Author: Brad Beckett

The Wall Street Journal (reposted on Realtor.com) is reporting that a pledged rent freeze by New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is “rattling” mom & pop landlords – who often own small apartment buildings and say the Mamdani’s housing policy could damage their businesses.  New York City will elect a new mayor this November. “The mayoral primary was the nail in the coffin…It would be the kiss of death if he won.”  Said Paul Rahimian, chief executive officer and founder of Parkview Financial, a commercial real-estate lender.  Since the pandemic, the city’s small landlords have faced higher inflation and…

According to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, personal income in July increased $112.3 billion (0.4% at a monthly rate). Disposable personal income (DPI – personal income less personal current taxes) increased $93.9 billion (0.4%) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $69.9 billion (0.3%).  Personal outlays (the sum of PCE, personal interest payments, and personal current transfer payments) increased $108.9 billion in July.  Personal saving was $985.6 billion in June and the personal saving rate (personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income) was 4.4%. Click here to read the full report at the Bureau of…

The U.S. government is reporting that total construction spending in July, 2025 was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,139.1 billion, down 0.1% from June’s revised number.  In addition, July’s estimate is 2.8% lower than one year ago.  Residential construction came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $886.5 billion in July, which is 0.1% higher than June’s revised estimate. Click here to read the full report at the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Visual Capitalist says personal income levels vary widely across the nation, shaped by differences in industries, costs of living, and economic growth.  Today’s graphic illustrates these income levels by state (per capita) showing where residents, on average, earn the most.  Stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! Hat tip to the Visual Capitalist.

Rental information site Zumper recently released their latest monthly National Rent Report for August, 2025.  According to their data, median rent for 1-bedroom apartments was $1517 (down 0.2%) and $1897 (down 0.4%) for two-bedrooms. Be sure to check out their list of the top 100 metro areas. “This month’s report marks a key turning point. For the first time, our National Rent Index has dipped into negative territory across the board, both monthly and annually, with one and two-bedroom rents now firmly on the decline.”  Said Zumper CEO Anthemos Georgiades. Click here to read the full report at Zumper.

According to the latest Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI), home prices U.S. house prices house prices fell 0.2% in June.  Year-over-year, house prices rose 2.9% from June 2024 to June 2025.  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 FHFA.

We first posted about this a few months ago, now the games have begun:  The Rental Housing Journal is reporting that Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown has entered into eight resolutions with landlords across the state in the first enforcement action under their new rent control law. The landlords agreed to withdraw rent increase notices they had sent and refund any excess rent amounts that tenants paid.  In addition, the Attorney General’s Office has created a “Know Your Rights” flyer to help tenants understand the rent stabilization law. The RHJ says for the first wave of enforcements, the Brown…

According to the latest Cotality (formerly CoreLogic) Single-Family Rent Index (SFRI), U.S. single-family home rental prices increased 2.9% year over year in June, 2025.  In addition, breaking it down, rent for detached units grew by 2.6%, and attached rental rates rose 2.4%. “Annual single-family rent growth appears to have stabilized just shy of 3% in 2025, approaching the long-run average of 3.4% seen before the pandemic. The monthly growth rate in June was close to the historical average for that month and has been above the seasonal trend for nearly every month of 2025.”  said Molly Boesel, Cotality senior principal…

The latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index has reported a 1.9% annual increase for June, 2025.  Their 10-City Composite posted 2.6% increase year-over-year and their 20-City Composite posted a 2.1% year-over-year increase.  They say there there is currently a decisive shift in the housing market: “June’s results mark the continuation of a decisive shift in the housing market, with national home prices rising just 1.9% year-over-year—the slowest pace since the summer of 2023…What makes this deceleration particularly noteworthy is the underlying pattern: The modest 1.9% annual gain masks significant volatility, with the first half of the…

The National Association of Realtors is reporting that pending home sales dropped 0.4% in July, 2025 but were up 0.7% year over year.  The NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index (a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings) came in at 71.7 in July.  However, the NAR says buyers still remain hesitant: “Even with modest improvements in mortgage rates, housing affordability, and inventory, buyers still remain hesitant…Buying a home is often the most expensive purchase people will make in their lives. This means that going under contract is not a decision home buyers make quickly. Instead, people take their time to ensure…