Welcome to 2020….time to shake that midweek-new-year’s grogginess. And, what better way than with a fresh cup of coffee. So, what is it about coffee that perks us up and gives us that much needed boost of energy? Today’s infographic from CoffeeCorner tells us 30 interesting facts about coffee, or rather its main ingredient, caffeine. Happy Friday!!! Hat tip to coffeecorner.com.
Author: Brad Beckett
Brad Beckett
Director of Education & Outreach, National Real Estate Investors Association
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 3.3% annual gain in October. Their 10-City Composite annual increase came in at 1.7% and the 20-City Composite posted a 2.2% 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. “October’s U.S. housing data continue to be reassuring,” says Craig J. Lazzara, Managing Director and Global Head of…
The FTC recently fined the owners of a rental search site in California $6 million for defrauding over 500k Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) recipients by asking them to pay for access to supposed exclusive listings that in reality didn’t exist. Inman is reporting that WeTakeSection8.com claimed to have exclusive access to listings that accepts the HCV and then charged $49 for a two-month access or $14.99 for a one-week access for listings that were either outdated, didn’t exists or not even approved for Housing Choice Vouchers. In addition, Inman reports that The Federal Trade Commission says Section 8…
With the ever-increasing lack of affordable housing in this country the last thing we need is more rent control – especially in urban areas where across the board demand is high and supply is low. A recent story in Multi-Housing News reminds us that while rent control “seemed to be on the ropes a few years ago” it started rearing its ugly head in places like New York, California and Oregon – all of which passed new rent control measures in 2019 and likely paving the way for others to follow suit. “Unfortunately, what passes for action to alleviate the…
CNBC’s Diana Olick breaks down the housing market for 2020 along with opinions from several of the Fast Money traders. Here’s what they say to watch in the housing market for 2020: 1) A shortage of housing – especially at the lower end; 2) Mortgage rates will stay low; and 3) Demand will stay high for new construction. Click here to watch on CNBC.
The National Association of Realtors is reporting that pending home sales were up 1.2% in November. The NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index (a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings) increased to 108.5 in November, up 1.2% from October. In addition, they reported that year-over-year contract signings were up 7.4%. However, the low inventory situation still lurks… “Despite the insufficient level of inventory, pending home contracts still increased in November,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, noting that housing inventory has been in decline for six straight months dating back to June 2019. “The favorable conditions are expected throughout 2020 as…
The Wall Street Journal (reposted on Realtor.com) is reporting that some larger U.S. cities are promising tenants the right to an attorney in eviction cases, which the article points out is a “costly and logistically daunting initiative.” However, the political climate in America’s larger cities tends to be more friendly to the desires of housing advocates who claim this is a necessary response to rising rents and affordable housing concerns. Indeed… “Landlords have said that the significant funds needed to provide representation to lower-income residents could be better spent offering temporary housing subsidies to keep people in their homes.” “While…
What are the top real estate markets for 2020? The folks over at Realtor.com recently put together their forecast for 2020 and they say these are the places where their paychecks will go the farthest and people can enjoy a more laid-back pace of life. Interestingly, they are mostly medium-size metros in the South and non-coastal West. Indeed…. “The cities that we expect to do best in 2020 are not necessarily big, fancy, coastal cities, but secondary markets where the job market is still pretty good but housing is affordable,” says Danielle Hale, chief economist of realtor.com. Realtor.com’s top 10…
The final weekend of the year is now upon us. We hope you had a great 2019 and wish you nothing but the best for whatever 2020 has in store! Today’s infographic from WalletHub shares over 5o New Years Facts – which are perfect to spark a conversation or keep one going while you’re waiting to ring in 2020! Happy Friday and Happy New Year!!! Source: WalletHub Hat tip to WalletHub.com.
A recent story in the Wall Street Journal (reposted on Realtor.com) explored about how some California homeowners recently found out their insurers wouldn’t renew their fire-protection policies. They reported that, in response, California announced a one-year moratorium forbidding insurers from dropping customers who live in or adjacent to ZIP Codes affected by this Fall’s wildfires. In addition, the California Department of Insurance said that over the past four years, insurers have declined to renew policies for 350k California homeowners who live in areas at high risk for wildfires. They say the problem isn’t just limited to California and that homeowners…
