Author: Brad Beckett

Managing your properties during any crisis is a challenge, let alone the current Coronavirus pandemic we’re experiencing.  On a recent episode of the Rent Perfect Podcast, David Pickron talks with longtime property manager and seasoned housing provider Anne McCawley about how to manage your properties during a time of crisis.  Anne gives great insight on how to plan for and maneuver through these challenging times. Editor’s note:  National REIA encourages housing providers to have individual plans to work with their residents during this unprecedented crisis.  They remind members that there is no standardized solution or “one approach fits all” in…

In late March yields on both the 1-month and 3-month U.S. Treasury Bills entered negative territory – the first time in almost 5 years that this has happened.  In addition, CNBC reported that while the Coronavirus pandemic has brought negative yields on government debt, they are not directly related to central bank policy.  They say Fed officials have rejected the notion that the U.S. central bank might eventually take its policy rate below zero.  Indeed…. “This is part and parcel of the whole flight to quality thing,” said Kim Rupert, managing director of global fixed income at Action Economics. “They’re…

We have had several posts about the dangers of cybercrime over the past few years.   Recently, the FBI said they have seen an uptick in the number of scams & methods for cyber-criminals to steal your money, personal information or both during the current Coronavirus pandemic.  Specifically they are warning citizens about suspicious & counterfeit emails from the CDC, phishing scams and people selling snake-oil-like cures, products and equipment.   Indeed…. The FBI is reminding you to always use good cyber hygiene and security measures. By remembering the following tips, you can protect yourself and help stop criminal activity: Do…

The National Association of Realtors is reporting that pending home sales were up 2.4% in February with the NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index (a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings) increasing to 111.5.  In addition, they reported that year-over-year contract signings were up 9.4%. “February’s pending sales figures show the housing market had been very healthy prior to the coronavirus-induced shutdown,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. He noted that the data does not capture the significant fallout from the pandemic or the measures taken to control the outbreak. “Numbers in the coming weeks will show just how hard the…

According to the latest Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI), U.S. house prices were up 0.3% in January, 2020.  In addition, they report that home prices were up 5.2% from January 2019 to January 2020.  The FHFA produces the nation’s only public, freely available house price indexes (HPIs) that measure changes in single-family house prices based on data that cover all 50 states and over 400 American cities and extend back to the mid-1970s.  The FHFA’s HPIs are built on tens of millions of home sales and offer insights about home price fluctuations at the levels of…

In late March Congress passed (and the President signed) a historic $2 trillion economic-rescue package (CARES Act) for individuals and businesses affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.  CNBC’s Kelly Evans interviewed the Wall Street Journal’s executive Washington editor, Gerald Seib about the bill and its implications for helping America through this crisis. Click here to watch at CNBC.com.

A recent “chart of the week” from the Mortgage Bankers Association vividly illustrates the U.S. Department of Labor unemployment statistics from mid-March: jobless claims spiked to over 3.3 million!  In fact, these claim numbers are higher than the Great Recession’s peak of 665k in March 2009 as well as the all-time mark of 695k October 1982. “The unemployment rate will undoubtedly spike over the next few months. These layoffs will lead to real hardships for millions of households across the country…” Click here to view at the Mortgage Bankers Association.

With the Coronavirus pandemic affecting our nation and world, it was reassuring to come across this recent infographic from Visual Capitalist.  The chart pulled data from the 2019 Global Health Security Index, which ranked 195 countries on health security.  While they do point out that no country was truly prepared to manage a pandemic, they also show that healthcare systems around the world on average are fundamentally weak and were not prepared.  However, the United States ranked first in the world for a number of indicators including; epidemiology workforce, bio-security. and emergency preparedness & response planning.  Stay safe, healthy, calm…

The U.S. Government is reporting that sales of new single-family houses in February, 2020 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 765k,  which is 4.4%  lower than January’s revised rate, but is 14.8% higher than one year ago.  The median sales price of new houses sold in February was $345,900 and the average sales price was $403,800.  There were an estimated 319k new houses for sale at the end of January representing a 5.0 months at the current sales rate. Click here to read the full release at the U.S. Census Bureau.

Zillow recently announced that it will “pause” home buying in the 24 markets where Zillow Offers currently operates.  They said in a news release that they’re responding to local public health orders related to the Coronavirus and their desire protect the health & safety of their employees, customers and partners. In addition they reported ending ending 2019 with 2,707 homes in inventory.  However, as of March 19th, that inventory had been reduced to around 1,860 homes. “Our top priority is ensuring the safety and health of our employees, customers, and partners. Given the concerns for public safety and rapid developments…