Amazon

If recent corporate expansions at GE, Google and Toyota are any indication, the city that lands Amazon's second headquarters should expect widespread real estate speculation and unrealistic home price expectations that will strain affordability and make it difficult for mortgage lenders to qualify borrowers.

Major corporate relocations can be a mixed blessing for housing markets. Here's a snapshot of local real estate conditions in the 20 cities vying for the Amazon HQ2 second headquarters.

If Amazon wants to locate its HQ2 in the most-affordable spot for housing, there's an obvious choice: Pittsburgh.

Consumers’ desire to shop online is creating huge demand for distribution centers and forcing property owners to think creatively about redeveloping vacant retail space. Meanwhile, hundreds of billions of dollars will be spent rebuilding areas hard hit by hurricanes and wildfires.

As mall owners around the world seek a defense against Amazon.com, Europe's largest commercial landlord is betting the solution lies across the Atlantic.

With online retailers beginning to challenge the dominance of brick-and-mortar grocery stores, CRE loans to strip mails anchored by them look riskier.

Some banks are looking at how to translate the complicated and document-heavy mortgage lending process into the digital world of voice-interactive personal assistants.