Author: Brad Beckett

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.

Storagecafe says interstate moving is at an all-time high, with a record-breaking 7.5 million Americans making the move across state lines in 2023 (roughly the same over the past 10 years).  They say today’s moving trends tend to be driven by necessity rather than lifestyle.  However, they point out that people are moving less frequently than they used to. Some key points: About 7.5 million Americans moved to a different state in 2023, a number that’s stayed relatively stable over the past 10 years. Seven out of the top 10 best states for net migration are in the South. Texas…

According to the latest ICE Mortgage Monitor, foreclosure starts hit an 11-month high, but remain below pre-pandemic levels.  In addition, the number of homes for sale in 2024 increased 22% leaving for-sale inventory at its best level since mid-2020.  The ICE Mortgage Monitor provides a view of the current mortgage market, including loan-level performance, home price trends data, secondary market metrics and public records. “While the share of homeowners past due on mortgage payments remains low by historical standards, we expect mortgage performance to become a growing topic of conversation in 2025, especially among FHA and VA mortgages.” Click here…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that they will launch a U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Task Force to review how HUD is spending American taxpayer dollars. According to a release, the task force will be composed of HUD employees who will examine how to best maximize the agency’s budget and ensure all programs, processes and personnel are working together to advance the purpose of the department.  Indeed… “HUD will be detailed and deliberate about every dollar spent to serve rural, tribal and urban communities…Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are no longer in a…

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is reporting that the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.4% in January, 2025.  The all items index was up 3% for the 12 months ending in January.  The index for shelter rose 0.4% in January, accounting for nearly 30% of the monthly all items increase. Click here to read the full release at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Last week we saw the most recent GDP numbers, but how do America’s richest and poorest states stack up to G7 countries when it comes to per capita GDP? Today’s graphic from the Visual Capitalist does just that by looking at the per capita GDP of these states and compares when with actual G7 countries. As always, stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! “These massive gaps in output could be surprising for those not paying attention. The U.S. economy has surged since the pandemic, with its GDP per capita increasing by $20,000 between 2020 and 2024—a growth none of…

Rental information site Zumper recently released their latest monthly National Rent Report for January, 2025.  According to their data, median rent for 1-bedroom apartments was $1534 (down 0.3%) and $1,907 (up .01%) for two-bedrooms. Be sure to check out their list of the top 100 metro areas. Click here to read the full report at Zumper.

Once again the Tax Foundation has published their annual list of sales taxes in each state.  Sales taxes are a form of taxation that truly affects every person – it’s the classic consumption tax.  It is also the one politicians often reach for first to ratchet-up to fund their next project du jour. That being said, the folks over at the Tax Foundation recently released their annual list showing the combined sales tax rates (state & local where applicable) for each state.  The five states with the highest average combined state and local sales tax rates are Louisiana (10.12%), Tennessee…