Author: Brad Beckett

According to the latest CoreLogic Single-Family Rent Index (SFRI), U.S. single-family home rental prices continue to experience slower growth, increasing 1.8% in December, 2024.  They say this marks the lowest annual growth rate in about four years.  In addition, CoreLogic says price growth for high-end rentals was 2.4% year over year in December as this market continues to outpace low-end rentals. “Single-family rent growth averaged 2.6% in 2024, below the 2010-2020 average of 3.5% when rents were growing at a fairly steady rate. Growth was frontloaded and slowed throughout the year…Though increases were moderate, rents continue to increase, with an…

ATTOM Data says in January, 2025 foreclosure rates saw a slight increase from December 2024 but remained lower than the same period last year.  Their latest foreclosure report says in January the U.S. housing market experienced a modest increase in foreclosure activity, with 30,816 properties filing for foreclosure – up 8% from December but down 7% year-over-year.   Be sure to check out their list of all 50 states. “Rob Barber, CEO of ATTOM, noted that the rise in foreclosure filings may partially reflect a post-holiday catch-up in processing, making it too early to determine whether this signals a shift in…

Rentcafe says office-to-apartment conversions are surging in popularity and predict that 2025 will reach a record-breaking milestone of almost 71k units in the pipeline.  In addition they this trend reflects a shift toward sustainable, community-focused urban spaces that cater to the evolving lifestyles and priorities of modern American cities.  Indeed… “While the volume of office-to-apartments conversions is growing, indicating increased interest in this type of retrofitting, the carryover of pending projects from one year to another is quite large. This suggests that other factors like conversion feasibility, construction costs, and local incentives come into play.” Some key points: The number…

The National Association of Realtors is reporting that existing home sales were down 4.9% in January to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 4.08 million – up 2% year over year.  Total housing inventory at the end of January was 1.18 million units, up 3.5% from December and up 16.8% from one year ago.  Unsold inventory sits at a 3.5-month supply at the current sales rate with properties remaining on the market for around 41 days.  The median existing-home price for all housing types in January was $396,900. “Mortgage rates have refused to budge for several months despite multiple rounds of…

The U.S. government is reporting that privately‐owned housing starts in January, 2025 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,366,000, which is 9.8% lower than December’s revised number and is 0.7% lower than one year ago.  January’s rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 355k.  Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,483,000, which is 0.1% higher than December’s revised number and is 1.7% lower than one year ago.  Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 427k…

The National Association of Realtors says nearly 90% of metros experienced home price increases in Q4 2024, as the 30-year fixed mortgage rate ranged from 6.12% to 6.85%.  In addition 14% of the 226 tracked metro areas posted double-digit price gains over the same period, up from 7% in the third quarter.  Indeed….Stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! “Record-high home prices and the accompanying housing wealth gains are definitely good news for property owners…However, renters who are looking to transition into homeownership face significant hurdles.”  Said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. Hat tip to the Realtors!

Is it better to buy or rent?  That’s an age-old question that really depends on a lot of variables – especially an individual’s station in life.  According to their 2025 Rental Affordability Report, ATTOM says both owning & renting remain difficult for average U.S. workers, commonly consuming 25-60% their wages. However, they point out that major ownership expenses on typical single-family homes require a smaller portion of average wages than renting three-bedroom residences in close to 60% of the 341 county-level markets with enough data to analyze.  Indeed… Buying or renting a home in the U.S. these days can be like…

Local Market Monitor, a National REIA preferred vendor, recently released their monthly National Economic Outlook where they share their thoughts on developments taking place in the U.S. economy. Click here for more information about Local Market Monitor.

On a recent episode of the Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast, Brian Hamrick talks with Avery Carl, CEO of The Short Term Shop and one of the nation’s leading experts on short-term rental investing.  Avery provides a deep dive into the operations of short-term rentals, how to strategically analyze and choose markets, and offers actionable advice on managing properties, no matter the size of the portfolio. “Short-term rentals can be a great path to financial freedom, but they also come with challenges that can derail even experienced investors. Knowing how to approach this asset class strategically is…

According to the latest Yardi Matrix Multifamily Report, multifamily rents are off to a positive start for 2025 with the average U.S. advertised rent increasing $3 nationally in January to $1,746. Year-over-year rent growth was up 20 basis points to 0.8%. “Multifamily got the year rolling in a positive direction, with rents in January breaking a six-month negative growth streak….[HOWEVER]…One of the questions the industry faces in 2025 is whether demand will repeat 2024’s red-hot level.” Click here to read the full report at Yardi.