Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up 04/20/22

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Construction defects emerge in pandemic-era buildings, investor confidence is improving in China’s real estate market, the proptech field continues to show significant signs of growth, and more.

  • Investor confidence in China’s real estate market is improving, with bond trading volumes and prices rising over the last few weeks, but the market is not projected to resume its high growth rate of the past. (Weizhen Tan & Evelyn Cheng, CNBC)
  • The economic shock caused by soaring mortgage rates over the past few weeks has dramatically increased mortgage payments for new homebuyers. (Lance Lambert, Fortune)
  • With the metaverse economy projected to be worth between $8 and $13 trillion by 2030, blockchain technology serves as a key driver for virtual real estate sales, allowing for “true” ownership of a property. (Robert Koonin, Dan Jasnow, & Kinnon McDonald, TFL)
  • A record $4 billion of VC equity funding flooded into the proptech field in the first quarter, representing an increase of 41% comparted to the fourth quarter and a 31% gain compared to the same time last year. (T.P. Yeatts, The Real Deal)
  • Two years of stop-and-start construction, global supply chain issues, pressure from lenders and yo-yoing housing prices have taken a larger toll on the quality of pandemic-era apartment buildings. (Stefanos Chen, The New York Times)
  • Consensus is forming that the post-pandemic office market will center around a flight to quality, with the commercial real estate industry spending significant funds on amenities. (Lane Gillespie, Bisnow)