Author: Brad Beckett

End of year statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) showed a significant increase in the number of inspections and a record amount of compliance assistance to further their mission of workplaces free of hazards.  Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to help ensure these conditions for America’s working men & women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. The full release is listed below: OSHA Enforcement and Compliance Increases in 2019…

As part of their recent 2020 State Business Tax Climate Index, the Tax Foundation calculated state & local taxes on real and personal property, net worth, and asset transfers.  The property tax component accounted for 16.6% of each state’s overall Index score.  Taking that data, they put together a ranking of all 50 states to see which state had the best business tax climate and which had the worst. They rightly point out that property taxes impose one of the most substantial state & local tax burdens most businesses face.  Indeed… “Property taxes matter to businesses for several reasons. First,…

According to the latest CoreLogic Homeowner Equity Report, U.S. homeowners with mortgages (64% of all properties) have seen their equity increase by nearly $457 billion since Q3 2018 – representing a 5.1% increase, year over year.  In addition, the total number of mortgaged residential properties with negative equity decreased 4% from Q2 2019 to 2 million homes, or 3.7% of all mortgaged properties.  The CoreLogic Homeowner Equity Insights report, is published quarterly with coverage at the national, state and Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA)/Metro level and includes negative equity share and average equity gains. The report features an interactive view…

We’ve been following the millennials for a few years now…Maybe this is it.  Citing recent housing data, Mad Money’s Jim Cramer says the wait is over as millennials are now buying homes in larger numbers than before.  He says millennials’ delay in buying a home is over and that the spending is just beginning.  Indeed… “After a decade of cocooning, millennials want to buy homes that represent value, which is in keeping with the way they shop for everything else.”  Click here to read the full story at CNBC.com.

We have all heard about immigrants coming to America and becoming highly successful….but what about in real estate investing?  In a recent episode of the Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast, host Brian Hamrick talks with an Australian man who came to America with no job, no family, no network, and little money –  he just had a “Gut-Feeling” that he could be successful! Nine years later and he controls over $150 Million in Commercial Real Estate, is a Best-Selling Author, and hosts a podcast about real estate investing.  How did get started?  At his local REIA!  G’day…

The venerable American Automobile Association (aka AAA) says that America is on tap for another record-breaking number of travelers this holiday season – predicting that over 115 million people will do so.  Attributing those numbers to a good economy (and lower gas prices), AAA says over 104 million of those travelers will be driving to their destinations…we can already hear all the “are we there yet?”(s)….Indeed. “Holiday cheer is at an all-time high this year, with unemployment at historically low levels, and noted improvements in both disposable income and household net worth,” said Paula Twidale, vice president, AAA Travel. “Travelers…

According to ATTOM Data’s most recent U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, there were a total of 143,105 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings in Q3, 2019.  That number was 6% lower than Q2 and down 19% from one year ago – which they say is represents the lowest level since 2005.  In addition they report that Q3 2019 was the 12th consecutive quarter where foreclosure activity was below the pre-recession average. The top 10 states states with the longest average foreclosure timelines for homes foreclosed in Q3 of 2019 were Indiana (1,633 days); Hawaii (1,626 days); Nevada (1,511 days); New Jersey (1,173 days);…

Winter will soon be here, as well as weather-guessers predicting massive snowstorms that never materialize and only serve to create a bread-run at the supermarket.  However, all joking aside, winter weather is something that should be taken seriously and prepared for.  Today’s infographic from the National Weather Service reminds us that winter storms can bring snow, sleet, and freezing rain across the entire country – even Hawaii gets snow on the Big Island.  Thousands of people are injured or killed every year in traffic accidents related to slippery roads from winter storms.  Stay safe…..drive safely…..Happy Friday! Hat tip to weather.gov.…

According to the latest Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI), U.S. house prices rose 1.1% in Q3 2019.  In addition, they report prices were up 4.9% from the Q3 of 2018. 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 the nation, census division,…

This is one of those stories that is hard to believe until you actually read about it.  Apparently, the public defecation problem has gotten so out of hand, so extraordinary,  in San Francisco that interactive graphs and charts have been produced to highlight its seriousness.   So bad in fact, as apartment-search site RealtyHop and other media outlets have reported, SF’s city government launched the Poop Patrol program to proactively mitigate the “shituation.”  You can’t make this stuff up.  Indeed…..Take a look at this mess: “…every city has a dark side, and San Francisco is no exception. San Francisco, as small…