Recent analysis from the NAHB’s Eye on Housing says aggregate residential building material prices rose at their fastest pace since January 2023. The data came from the latest Producer Price Index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, input energy prices increased for the first time in over a year, while service price growth remained lower than goods. Click here to read the full report at the NAHB’s Eye on Housing.
Author: Brad Beckett
Brad Beckett
Director of Education & Outreach, National Real Estate Investors Association
According to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, personal income in September increased $94.5 billion (up 0.4% at a monthly rate). Disposable personal income (DPI – personal income less personal current taxes) increased $75.9 billion (up 0.3%) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $65.1 billion (0.3%). Personal outlays (the sum of PCE, personal interest payments, and personal current transfer payments) increased $70.7 billion in September. Personal saving was $1.09 trillion in September and the personal saving rate (personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income) was 4.7%. ** Editor’s Note – with the U.S. government back…
According to the latest Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI), home prices U.S. house prices house prices rose 2.2% between Q3 2024 and the Q3 2025. House prices for Q3 2025 rose 0.2% compared to Q2 2025. FHFA’s seasonally adjusted monthly index for September remained unchanged from August. The FHFA HPI is the nation’s only collection of public, freely available house price indexes that measure changes in single-family home values based on data from all 50 states and over 400 American cities that extend back to the mid-1970s. Click here to read the full report at the…
According to the ADP National Employment Report for November, 2025, private sector employment decreased by 32k jobs and pay was up 4.4% year-over-year. ADP says November hiring was particularly weak in manufacturing, professional and business services, information, and construction. The ADP National Employment Report is an independent and high-frequency view of the private-sector labor market based on the aggregated and anonymized payroll data of more than 25 million U.S. employees. “Hiring has been choppy of late as employers weather cautious consumers and an uncertain macroeconomic environment…And while November’s slowdown was broad-based, it was led by a pullback among small businesses.” …
We have had many posts about the growing issue of student debt. Today’s graphic from Statista cites Federal Reserve data showing that the total federal student loan portfolio has now surpassed $1.8 trillion – tripling over the past 15 years – making student loans the 2nd largest category of household debt in the U.S., right behind housing debt and auto loans. That’s about one in six Americans (nearly 43 million) carrying federal student loan debt. As always, stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! Hat tip to Statista.
This week is the IRS’ 10th Annual National Tax Security Awareness Week where they emphasizes the importance of protecting sensitive financial information from identity theft and tax scams, especially as the Christmas holiday and 2026 tax season approach. They are offering educational materials and resources available 24/7 on IRS.gov to help taxpayers and tax professionals safeguard personal and financial data. In addition, they advise folks to watch out for bad tax advice on social media. They warn that social media can mislead you about tax credit or refund eligibility. Mal-informed bad actors and “influencers” may encourage you to falsify forms…
The NAHB’s Eye on Housing says the value of a single-family home is shaped by many factors, but its physical features remain among one of the most influential. Recent data from the latest American Housing Survey show that the overall square footage of the home and the number of bathrooms stand out as especially strong value drivers, while other features such as the number of bedrooms and the presence of amenities also play a role. Home size is one of the strongest value drivers in today’s housing market, as shown in Figure 1. Compared with smaller homes under 1,000 sq.…
On a recent episode of the Idaho Real Estate Investor Show, Jonna Weber breaks down exactly when using a HELOC to buy a rental property makes sense, when it doesn’t, and how new investors can safely leverage their home equity to build long-term wealth. “Thinking about using your home equity to invest in real estate? You’re not alone. For many high-income earners, a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) is the fastest and smartest way to get started in real estate investing — if you use it strategically.” Click here to listen.
StorageCafe says with costs at half the value of a standard home, manufactured housing remains a cornerstone of affordability in the U.S. However, while generally widespread across the country, their footprint is uneven, with some areas much better equipped than others to respond to the need for these types of homes. In addition, in 2024 the average new manufactured home sold for about $123,300 – less than half the national median home price, not including the land-cost. They say it makes manufactured homes one of the few reliable paths to ownership, especially in an era of rising home prices. Indeed……
According to the latest Cotality (formerly CoreLogic) Single-Family Rent Index (SFRI), U.S. single-family home rental prices increased 1% year over year in September, 2025 – lowest growth rate in 15 years. In addition they report that while growth slowed nationally, rent still has still increased 29% over the last five years, which means renters are paying an average of $610 a month or $7,300 a year in rent. “The story of the single-family rental market is one of deceleration at the national level, but with significant local nuances. Annual single-family rent growth in September hit its lowest point in over…
