Author: Brad Beckett

According to the latest CoreLogic Home Price Insights (HPI) report, home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased 20.9% year-over-year in April.  On a month-over-month basis, home prices increased by 2.6% in April compared with March.  CoreLogic’s  HPI Forecast predicts home prices will increase on a year-over-year basis by 5.6% from April 2022 to April 2023. “The record growth in home prices is a result of a scarcity of for-sale inventory coupled with eager buyers who want to purchase before mortgage rates go higher. Buyers who closed on their home in April had locked in their mortgage rate in February or…

On a recent episode of Real Estate Underground (Connecticut REIA), host Ed Matthews talks with Brendan Chisholm about his successful journey into real estate investing and how you don’t need a massive pile of cash to successfully invest in real estate.  Indeed… “Go to college, they said. Get a good job and you’ll be all set, they said. Brendan Chisholm was where a lot of us were. He has a good education and a good job. He tried jumping into the stock market gambling machine and didn’t enjoy the ride. He soon realized he was looking for a more stable,…

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is reporting that the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was up 1% in May, 2022.  However, the all items index was up 8.6% for the 12 months ending in May – the largest 12-month increase since December, 1981. “The increase was broad-based, with the indexes for shelter, gasoline, and food being the largest contributors. After declining in April, the energy index rose 3.9 percent over the month with the gasoline index rising 4.1 percent and the other major component indexes also increasing. The food index rose 1.2 percent in May as…

According to the latest Yardi Matrix Multifamily Report, the average U.S. multifamily rents in May increased $19 to another all-time high of $1,680 (up 13.9% year-over-year).  Yardi says multifamily rents continue to defy gravity…Indeed. “…Decelerating economic growth and concerns about gas prices and inflation have not eroded multifamily demand much nor slowed down the upward climb of rents…” Click here to read the full report at Yardimatrix.com.

When it comes time to sell that recent flip, or even just maintaining value and appearance, good curb appeal is essential. Today’s infographic from Keeping Current Matters reminds us that landscaping and small updates can go a long way in boosting your property’s curb appeal. As always, stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! Hat tip to Keeping Current Matters.

What are the top U.S. cities for starter homes?  The folks over at StorageCafe took a look at over 100 cities and ranked them across more than 20 factors including home values for 2-bedroom homes, 5-year sales activity involving properties averaging 1,700 square feet or less, mortgage rates, incomes and cost of living, to come up with the best areas and cities for first-time homebuyers. They define starter homes (aka entry-level homes) as being smaller and more affordable properties, and are often specifically targeted at first-time homebuyers. They are normally around 1,700 square feet or less, generally have 2 bedrooms,…

A recent report on Bankrate.com reminds us that the acronym BRRRR is not a signal that it’s cold, but rather a strategy that many investors may know well;  Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat.  Bankrate says the BRRRR method requires some advanced-level real estate expertise, but the thinking behind it is simple: Increase the value of distressed or older properties to make them attractive enough to rent, then leverage that appreciation to continue acquiring more properties for more rental income. They say that, if done right, the BRRRR method is a pathway to collecting passive income and building a large portfolio…

I like to overpay for rental properties.  That’s not a typo.  Hear me out. By Daniel Hart All too often we fixate on one metric alone; sales price.  It’s the measurement that we’ve been conditioned to use as an indicator of our success or failure.  We all want a great deal, and for many of us a discounted sales price is our goal, but should it be?  Sometimes, yes, but “it depends”. The sales price does not always need to be a concern.  At first read this may sound ludicrous.  How could the sales price not matter?  Well, it might…

For readers of this site this data will not be surprising.  According to recent Census data, cities in the South & West regions of the U.S. experienced the most growth from July 2020 to July 2021 – with the top 15 fastest-growing cities/towns located in these regions.  Breaking it down, 8 of the 15 fastest-growing large cities or towns by percent change were in the West  and 7 were in the South.  The South and West also contained the top 15 cities with the largest numeric gains. “While only 4% of all cities and towns had a population of 50,000…

A recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis says that, in April, personal income increased $89.3 billion, or 0.4% at a monthly rate, while consumer spending increased $152.3 billion, or 0.9%. Interestingly, the personal saving rate dropped slightly to 4.4% in April compared with 5% in March.  Also, note the 26.9% drop in fuel spending thanks to higher gas prices. Click here to read the full report at the BEA.