All Posts by Bruce Firestone

Here’s an excerpt from a book I wrote (Jenna’s Story, https://brucemfirestone.com/product/jennas-story/) in which Jenna McConnell launches into a diatribe on how stupid zoning regulations help the top .01% (which she calls “Big Mules” or “Equity Lords”) control almost all the levers of political and economic power. Jenna is from South Carolina and proudly speaks like […]

Look at the way this developer sells towns… see below. It’s more of a “swimsuit” competition rather than a value proposition. Key words: “limited” “priced low” “hardwood “ceramic.” #BigMistake IMHO They do OK on location but are missing out on any of these desirable characteristics: walkable, mixed-use, transit, nearby attractions, employment opportunities… which would help […]

Try this: reduce your amortization period from 35 years to 30, from 30 to 25, from 25 to 20, even down to 11 years if you can afford it pay your mortgage every two weeks (not twice a month)—you’ll make 26 payments a year instead of 24 rent out a room on Airbnb or other […]

I suspect a recession is coming to the US and Canada as well as Europe and the UK in 2020. Maybe the rest of the world too. Why is that? Well, real estate prices in desirable, fast-growing cities are accelerating at an unsustainable pace for one. Two, we have shaky world leadership in London, Moscow, […]

A Brief History It wasn’t that long ago (and the condition still exists in certain cantons of Switzerland, for example) that if you didn’t own land, you couldn’t vote in civic elections or even represent yourself at town hall gatherings. Power was tied to ownership of land, so it is not surprising that as the […]

If you talk to many developers like I do, the answer to this question is often, “No one” or “Not many.” I disagree. Market segments which need the extra income or space include: -seniors who need extra income for their retirement-millennials who need extra income to help pay their mortgages -investors who need higher cap […]