Author: Brad Beckett

Are you a landlord concerned about drug use in your properties – especially now that in many states the laws have drastically changed regarding marijuana?  On a recent episode of the Rent Perfect Podcast, David Pickron  discusses the impact of legalized recreational marijuana use in rental properties with Attorney Mark Zinman (an expert in landlord tenant law). David says It’s critical to remember that this is your property, and your policies are what will protect you from abuse by your tenants.  However, with that being said, make sure you talk with a local attorney about the applicable laws in your…

According to the latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, the rate of home price increases reported a 7% annual gain in September, 2020.  Their 10-City Composite annual increase came in at 6.2% and the 20-City Composite posted a 6.6% year-over-year gain.  The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Indices are one of the leading measures of U.S. residential real estate prices, tracking changes in the value of residential real estate both nationally as well as in 20 metropolitan regions. Click here to read the full report at S&P Dow Jones Indices.

What started back in 2007 has grown into a global phenomenon.  Statista reminds us that Airbnb hosts have welcomed guests in more than 220 countries and regions around the world and earned over $110 billion in the process.   And, in the last 5 years alone their bookings have more than quadrupled, as evidenced by today’s infographic.  Of course it will be interesting to see how 2020 pans in light of the Coronavirus pandemic.  Stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! Hat tip to Statista.

Who doesn’t love good data?  With that being said, the folks over at Statista said that in 2019 there were approximately 43 million housing units occupied by renters in the United States.  They point out that while this number has remained relatively steady since 2014, it has increased significantly since 1975. Click here to read the full post at Statista.com.

This is a housing subject that’s interesting from a data & public health perspective.  According to research from the NAHB’s Economics analysis of the Survey of Construction (SOC), about 9% of new single-family homes started in 2019 across America were served by individual wells and more than 17% have private septic systems.  The SOC classifies community or shared water supply/wells as public water rather than individual wells. “In New England, where median lot size is three times as large as the national median, 37% of new single-family homes are built with individual wells. The reliance on private wells is also…

We have posted a lot about taxes and how they affect your bottom-line.  Recently, the folks over at the Tax Foundation ran the numbers to come to come up with the taxes, fees, and government surcharges wireless phone users are facing across America.  Guess what?  They went up in 2020 (again) up and now consume 22.6% of the average customer’s bill.  In fact, the Tax Foundation says the average U.S. household with four wireless phones paying $100 per month for wireless phone service can expect to pay about $270 per year in wireless taxes, fees, and surcharges—up from $260 in…

According to the latest Mortgage Bankers Association’s National Delinquency Survey, the delinquency rate for mortgage loans on 1-4-unit residential properties at the end of Q3 decreased 57 basis points to a seasonally adjusted rate of 7.65% of all loans outstanding.  The MBA says the decrease was driven by a sharp decline in newer 30-day delinquencies and 60-day delinquencies. However, they caution that later-stage delinquencies continued to grow, reaching their highest level since Q4 of 2013.  Indeed… “While the overall delinquency rate has improved from the previous quarter, many homeowners remain in distress. Another wave of COVID-19 cases could slow or…

The U.S. Department of Justice in mid-November filed a civil lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) alleging they established and enforced illegal restraints on the ways that Realtors compete – mostly involving their MLS agreements and transparency regarding fees & commissions.  Specifically: “According to the complaint, NAR’s anticompetitive rules, policies, and practices include: (i) prohibiting MLSs that are affiliated with NAR from disclosing to prospective buyers the commission that the buyer broker will earn; (ii) allowing buyer brokers to misrepresent to buyers that a buyer broker’s services are free; (iii) enabling buyer brokers to filter MLS listings based…

The National Association of Realtors is reporting that existing home sales jumped 4.3% in October to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 6.85 million (up 26.6% from one year ago).  Total housing inventory at the end of October was 1.42 million units, down 2.7% from September and down 19.8% from one year ago.  Unsold inventory sits at an all-time low 2.5-month supply at the current sales pace with properties remaining on the market for around 21 days. The median existing-home price for all housing types was $317,700, up 16% from October, 2019 “The surge in sales in recent months has now…

The venerable AAA says Thanksgiving 2020 will be “on the lighter side” when it comes to the number of travelers on our nation’s roads and at airports.  They say effects of the Coronavirus pandemic (not to mention the recent surge and potential lock-downs) have impacted Americans’ decisions to travel, which they predict will be a 10% decline – the largest since 2008.  Stay safe, have a Happy Thanksgiving (11/26) and of course, have a Happy Friday!!! “The wait-and-see travel trend continues to impact final travel decisions, especially for the Thanksgiving holiday,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president, AAA Travel. “The…