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Known for his quick wit, trendy bowtie and complete understanding of the housing industry, President and Chief Economist of Graphs and Laughs, Elliott Eisenberg Ph.D., is in the studio for today’s episode of Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio. Joined by co-hosts Carol Morgan and Todd Schnick, the group kicks off December’s Radio lineup by discussing the 2021 economic housing forecast, the results of the 2020 election, the impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) on the economy and so much more on this All About Real Estate segment of Radio.
Eisenberg earned his Ph.D. in housing economics over 20 years ago and has been working in the housing industry ever since. With a wide scope of service, including over 10 years with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Eisenberg sought to engage and educate even more industry professionals through public speaking. This passion kickstarted a career that ultimately lead to Graphs and Laughs.
“My only regret is not going out on my own earlier,” said Eisenberg. “It’s fun to be your own boss.”
Graphs and Laughs is a company designed to merge useful information about economics with plenty of laughter and fun. Eisenberg continually educates a wide variety of professionals in the homebuilding industry by offering humor, jokes and plenty of laughter to keep everyone entertained. Eisenberg travels all over the country sharing his economic forecasts and quick wit to help people understand and remember economic concepts.
“Things that people find generally boring, I try to bring to life with some semblance of humor, funny slides and just my own weird personality,” said Eisenberg.
With a new administration taking office in 2021, Eisenberg discusses the possibilities for the upcoming year. One big factor that will make an impact on the new year is the state of Georgia. There are currently two runoff elections scheduled to take place in early January. The two senate seats up for grabs in Georgia could end up splitting the overall Senate majority in Washington, D.C. If this is the case, Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris is responsible for breaking ties. While this is a possibility, Eisenberg thinks this will mainly only help President-Elect Joe Biden with his cabinet nominations. Because the House and Senate are so evenly split, Eisenberg does not think any major social or economic policy getting passed is reasonable.
Despite the several political uncertainties, Eisenberg is confident the housing market will remain steady moving into 2021. Single-family home sales are on fire and it seems like the main factor slowing down the market is an inability to build houses fast enough. That being said, Eisenberg does see the new home sales starting to plateau and level out leading into 2021. Eisenberg also says the housing industry is the healthiest single sector in the United States economy right now.
“I think we are probably beginning to reach the plateau of what we can physically produce as a country in terms of single-family construction,” said Eisenberg. “It would be nice to produce more, but I don’t think we can. But we can sustain this level for some time as the COVID numbers decline and as people rearrange their housing situation.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has helped the housing industry see a huge surge. After the initial shutdowns in early 2020, a surplus of demand hit the housing market in the summer and fall months. In addition to the overflow of demand from previous seasons, more families than usual are finding a need to buy a new home. Now, a home must incorporate a gym, a school, a hangout area, a relaxing retreat and so much more. Being home more often has helped families see a need for more from their homes. In addition, the average family is spending less on services, allowing for an increase in budget for goods. This means an ability to spend more money on a higher mortgage for a new home.
To learn more about the current economic environment, where the economy is going and to hear several witty jokes from Elliot F. Eisenberg, Ph.D of Graphs and Laughs, be sure to listen to the full interview above. For more information on having Elliot Eisenberg speak to your group, visit www.Econ70.com.
To subscribe to Eisenberg’s brief email newsletter on the economy, text the word “bowtie” to 228-28. Each e-blast contains less than 100 words without any graphs, photos, links, charts, ads or other features. The Monday through Thursday newsletter features useful information related to the economy, while Friday features a fun bit of information to end the week on a light note.
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Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee, License #22564. NMLS ID #6606. Subject to borrower and property qualifications. Not all applicants will qualify. New American Funding and Graphs and Laughs are not associated. Click here to view the terms and conditions of products mentioned during the show. Corporate office 14511 Myford Rd., Suite 100, Tustin, CA 92780. Phone: (800) 450-2010. (December/2020)
New American Funding is a family-owned mortgage lender with a servicing portfolio of over 123,000 loans for $30.4 billion, 198 branches, and about 3,100 employees. The company offers several niche loan products and has made Inc. 5000’s list of Fastest-Growing Companies in America six times. It has a state-of-the-art career training facility and develops innovative technology, including the GoGo LO mobile application. For more information, visit www.branch.newamericanfunding.com/Atlanta.
The Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio “All About Real Estate” segment, presented by Denim Marketing, highlights the movers and shakers in the Atlanta real estate industry – the home builders, developers, Realtors and suppliers working to provide the American dream for Atlantans. For more information on how you can be featured as a guest, contact Denim Marketing at 770-383-3360 or fill out the Atlanta Real Estate Forum contact form. Subscribe to the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast on iTunes, and if you like this week’s show, be sure to rate it.
