Author: Brad Beckett

According to recent data from the Associated General Contractors of America, construction employment increased by 158k jobs in June, with most of the gain concentrated in home-building.  However, employment related to infrastructure experienced a decline.  The AGC said additional infrastructure-building job losses would be inevitable unless state & local budgets for roads and other public works are replenished. “The gain in construction employment in June was concentrated in homebuilding, with scattered increases in nonresidential building, while heavy and civil engineering construction employment—the category that includes many highway and other infrastructure workers—shrank by nearly 10,000 jobs…” Click here to read the…

On a recent issue of the Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast, Brian Hamrick talks with Kris Benson, the chief investment officer for Reliant Investments, about one of the asset classes that’s expected to hold up well during the Coronavirus Pandemic, self-storage.  Brian and Kris take a look at the factors that make self-storage attractive to help you understand how to successfully invest in this sector.  Kris also discusses what it takes to put together a $50 Million fund and how he raises money from investors. “One of the asset classes that’s expected to hold up well during…

The U.S. government is reporting that total construction spending in May was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,356.4 billion, which is 2.1% lower than April’s revised estimate.  However, May’s figure was 0.3% higher than May, 2019.  Residential construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $535.9 billion in May, which is 4% lower than April’s revised estimate. Click here to read the full report at the U.S. Census Bureau.

This weekend, on July 4th, America celebrates 244 years of independence!  Today’s infographic takes a quick look at the Fourth of July to provide a nice little snapshot about the holiday we Americans hold dear.  Whatever you do to celebrate, do it safely and have fun….Happy Friday!!! “On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 to the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with festivities ranging…

According to just released U.S. government data, June saw a record increase in jobs coming in at 4.8 million, as the U.S. economy continues to roar back to life.  According to CNBC, June’s total is easily the largest single-month gain in U.S. history and “smashed expectations.”  In addition, they pointed out that economists surveyed by Dow Jones had only been expecting an increase of 2.9 million.  Indeed…. “Today’s announcement proves that our economy is roaring back. It’s coming back extremely strong,” President Donald Trump said in a news conference about an hour after the numbers were released.” Click here to…

Rental information site Zumper recently released their National Rent Report for July, 2020 showing that the median national rent for 1-bedroom apartment was $1,229 (up 1%) and the median two-bedroom rent was $1,485 (up 0.8%).   Year to date, both one- and two-bedroom rents were up 0.4%.  Interestingly, they point out that people are moving away from big expensive cities – a trend we have been seeing in from several sources: “…As the pandemic persists on, the demand for rentals has continued to shift away from these pricey areas and a significant amount of that demand seems to be moving toward…

National apartment listing site ABODO recently reported that the median nationwide rent price for one-bedroom units in July was $1,104 with two-bedroom units coming in at $1,346.  They point out that their numbers are for national median rents, and that some specific locales may reflect greater upward or downward trends.  Indeed… “For now, we continue to feel that while high-end rent locations may be negatively impacted, the rest of the market will continue to be sluggish at best.” ABODO uses over 1 million listings across the United States to calculate the median 1-bedroom rent price by city, state, and nation…

With all of us trying to stay focused on the positive, the folks over at Realtor.com crunched the numbers to came up with the top 10 affordable beach towns for retirement.  They say that retirees are drawn to the the “active, beach lifestyle” and with a fixed-income there are a lot of beach towns that fit the bill.  Indeed… “There are currently more than 74 million boomers—of which 10,000 per day are hitting age 65, according to the Pew Research Center. And as they shift into retirement mode, many are migrating toward the beach…” Click here to read the full…

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 4.7% annual gain in April.  Their 10-City Composite annual increase came in at 3.4% and the 20-City Composite posted a 4.0% 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. “…April’s year-over-year gains were ahead of March’s, continuing a trend of gently accelerating home prices that began last…

The National Association of Realtors is reporting that pending home sales surged 44.3% in May – which they say is a spectacular recovery.  The NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index (a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings) rose to 99.6 with every major region experiencing the record-setting increase in month-over-month contract activity.  In addition, they reported that year-over-year contract signings were only down 5.1%.  Indeed…. “This has been a spectacular recovery for contract signings, and goes to show the resiliency of American consumers and their evergreen desire for homeownership,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. “This bounce back also speaks to…