If you’re trying to plan your next 1–3 deals (or your next 12 months) without getting whiplash from headlines, this National REIA Now replay is worth your time.
Rebecca McLean opens the session by welcoming incoming National REIA president Anish Dave, who shares a simple but important focus: bringing more younger investors into local REIAs while strengthening relationships across the country. That theme matters, because 2026 is shaping up to be a “know your market + know your numbers + know your people” kind of year.
Read our other market updates in last week’s blog post.
The session has three big segments:
1) New member benefit: Fast, affordable cabinet refacing (Qwikkit)
Jeremy Striz introduces Qwikkit, a cabinet refacing solution positioned as a faster, cheaper alternative to full cabinet replacement—especially when your cabinet boxes are structurally sound and you don’t need to change the kitchen layout.
Key takeaways:
Product delivery is promised in about 10 business days, with an optional expedite option.
Installation can be completed in about 2 days (DIY-friendly or easy for contractors).
The pricing example given: an average kitchen refresh can land around $1,500 or less, plus a first-order discount using a member promo code.
They ship nationwide (manufacturing noted in Houston and shipped via FedEx).
For investors focused on turn time and ROI, this is the kind of “small upgrade, big impact” vendor relationship that can matter when the market is more price-sensitive.
2) Legislative radar: Seller finance + property rights messaging
Kevin Coughlin flags two items investors should keep an eye on:
Seller Finance Bill (Affordable Home Ownership Access Act)
Introduced by Rep. Andy Barr (Kentucky), referenced as House Resolution 6511 in the transcript.
The key promise described: removing origination-fee disadvantages for seller-financers to help create a more level playing field.
National REIA expects a push to mobilize members if the bill gets traction (likely attached to a larger legislative package).
New York City policy “two-step” warning
Coughlin highlights a concern about policies that start with stricter rules like rent control, then later claim landlords can’t meet requirements—creating a path to enforcement actions and potential property takeover. His point: these ideas can spread city-to-city if investors don’t pay attention early.
Whether you agree or disagree with the politics, the practical lesson is the same: watch what starts as “local policy experiments” because they often become templates other cities copy.
3) Rick Sharga’s industry update: the economy is stronger than the vibe
Rick Sharga’s main presentation is the “why” behind what many investors are feeling on the ground.
The economy: solid growth, but consumers are stretched
He notes:
GDP growth has been stronger than many forecasts, and inflation has cooled (but prices are still high compared to a few years ago).
Unemployment remains relatively low, but job growth is weak, and it’s taking longer for unemployed workers to find new jobs.
Consumer debt is at record levels, and delinquencies are rising in several categories—student loans being a notable pressure point.
Translation: the economy isn’t collapsing, but a lot of households are living closer to the edge, which affects housing demand, rent sensitivity, and overall confidence.
Housing market: not a crash—more like a “reset”
Sharga pushes back on the “price crash” narrative. His view is that the U.S. is in a multi-year reset after mortgage rates rose sharply in 2022.
What he’s watching:
Affordability is still hard, but improving slightly as mortgage rates and price growth cool.
Home prices are rising much more slowly, and some regions are seeing declines—especially areas that surged during the pandemic era.
Inventory is up in many areas, largely because homes are taking longer to sell, not necessarily because there’s a flood of new listings.
More listings are seeing price reductions, and delistings are also rising (sellers pull the home rather than accept a price they don’t like).
Foreclosures remain well below historical norms, which is one reason he doesn’t expect a crash.
His simple reminder for investors is one MAREI members will appreciate: national headlines don’t buy houses—your local market does. Know your inventory, your days on market, and your price trends before you assume anything.
Investor activity: investors are a bigger share of sales, but institutions are still tiny
This is one of the most useful parts of the update for cutting through talking points:
Investors bought roughly one-third of residential properties in mid-2025 (based on the data he referenced).
That doesn’t mean institutions are “taking over.” Sharga emphasizes:
Most investor-owned properties are owned by small investors (1–10 units).
Large institutional ownership is a very small slice of total housing.
Institutions have been selling more than they’re buying for several quarters.
He argues proposed bans on “corporate buyers” are messy partly because of how broadly “corporate entity” could be defined (and how easily that could accidentally scoop up small operators).
Flipping, rentals, and the insurance problem
Sharga notes:
Flipping volume has been down and margins compressed, but sentiment may be improving as affordability slowly improves.
Apartment rents have softened in many places, while single-family rents have held closer to flat/slight up.
Insurance has become a decision-maker: a high percentage of investors now evaluate insurance cost/availability before buying, and many have lost deals because insurance didn’t pencil.
So what’s the outlook for 2026?
Sharga’s tone is cautious but not gloomy:
He expects continued gradual improvement in affordability.
Mortgage rates may drift lower, but he’s not banking on a return to ultra-low rates.
He sees 2026 as an “inflection point” year in the reset, with 2027 feeling more like a true recovery.
