More Unemployed Than Job Openings for First Time Since April 2021 — What It Means for Mortgage Rates and the Housing Market
For the first time since April 2021, the number of unemployed Americans has surpassed the number of available job openings. According to July’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), job openings fell to about 7.18 million, while the pool of unemployed workers slightly exceeded that figure. This reversal signals a meaningful cooling in the labor market after years of tight conditions, raising new questions about the Federal Reserve’s next move and what this shift could mean for mortgage rates and the housing market.
Mortgage rates have already begun to reflect the softer economic backdrop. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate recently dipped to under 6.5%, its lowest level in nearly a year. However, despite cheaper financing, many potential buyers remain cautious. Applications for new home loans fell 3% from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, showing that affordability challenges and broader economic uncertainty are still weighing on demand. On the other hand, refinancing activity has started to climb, suggesting that homeowners are beginning to take advantage of the drop in rates.
The key driver behind these moves is the expectation that the Federal Reserve will shift toward cutting interest rates. With the labor market cooling and inflation trending lower, bond yields have fallen as investors anticipate Fed action. Markets are now pricing in a strong likelihood of a 25-basis-point cut at the Fed’s September meeting, with the potential for further easing later in the year. Since mortgage rates are closely tied to Treasury yields, any sustained decline in bond yields could translate into even lower mortgage rates heading into late 2025 and early 2026.
For the housing market, the implications are significant. Lower borrowing costs could gradually restore affordability, especially for first-time buyers who have been priced out during the high-rate environment of the past two years. As mortgage rates trend downward, more buyers may return to the market, creating fresh demand for listings. At the same time, sellers are beginning to adjust, with some lowering asking prices or offering concessions to meet the market. This dynamic could lead to a more balanced environment after years of volatility.
Still, challenges remain. While declining mortgage rates are a welcome relief, home prices in many markets remain elevated, and wage growth is slowing alongside the labor market. Buyers may be more selective, and sellers may need to reset expectations. The near-term outlook suggests a housing market in transition—one where lower rates could unlock pent-up demand but broader affordability and economic confidence will ultimately determine the pace of recovery.
Bottom line: For the first time in over four years, unemployed workers now outnumber job openings, marking a turning point in the labor market. This shift is already helping to push mortgage rates lower, with further declines possible if the Fed follows through with rate cuts. For homebuyers and sellers alike, the coming months could bring new opportunities, but also continued adjustments as the housing market responds to a changing economic landscape.
Why Choose Miami for Your Next Real Estate Venture?
The Miami real estate market is one of the most vibrant and dynamic in the country, with a wide range of properties available for buyers, sellers, and investors. Whether you’re looking for a luxurious waterfront mansion, a sleek and modern high-rise condominium, or a cozy single-family home, you’re sure to find something that fits your needs and budget in Miami.
One of the key factors driving the Miami real estate market is its location. The city is situated on the Atlantic coast of Florida, with easy access to beautiful beaches, world-class shopping and dining, and a wide range of recreational and cultural activities. This makes it a popular destination for both residents and visitors, which in turn helps to support a strong and stable real estate market.
Another important factor that contributes to the strength of the Miami real estate market is the city’s diverse and growing population. Miami is home to a large and diverse community of residents from all over the world, which helps to create a unique cultural scene. This diversity also makes Miami a popular destination for international buyers and investors, who are drawn to the city’s unique blend of cultures and styles.
Despite the ongoing global pandemic, the Miami real estate market has remained resilient and continues to thrive. In 2020, the prices for luxury real estate in Miami increased by around 20%, despite the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.
Miami is a fantastic place to buy, sell, or invest in real estate. With its location, growing population, and diverse range of properties, Miami offers something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a primary residence, a vacation home, or a rental property, Miami is a great place to invest your money in real estate.
Developer Unveils New Renderings for St. Regis Residences Sunny Isles Beach
New renderings have officially been revealed for the highly awaited St. Regis Residences Sunny Isles Beach located at 18801 Collins Avenue in Sunny Isles Beach. The renderings give us more insight into the luxurious views as well as the amenities that St. Regis has to offer but don’t take our word for it, look for yourself.
This beachfront ultra-luxury residential complex will consist of two 62-story towers that will add to the already growing Miami skyline. St. Regis Residences Sunny Isles Beach will be designed by Arquitectonica with interiors by So Paulo-based Anastassiadis and landscaping by EDSA. The site itself will feature 435 feet of beachfront property with panoramic views of both the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean.
