Author: Brad Beckett

The NAHB’s Eye on Housing is reporting that with declining birthrates, there will be lower demand for rental housing two decades from now when those born in recent years will be entering the rental market. Citing data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, they say the effects will spread to the single-family market in the following years and will persist for many years to come. “The effects of declining birth rates on housing demand are not limited to the distant future. As fewer and fewer females get married and have children before they turn 35, the socio-demographic incentives…

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) recently received another “kick-down-the-road,” so to speak, as part of the $19 billion disaster relief bill that was passed by Congress and signed by the President the first week of June.  The measure, tacked into the disaster relief bill, extended the National Flood Insurance Program until the end of September, 2019. Click here to read the full release at FEMA.gov. UPDATE: DSNews is reporting that House Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters and Ranking Member Patrick McHenry have reached an agreement on a five-year reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through Sept.…

In late May, a federal court in Texas issued a strongly worded ruling stating that the Environmental Protection Agency broke the law in issuing the landmark regulation governing waterways promulgated by the Obama Administration.  According to the Washington Examiner, the court said that the EPA did not allow for appropriate notice for public comment on changes it made to the final regulations and ordered the EPA to open a new public comment period on reports and analyses used in developing the final 2015 regulation.  Meanwhile, the Trump Administration has been attempting to repeal them. “The Waters of the U.S. rule,…

According to the latest Yardi Matrix, U.S. multifamily rents rose slightly in May, coming in at $1,442 with year-over-year growth dropping slightly to 2.5%.  Yardi says that Q1 has shown decent performance but is far short of the levels of recent years. “…2019 is shaping up to be weaker than the last few, much more robust, years. Year-over-year rent growth has dropped 80 basis points over two months and 110 basis points over three months.” Click here to read the full report at Yardimatrix.com.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy?  That’s an ongoing question that really varies by location.  However, a recent report from howmuch.net took a look a look data from several sources to determine the annual salary it takes to buy a home (including principal, interest, property tax, homeowner’s insurance and a 20% down payment) in the nation’s 50 largest metros. “In general, metro areas in the Midwest and the South require lower salaries than metro areas on the West Coast and the East Coast. The most expensive metros are located in California, especially near Silicon Valley…” Click here to…

A recent article by the Wall Street Journal (reposted on Realtor.com) says that Fannie & Freddie are increasingly backing loans to borrowers who have heavy debt loads, bringing up concerns about mortgage risk as to policy makers debate ways to make changes to the system.  According to the WSJ, nearly 30% of loans packaged into bonds last year by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were from home buyers whose total debt payments amounted to more than 43% of their income. “The backing of these loans opens up a debate about the government’s role in the housing market. Some say cheap,…

If you own rentals you may have received at some point a ticket from your city about high weeds or grass.  More often than not, the tenant that was supposed to mow the lawn failed to do so, but since you’re the property owner you get the ticket.  That being said, Realtor.com is reporting that a Florida retiree has racked up nearly $30k in fines for not keeping his home’s lawn under 10 inches.  The fines, going back to 2007, have also been compounded by a $500/day penalty!  He was classified as a repeat offender (and wasn’t given any time…

In their latest U.S. Home Flipping Report, ATTOM Data is reporting that 49,059 homes were flipped in the first quarter of 2019 representing 7.2% of all home sales – which is the highest home flipping rate since Q1 of 2010. Homes during Q1 2019 sold at an average gross profit of $60k, which translates into an average 38.7% return on investment compared to the original acquisition price.  Flipped homes took an average of 180 days to complete in Q1. “…While the home flipping rate is increasing, gross profits and ROI are starting to weaken and the number of investors that…

Let’s face it…cybercrime is a real concern of everyday life here in America.  Whether it’s a thief putting a skimmer on a gas pump, someone hacking  your email (because your password was 12345) or ransomware attacks, we all need to be aware and prepared.  Today’s infographic from Hostnoc takes a look at the growing problem of ransomware attacks and how to protect your business against them.  Stay safe….and Happy Friday!! …[ransomeware]  paralyzes your file system and encrypt all your data, making it inaccessible but will also ask you for a ransom to retrieve your data. Even worse is the fact…

A recent survey by Redfin revealed that less than half of home buyers said 2017’s Tax Reform affected their home searches.  The survey was conducted in March of over 2k U.S. residents who planned to buy or sell a primary residence in the next year. “Last year more homebuyers were worried that tax reform would hurt their homebuying budgets, but it turns out tax reform wasn’t all bad or all good for homebuyers,” said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. “Some homebuyers, especially in low-tax states, are now paying less in taxes overall, which has left them with more cash for…