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A quartet of proactive federal agencies, a mayor who took criticism the wrong way and a tree-hating neighbor from hell. Looking into the wild and wooly world of real estate, here are our Hits and Misses for this week.

Hit: Thank You for Being a Friend. Most federal regulatory agencies are reactive rather than proactive – and their reactions often come long after damage is done. Thus, a note of appreciation goes out to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Federal Reserve, National Credit Union Administration and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for issuing a 90-page guidance that calls on the nation’s financial institutions to “work prudently and constructively” with credit-worthy clients that are dealing with pressure related to the commercial real estate market. The guidance focuses on short-term loan accommodations including agreements to defer one or more payments, make partial payments or provide other forms of assistance. For once, someone in Washington tried to create a solution rather than ignore a problem.

Miss: The Wrong Response. New York City Mayor Eric Adams created headlines this week when used a wildly inappropriate slavery reference to denigrate an audience member who questioned his commitment to affordable housing. Jeanie Dubnau, an 84-year-old molecular biologist and housing advocate, criticized Adams during a neighborhood meeting for not doing enough to stop the second housing cost hike in rent-controlled apartments in two years. Adams, however, criticized Dubnau for criticizing him, snapping, “I’m the mayor of this city, and treat me with the respect that I deserve to be treated. Don’t stand in front like you’re treating someone that’s on the plantation that you own.” Even the New York Times (which has been highly supportive of the mayor) was forced to admit that Adams has repeatedly used the race card when confronted with criticism, even going so far as to compare himself to the slave Kunta Kinte in Alex Haley’s “Roots.” A video of Adams’ idiotic response went viral, and it became more embarrassing when it was discovered that Dubnau and her German Jewish parents had escaped Europe ahead of the Holocaust – not exactly the plantation owner-type Adams claimed.

Hit: Help for Those Who Really Need It. The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) deserves praise for its new Doorway Housing Portal, which is designed to help locate California’s most elusive commodity: affordable housing in the too-pricey Bay Area. The portal centralizes housing listings across the region and enables housing seekers to use filters and a map-based interface to search for affordable housing. The portal’s information is available in five languages. It would BAHFA is the very rare California entity trying to help people address a serious situation, and this effort deserve praise.

Miss: How Not to Enhance Your View. Kinnelon, New Jersey-based homeowner Grant Haber was upset that he could not get a decent view of the fabled Manhattan skyline because his neighbor’s trees blocked his line of sight. So, Haber hired landscapers who trespassed on his neighbor’s property and cut down 32 trees. Not only is Haber facing a $32,000 municipal fine for his fine – $1,000 per tree – but according to the New York Post there is a local ordinance that requires anyone who illegally removes a tree to replace it with “another of like or superior species.” This will require not only buying new trees, but also paying for a roadway to the wooded site for their installation – which could cost $1.5 million. Needless to say, Haber has made no public comments.

Hit: NAR’s Next Chapter. This week, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced the launch of a search for a new CEO to replace Bob Goldberg, who is retiring at the end of 2024. Goldberg joined NAR in 1995 to lead the development of Realtor.com, and he became NAR CEO in 2017. He is one of the most respected trade association leaders within the housing sector and NAR has been enriched by his energy and sincerity. As he prepares for his last year in office, here is a thumbs up to Goldberg’s job well done and a wish of good luck to NAR in its search for its next leader.

Phil Hall is editor of Weekly Real Estate News. He can be reached at [email protected].