The two towers will be referred to as the north and south towers. Sales will be launched on the South tower first with options of 194 residences that range from 2 to 4-bedroom floor plans including a selection of penthouses. The North tower is planned to feature 180 residences but sales will launch at a later date.
The residences themselves are exactly what you would think of when you hear the name St. Regis, and that’s luxury.
Residence Features:
Spacious floor plans boasting unobstructed ocean, city, and Intracoastal views
Ceiling heights clearing 10ft in regular units and 12ft in penthouses
Fully finished with flooring and closets
Private elevator and entry foyer in all residences
Service elevators
Italian-designed kitchens with Quartz countertops
Miele appliances including a wine cooler
Walk-in closets in all primary bedrooms
Laundry rooms with full-size washers and dryers
Smart home technology ready
Service quarters in select residences
Full-floor residences with spacious floor plans
East and West terraces with pool on the east
Spacious terraces with luxurious private pool and jacuzzi
Summer Kitchen
Custom-designed Italian cabinetry
Graciously appointed primary suits and separate service quarters with separate entrance
Stunning, 360-degree views of the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway
Indoor BBQ
Indoor/Outdoor living space
Spread throughout the 2 towers will feature 70,000 square feet of amenities.
Managed by the St Regis Hotel Company, without hotel premises.
Grand entry driveway and 2-story porte-cochere
Impressive two-story lobby
10 Guest Suites per Tower
Concierge Services
Pet-friendly and much more
Private beach facilities
Oceanfront and sunset pools
A signature restaurant
Wellness center
Spa
Athletic club
The construction plans show 1,000 parking spots available for residents and the starting price for units begins at $3.5 million. The project is expected to begin in 2023 and be delivered in 2026.
If you or someone you know have an interest in purchasing at St. Regis Residences Sunny Isles Beach, please contact Lucas Lechuga via email at [email protected] or by phone at (786)247-6332.
New Residential Project Proposed in Sunset Harbour
With proposals for a brand-new development in Sunset Harbour, developer Ronny Finvarb is appearing before the Miami Beach Design Review Board once more.
The board will decide on the plans for the developer’s mixed-use development at 1790 Alton Road in the Sunset Harbour area during its meeting this week. Finvarb had previously attempted to develop a hotel on the site, but the city commission last year unanimously approved a zoning overlay area that prohibited the development of new hotels. Instead, it promoted the creation of fresh office ventures or residential towers.
The new overlay district permits some residential units in office construction projects and raises the height limit for office buildings in the region bounded by 20th Street, Alton Road, Dade Boulevard, and Purdy Avenue from 50 feet to 65 feet. The district not only forbids the construction of new hotels, but it also necessitates a conditional use permit for all structures larger than 25,000 square feet.
The designs show a five-story structure with 12 residential units, a rooftop deck with a private pool and bar, and restaurant space on the first and second levels. Sobe 18 LLC is a subsidiary of the Bay Harbor Islands-based Finvarb Group.
Finvarb’s proposal to erect a 36-key hotel on the 0.2-acre land on Alton Road, which he paid $4 million for in April of last year, was opposed by several Sunset Harbour locals.
For their mixed-use project at 1685 Washington Avenue in Miami Beach, which will be anchored by the Thompson Hotel, Finvarb Group and Chahine Investment Group were able to raise $44.6 million in financing in May 2022.
The Landon Bay Harbor-Miami Beach, a 46-key hotel in the Bay Harbor Islands, was purchased by Finvarb Group last year for $10 million.
The Residence Inn by Marriott South Beach, the Courtyard by Marriott South Beach, and the Kimpton Hotel Palomar South Beach, all located close by at 1750 Alton Road, are also included in Finvarb’s portfolio of properties in Miami Beach.
Invite Only New Construction Luxury 50 Unit Condominium to Break Ground on Fisher Island Miami
The Related Group is making waves in South Florida with their newest condominium project on the exclusive Fisher Island. The invitation only condo tower would include 50 luxury residences with a select number of penthouses.
The wealthy have long made Fisher Island, which is located at the confluence of Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and is a seven-minute ferry trip from Miami Beach.
