundwork. From Senate hearings on AI in financial services to conversations about the technology’s impact on housing, policymakers have been laying the foundation for regulation. One theme keeps emerging: the need to balance innovation with fairness.

Technology often moves faster than regulation, but if regulators move too fast or ignore industry concerns, it could stall progress. And then there’s the wildcard: the Supreme Court’s 2024 repeal of the Chevron doctrine, which shifted interpretive power from agencies to the courts. This means Congress now has to be ultra-specific when drafting laws, which could further slow regulation initiatives.

The future of AI regulation may be uncertain, but one thing’s clear: the stakes couldn’t be higher. In this episode of Core Conversations, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith and Russell McIntyre, an expert in public policy and industry relations at CoreLogic, discuss the need for AI regulation and how the government could approach this task.

In This Episode:

1:50 – Is the U.S. government currently regulating AI? What about AI in the property industry?

5:19 – Whose responsibility is it to regulate AI?

7:19 – How will the Chevron doctrine going to influence AI regulation in Congress?

10:00 – What are the concerns and opportunities if AI regulations change in the property industry?

12:28 – How will AI affect climate science?

14:27 – Erika Stanley goes over the numbers in the property market with The Sip.

15:26 – Is it impossible to eliminate inherent bias in AI technology?

17:49 – How will the U.S. government handle AI and how can companies prepare for upcoming regulations around AI?

Up Next: What Are the Ethical Implications of AI in the Property Industry?

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University of Miami Researcher Weighs in on Key 2024 Hurricanes Season Trends Jul 10, 2024

Show notes

As the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season approaches, the climate signals are anything but typical. The transition from El Niño to La Niña and unprecedented sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic have meteorologists and communities paying close attention to the potential severity and frequency of this year's hurricane potential.

Warmer ocean temperatures can fuel more intense hurricanes that cause widespread destruction, including severe flooding and wind damage, as well as long-term economic and social disruptions. With coastal populations growing, the consequences of a major hurricane can be catastrophic. The combination of this season’s meteorological patterns and growth along the Gulf Coast underscores the need for proactive planning and resilience.

In this episode, Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science talks to podcast host Maiclaire Bolton Smith to explore the implications of current climate conditions and how they might influence hurricane activity for the 2024 season. The discussion will also include an exploration of how communities should prepare for a hurricane season that is expected to be quite active.

In This Episode:

1:55 – What can we expect from the 2024 hurricane season?

3:33 – To what degree do the current metrological phenomena make this season unprecedented?

6:56 – Why didn’t ocean temperatures result in an extreme hurricane season in 2023?

9:17 – Why doesn’t a major hurricane year always equate to a large loss year for insurance?

11:08 – Erika Stanley goes over the numbers in the housing market in The Sip.

12:28 – What does sea level rise mean for hurricane season?

15:06 – Is there still room for the National Hurricane Center to reduce incertitude in its cone of uncertainty models?

19:33 – How do hurricane models differ and how can they be interpreted for different uses?

23:12 – Erika Stanley reviews natural catastrophes and extreme weather events across the world.

23:58 – Where can you find more of Brian McNoldy’s research?

Up Next: Building Codes Cost. But What is Resiliency Actually Worth?

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Where Are Labor and Material Cost Affecting Housing Affordability? Jun 26, 2024

Show notes

As the landscape of the housing market continues to evolve, one topic continues to remain at the forefront: affordability.

It’s a topic we frequently explore on this podcast because it touches every facet of the property market, including the rising costs of construction. With more people moving to more affordable regions, there’s a notable impact on both home prices and the costs associated with building new homes.

As inflation remains elevated, people are migrating to more affordable areas, and the construction industry is feeling the strain with a shortage of workers, causing affordability to erode.

Building a house involves numerous components — drywall, copper pipes, shingles, and more. Each of these materials, along with labor costs, plays a significant role in the overall price of construction. While the prices of materials have decreased since their peak during the pandemic, the overall cost of building remains a challenge due to labor shortages and other economic pressures.

To delve deeper into the dynamics between material and labor costs and affordability in the housing market, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith is joined by Jay Thies, associate vice president of Pricing Analysis and Delivery at CoreLogic.

In This Episode:

2:30 – What has changed in recent months in terms of construction and labor prices?

5:59 – How will declining material costs influence new construction trends?

7:45 – Erika Stanley goes over the numbers in the housing market in The Sip.

9:24 – There is increasing interest in the construction trades. How will this affect the property market long-term?

12:11 – How are natural catastrophes affecting labor and material costs?

13:31 – Is there a correlation between population migration patterns and the price of labor and materials?

16:29 – In which markets are construction prices cooling off?

17:24 – Crystal Ball: What does the future of labor and material costs look like?

19:35 – Erika Stanley reviews natural catastrophes and extreme weather events across the world.

Up Next: Is There Actually a Lumber Shortage?

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A Data Scientist's Guide to the Safest Places to Live in the US for Climate Change May 31, 2023

Show notes

As climate change continues to influence weather patterns, not all areas of the U.S. will be equally exposed to natural hazard risks. While some locations may not be ideal choices for property investment in the future, there are other areas that data scientists have demonstrated will be sheltered from the damaging effects of natural catastrophes.

In Part 2 of this episode, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith continues the conversation with CoreLogic Chief Scientist Howard Botts to see where the safest places to live in the U.S. will be in the face of climate change.

