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Longer-form pieces from Fundamento Research — opinionated, sourced, and aimed at decisions, not just description. Subscribe to alerts for the topics you care about.

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· 10 min read

What 28 Percent Doesn't Cover: The Real Cost of a 2026 Mortgage

At the July 2026 median home price of $434,100 and a 6.66 percent rate, principal and interest alone on a 20-percent-down loan runs about $2,232 a month — already more than the entire housing budget the 28 percent rule allows a household earning the national median income of $83,730, before PMI, HOA fees or insurance enter the picture.

· 10 min read

FIRPTA Withholding and ITIN Financing for the Foreign Buyer, 2026

FIRPTA withholding runs up to 15 percent of a sale's full price, not the gain, and steps down only within specific residence-price bands the IRS sets at $300,000 and $1 million. ITIN buyers, meanwhile, finance entirely outside the conventional mortgage market, with down payments starting near 15 to 20 percent and rates commonly landing 1 to 3 points above conventional pricing.

· 7 min read

The 2026 debt wall is already reshaping office pricing

$875B in CRE maturities this year, CMBS distress at 17.4% in office. The extend-and-pretend cycle is ending — and the next 18 months will produce realized losses, not just paper ones.

· 6 min read

Senior housing — the strongest demographic bet of the decade

The 80+ population grows 4%+ annually through 2035. Supply growth is structurally capped at 1–2%. Occupancy hit 88.7% in Q3 2025, the highest since 2019. Few real estate theses are this mechanical.

· 8 min read

1031 vs. OZ: a decision framework for the post-OBBB era

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act made Opportunity Zones permanent. That changes the math meaningfully — but not in the direction most CPAs are pitching.

· 7 min read

The LatAm–Miami corridor: structural, not cyclical

$4.4B in foreign South Florida purchases in 2025 (+42% YoY). 49% of new construction sold to international buyers; 86% of those were Latin Americans. Five years of data have now closed the "is this cyclical?" debate.

· 5 min read

Cost segregation in 2026: when the numbers actually work

The OBBB Act (July 2025) restored 100% bonus depreciation permanently for property acquired after January 19, 2025 — cost-seg math is back to its strongest form. The acquisition date, not just the year, decides which regime applies.

· 6 min read

What the RealPage settlement means for multifamily

The DOJ consent decree (Nov 2025) didn't ban revenue management software — but it ended the 200 bps operating-spread advantage early adopters captured in 2020–2023. The mid-market multifamily edge case has changed.

· 7 min read

Climate risk: the insurance-first underwriting framework

93% of homeowners are concerned about climate damage. 49% may move because of it. The biggest single variable in real estate underwriting for 2026 isn't price — it's next-decade insurance trajectory.

· 6 min read

Data centers are the new trophy office (and the new risks)

Vacancy at 1%, rents +9% in 2025, $710B in hyperscaler capex committed for 2026. The strongest growth theme in real estate — with hyperscaler concentration risk that nobody is fully pricing.

· 5 min read

House hacking after 2024: is the math still working?

With FHA at 3.5% down and rates at 6.75%, the classic house hack still pencils — but you need to be more selective about market and unit count than 2020 buyers did.

· 6 min read

Why mid-tier real estate funds are the most threatened product format

The top 5 platforms control 30%+ of institutional AUM. Sub-$5B funds can't clear LP minimums. The middle band ($5–25B AUM) is being squeezed by both ends.