Oprah, Julia Roberts, and Mel Brooks are all known to have lived on Fisher Island in the past. The enclave has also received some accolades: Bloomberg found in April 2018 that Fisher Island, with an average income of $2.5 million in 2015, was America’s wealthiest ZIP code.
According to Jon Paul Perez, Related’s President stated, “We are currently working with our sales teams to develop our list of VIPs. People can live their entire lives on the island and, as such, develop close relationships with neighbors and fellow residents. That’s the feeling we want to create at our job. We want our buyers to get to know one another, and forge close friendships that elevate this beyond just another one of their homes.”
The proposed condo site, which is the last developable parcel on the 216-acre island, was just purchased for $122.6 million by Related Group, billionaire tycoon Teddy Sagi, BH Group, and Wanxiang America RE Group.
When the unnamed property is finished, units will cost about $30 million, while penthouses will cost more than $60 million.
Project Details:
3 to 5 bedroom residences
Membership to Fisher Island Club
Golf course
Tennis facilities
Marinas
The project’s architect is listed as Kobi Karl with interiors by Tara Bernerd and Partners.
Sales are expected to begin at the end of 2022 with construction anticipated in quarter 4 of 2023.
New York Developers Purchase Site to Build a Two Tower Residential Project for $40.5 Million
The Namdar Group recently purchased a development site for $40.5 million with plans to construct a two-tower residential and apartment project in downtown Miami.
According to county records, the New York-based company purchased 1.3 acres in two agreements at 50 and 60 Northeast Third Street and at 222 and 234 Northeast First Avenue.
Namdar additionally obtained a $195 million loan for the purchase and development of the skyscrapers. Scale Lending, a subsidiary of Slate Property Group, supplied the funding.
A 41-story structure with 640 units and a 43-story building with 714 units would make up the proposed Namdar Towers, which would have combined square footage of more than 1.2 million.
According to records, entities led by Daniel Stone paid $30.5 million for the parking lot and land at 50, 60, and 222 Northeast First Avenue as well as the parking lot at 50 and 60 Northeast Third Street.
The retail building at 234 Northeast First Avenue was sold for $10 million by a partner of Jaime and Esther Waserstein, who founded the ShoeGallery company in Miami. There is a ShoeGallery store on the premises.
According to its website, Namdar is a family-owned development company that was established in 1979. Ephraim Namdar, who has previously been named in media sources as the company’s founder and CEO, is in charge of running the LLC that bought the Miami property.
Igal Namdar’s commercial real estate investment company, Namdar Realty Group, which buys bankrupt retail centers, also has a New York address that is shared by Namdar.
The Journal Square district of Jersey City has seen activity from the corporation. According to the real estate website Jersey Digs, Namdar completed the tops of two mixed-use towers with a total of 27 stories and 667 residences in July.
Namdar Towers would be the newest development in downtown Miami, which has attracted the attention of multifamily developers.
A 48-story tower with 1,200 flats is what Jorge and Jon Paul Pérez’s Related Group and ROVR Development hope to erect at the site of the College Station Garage at 190 Northeast Third Street. The Namdar Towers location is direct across the street from this one.
The 57-story, 675-unit M Tower is what Lions Group NYC and Fortis Design + Build hope to erect at 56, 70, and 65 Southwest Second Street.
Hyatt and Gencom plan to transform the James L. Knight Center and adjoining Hyatt Regency Miami hotel into a three-tower complex called Miami Riverbridge as part of another downtown redevelopment. 1,500 apartments, a new Hyatt hotel with 615 rooms and 264 service-branded flats, as well as a 190,000-square-foot conference center are all part of the plans.
A referendum on the plan will be held in November.
Related Group Requesting Permission to Develop Mixed Use Project on Miami River
The Related Group’s affordable housing division, Related Urban Development Group, is requesting permission to develop a mixed-income housing development on Miami-Dade County property close to the Miami River.
The ground lease and development agreement with the Miami-based developer for the 1.05-acre site at 395 N.W. 1st St. and 25 N.W. River Drive will be up for consideration by the County Commission on September 1. There is a two-story county office building there right now.
The site is close to Interstate 95 to the west, Flagler Street Bridge to the north, and Lummus Park to the south.
In January 2021, the county released a request for proposals (RFP) to find a developer for the land, and Related Group was selected as the successful bidder.
