Author: Brad Beckett

It seems like day doesn’t go by without sending or receiving an important file for business or maybe a photo to a friend from your recent trip.  But how did all this file sharing come about and where is it going?  DailyInfographic.com says over 20 million people share files daily on a variety of platforms.  But, did you know all of this got started back in 1978 with something called Usenet?  Happy Friday!!! Hat tip to DailyInfographic.com.

Debt is almost one of those facts of life like death and taxes.  Recent data even show that Americans have over $13 trillion in household debt.  With that in mind the folks over at Realtor.com analyzed mortgages taken out in the first 8 months of 2018 and calculated the median debt-to-income ratio for borrowers in the 200 largest metropolitan areas (limiting it to two metros per state) to find those markets where buyers’ budgets are stretched the most.  Indeed…. “…make no mistake—the real estate implications of high debt loads can be huge, constraining buyers and potentially slowing price appreciation to…

In case you haven’t been paying attention (which we highly doubt), interest rates have been creeping over the last several months and, according to recently analyzed data by the NAHB’s Eye on Housing, are now approaching an eight-year high.  They say that the 30-year FRM – Commitment rate, inched up considerably by 20 basis points to 4.83% from 4.63% in September, with October’s increase being the highest since early 2011.  Indeed…. “…As a result of rising mortgage rates, affordability is at the lowest level in a decade and new home sales have been soft in recent months…” Click here to…

Rental information site Zumper recently released their National Rent Report for December showing that the median national rent for 1-bedroom apartment was $1,212 and the median two-bedroom rent was $1,430.  Year over year, both one and two bedroom prices are up 1.9% and 3.9%, respectively.  Zumper analyzes rental data from over 1 million active listings across the United States. Data is aggregated on a monthly basis to calculate median asking rents for the top 100 metro areas by population, providing a comprehensive view of the current state of the market. The report is based on all data available in the…

The U.S. government is reporting that total construction spending in October was estimated at $1,308.8 billion, which is nearly identical to September’s revised estimate and 4.9% higher than October, 2017.  Residential construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $539 billion in October, which was 0.5% below September’s revised estimate. Click here to read the full report at Census.gov.

National apartment listing site ABODO recently reported that the median nationwide rent price for one-bedroom units in December rose slightly to $1,025 (up .57%) with two-bedroom units coming in again at $1,279 (up .08%).  ABODO uses over 1 million listings across the United States to calculate the median 1-bedroom rent price by city, state, and nation and then track the month-over-month percentage change. To avoid small sample sizes, they restrict their analysis to cities meeting minimum population and property count thresholds. Click here to read the full report at Abodo.com.

The National Association of Realtors is reporting that overall pending home sales declined 2.6% in October.  The NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index (a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings) declined to 102.1 in October.  However, year-over-year, contract signings are down 6.7%, marking the tenth straight month of annual decreases.  The Realtors say that recent rises in mortgage rates have reduced the number of eligible homebuyers.  Indeed…The NAR’s Chief Economist Lawrence Yun notes: “…that a similar period of decline occurred during the 2013 Taper Tantrum when interest rates jumped from 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent. After 11 months – November 2013…

According to the latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, home prices continued to climb with a 5.5% annual gain in September, down from 5.7% in August. Their 10-City Composite annual increase came in at 4.8% and their 20-City Composite posted a 5.1% year-over-year gain.  However, they do point out that the rate of home price increases across the U.S. slowed for the second month in a row.  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…

The U.S. Government is reporting that sales of new single-family houses in October, 2018 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 544k.  This figure is 8.9% below September’s revised rate and is 12% lower than October, 2017.  The median sales price of new houses sold in October 2018 was $309,700 and the average sales price was $395k.  There were an estimated 336k new houses for sale at the end of October representing a 7.4 months supply at the current sales rate. Click here to read the full report at census.gov.

Do you own just a single investment property?  Thinking about another?  Today’s infographic from FortuneBuilders poses six questions to ask yourself before buying another.  They rightly point out that that buying a second investment property can serve as a vehicle for expanding your business and move you closer to your financial goals. However, managing more than one property brings a new set of challenges and implications that can make anyone hesitate. Today’s infographic equips you with invaluable tips, as well as key questions that can help you determine whether or not you are ready to take on a second property. …