In This Episode

1:13 – So where are the safest places to live in the U.S. today?
2:44 – Are we expecting these areas to become boomtowns? They have affordable real estate.
5:22 – When factoring in future climate change scenarios, where will the safest places to live be?
6:21 – Macro- versus micro-migration patterns. Sometimes moving a few blocks can make a home more resilient.
9:33 – If El Nino arrives, how will it affect the weather and the subsequent natural catastrophes?
10:18 – Are millennial homeowners more likely than baby boomers to consider climate change when purchasing a property?
12:42 – How do earthquakes fit into climate change property risk profiles?

Up Next: Using Data Science to Examine Riskiest US Areas to Live Amid Climate Change

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

What Was it Really Like to Live Through the California Floods? Our Team Spills | Part 2 | 2 Mar 29, 2023

Show notes

In Part 2 of this episode, host Maiclaire Bolton-Smith continues the conversation with Kent David, a senior leader in analytics consulting, and Tom Larsen, an expert in catastrophe risk management and insurance solutions, to talk about the atmospheric rivers, bomb cyclones and snow that have made headlines and again put California’s natural hazard risks in the spotlight.

Get insights into the state’s wildfire risk, the consequences on reservoir capacity and the future impacts of the current snowpack while also learning a few choice colloquialisms from our guests.

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

In This Episode:

2:02 – It snowed in California – a lot. But what happens when that snow melts?

5:55 – How much reservoir capacity is available in California to absorb the snowpack?

8:15 – Meteorologists modeled a dry winter. What happened?

10:37 – Do these winter storms change California’s wildfire risk?

12:44 – Katy, bar the door! Climate change will change flood insurance.

19:39 – Visit us in New Orleans, Louisiana!

20:15 – Mitigation is only the first step to becoming resilient.

PropTech’s Convenience Will Cost You, But How Much? Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

In part one of this episode, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down again with CoreLogic’s real estate tech solutions expert Mark Weaver to chat about how rising interest rates and a slowdown in buyer interest resulted in the once-red-hot iBuying and power buying segment being abruptly confronted with an environment designed to stress-test their business models.

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

In this episode:

0:52 - Meet Katia, the newest team member of Core Conversations

2:06 - Mark is back to introduce himself

3:09 - How is the current market testing the iBuying model?

4:30 - What is the future of iBuying?

6:26 - What is iBuying anyways?

7:07 - Maiclaire talks about her iBuying experience

8:36 - Mark explains how iBuyers are pivoting their business models

10:45 - Katia takes a coffee break to do the numbers in the market

12:00 - What are the current opportunities for iBuyers?

13:22 - Designing a buy-box

Jumbo-Sized Financial Risk With a Side of Climate Change Nov 02, 2022

Show notes

To prepare for the intensifying impacts of climate change and the resulting physical risks to property assets, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down with CoreLogic’s Public Policy and Industry Relations Executive Pete Carroll to discuss how climate-related financial risk influences government policy, with a focus on President Biden’s Executive Order 14030.

Learn more about how governmental policy affects the property industry by following along with CoreLogic analysis: https://clgx.co/3zqhBZt

Read more about the Dodd-Frank Act here, and check out the following episodes for further discussions about the effects of climate change on the property market:

In this episode:

3:56 - Background on Executive Order 14030

5:28 - Who is involved in making this regulation a reality?

6:57 - Have there been any recommendations on how to implement the strategic goals outlined in this executive order?

11:20 - Which of these policy recommendations may be implemented?

14:00 - The future of climate change

16:25 - What is the timeline for the implementation of this executive order?

18:18 - What can property professionals do to prepare themself for these changes?

CoreLogic CEO: Why Foundational Support Comes from the Top Jun 29, 2022

Show notes

Seasonal changes affect the property industry. They also affect companies. As summer arrives, CoreLogic is commemorating its one-year mark as a private company that is also now under the leadership of CEO Pat Dodd.

To discover what all this change means for the business, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down with Pat to discuss who he is as a leader, investigate what it is like to guide a private company and discover the insights he has gained about the property market during the first months in his new position.

Debunked! Top Three Housing Myths Dispelled Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

It’s no secret that the property market has been out of the ordinary, but how far from the norm have things actually deviated? While a quick scan of recent headlines may lead to the assumption that the U.S. is facing a brewing housing bubble, the reality of the country’s economics and the future of the property market is far more complex.

In this episode, host Maiclaire Bolton Smith sits down with CoreLogic Principal Economist Molly Boesel about the top three myths that are currently circulating within the property market, which of these claims are false and which ones have grown from a grain of truth into urban legend.

Dive into the ins and out of the property market by visiting the CoreLogic Intelligence page at corelogic.com/intelligence.

What's the Secret to Being a Rockstar Real Estate Agent? Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

Finding the dream home can be incredibly competitive these days. From "sight unseen" home purchases to bidding wars, a combination of low supply, low interest rates, and the pandemic-driven desire for space have raised the stakes for buyers, sellers and agents alike.

Deneka Waddell, from the Holmes Realty Group, is the expert on the ground. In this episode, she sits down with Core Conversations host Maiclaire Bolton Smith to reveal what is actually happening, how data can improve the home purchase process, and whether freshly baked cookies actually sell homes.

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