The developer would lease the land from the county under the proposal for 75 years in exchange for a $1.54 million down payment and annual fee equal to 16.5% of the project’s revenue flow. Over the course of the lease’s 75-year term, the county calculated that the payments would total $238.8 million.
The Gallery at Lummus Parc was a project that Related Group predicted would cost $151.7 million to complete.
It would include 439 apartments in two 30-story towers, as well as 5,400 square feet of retail space, a 478-place parking garage, and a cultural installation showcasing Lummus Park’s heritage. An overpass over Northwest First Street would connect the towers.
On the eleventh floor, there would be an amenities deck with a pool, a club room, a workout facility, Zoom rooms, a game room, and a lounge.
Some of the apartments would have cheaper rents and be income-restricted. According to the agreement, 20% of the flats would be reserved for residents earning up to 50% of the area median income and another 20% for residents earning up to 140%. There would be no constraints on income for the remaining flats.
Miami’s average household income is $44,268. The Gallery at Lummus Parc is anticipated to fill some of that demand as local workers have found it more and more difficult to afford residences in the city due to recent double-digit rent increases.
The sizes of the flats would be between 495 and 1,220 square feet. There would be 28 three-bedroom homes, 99 studios, 177 one-bedroom units, and 135 two-bedroom units.
The Related Group representatives declined to comment. According to the proposal, a federal opportunity zone investment fund, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, and low-income tax credit equity from JPMorgan Chase and Raymond James would all contribute to the project’s partial funding.
The concept was created by Miami-based CFE Architects. The developer is represented in the application by Miami attorneys Terry M. Lovell and Al Dotson Jr.
Cavalli Tower Proposed at Champlain Tower South Site
DAMAC Properties recently announced that it has officially received approval to purchase land in the Surfside neighborhood of Miami in a $120 million deal. This land is none other than the site where the Champlain Tower South deadly collapse occurred just last year. DAMAC Properties intends on building a luxury branded tower on the site, Cavalli.
The site itself is located at 8777 Collins Ave Surfside featuring 1.8 acres and was sold to DAMAC through a court process and without any other competing bids on the property.
Prior to DAMAC taking an interest in the site, it was listed for $95.6 million. Sajwani offered the $120 million with the stipulation that he would obtain possession by the spring of 2022. One of the other stipulations was that Sajwani had to pay a $16 million deposit to make the contract valid.
Hussain Sajwani, Founder and Chairman of DAMAC Properties stated, “DAMAC Properties has long been eyeing development opportunities in Miami. We see the city, which is known for being a luxury and fashion centre, as a natural fit for our Company, which has an established reputation for its branded luxury offerings.”
While this is Sajwani’s first United States development, he has an extensive portfolio with establishments of his company in global cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Amman, Baghdad, and London. Sajwani has heavily invested in luxury fashion, real estate, hospitality, and manufacturing.
According to Sajwani, “Our global expansion into the United States marks a major milestone and demonstrates that DAMAC is a force to be reckoned with. This is an exciting time, and we have a lot in store.”
Expansive Mixed Use Tower Planned for Downtown Miami
Miami-Dade planners are working hard on reviewing the pre-application for a large mixed-use project in Downtown Miami.
The property located at 1370 NE 2nd Ave is within the Metromover Subzone of the Rapid Transit Zone District. Within this zoning district, some rules apply which includes up to 1,535 units permitted as well as the 40% glazing requirements.
The tower is anticipated to rise 649 feet tall at 43 stories. Passing the district rules, the tower is proposed to have 1,441 residential units.
The tower will be designed by Rafael Viñoly architects but the city planners are asking for clarification on some of the design elements throughout the project.
The county has stated that the awnings, balconies, and weather protection elements need to be at least six inches from the curb face but the plans appear to encroach on the curb face. Specifically the parking garage for levels 2 through 12 are encroaching.
The open space and landscaping code also needs clarification.
Amenities for the tower will spread over 5 stories and include a state-of-the-art-gym, pool, office elements, and more.
There will be offices dedicated to the auditorium for the Miami-Dade County School Board which will spread over 100,000 square feet. Offices for Crescent Heights will also utilize 19,673 square feet of space.
The plans also show that there will be 9 levels of parking and an expansive ground floor designated for commercial space.
There are currently no scheduled dates to review revised plans but if approved, the ground breaking would begin in 2023.
