Author: Brad Beckett

When it comes right down to it, the taxes applied to a good or service ultimately will affect an area’s cost of living and along with it the price of housing.   The folks over at the Tax Foundation remind us that the federal government collects an excise tax on beer (which ranges from $0.11 to $0.58 per gallon based on production, location, and quantity) as well as all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  According to their research, most states charge the retailer directly for the excise tax – versus tacking it on to the bill like sales tax. …

The U.S. government is reporting that that privately‐owned housing starts in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of  1,269,000.  This figure is 0.9% lower than April’s revised estimate and is 4.7% lower than one year ago.  Single‐family housing starts in May were at a rate of 820k, which is 6.4% below April’s revised figure. The May rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 436k.  Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,294,000.  This figure is 0.3% above April’s revised April rate but is 0.5%…

A new report from the U.S. Federal Reserve draws from the Board’s sixth annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED) and examines the economic well-being and financial lives of Americans and their families.  A key theme of this year’s report was exploring the sources and effects of financial fragility across several domains, from employment to banking to managing expenses.  The report contains a lot of interesting housing data that’s worth sifting through.  Interestingly, respondents satisfaction with their current living arrangements was revealing: “People’s housing and living arrangements can affect their financial lives, access to desired amenities and resources, and…

Almost everyone likes to go swimming, or they at least love going to a pool party.  However, homes with swimming pools have always been a double-edged sword.  In the right situation they can add tremendous value but, under many circumstances, they can potentially be a money-pit.  A recent post on Realtor.com highlights the perils of buying a distressed property with a pool and lists five lessons learned from a buyer in Seattle who learned them the hard way. “For one, the pool equipment needed to be replaced. A new, energy-efficient heat pump cost $4,500. We bought a pool-cleaning robot for…

The head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie and Freddie, recently asked Congress to “Help the Trump administration overhaul mortgage-finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, or he will do what he can on his own.”  According to The Wall Street Journal (reposted on Realtor.com) FHFA Director Mark Calabria expressed his frustration with repeated efforts to overhaul Fannie and Freddie but have failed to gain traction because of widespread disagreement over how to do it.  Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which the WSJ says are critical to half the nation’s mortgages, have been under federal control since the 2008…

Rent control is being considered as a viable option to address the affordability crisis. By Fred Tayco and Alex Rossello “Rent control is a problem for other places, not here.”  It’s a familiar refrain. After all, there are only five states (California, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and Oregon) and the District of Columbia that allow for rent control. Moreover, 36 states explicitly preempt localities from implementing it. By the numbers alone, it could reasonably be assumed that this doesn’t affect most of the country. Considering the broad agreement among academics, public policy researchers and industry experts about the disastrous…

According to the latest CoreLogic monthly Loan Insights Report, 4% of mortgages were in some stage of delinquency (30 days or more past due, including those in foreclosure) in March, 2019.  These loans represent a 0.3-percentage-point decline in the overall delinquency rate compared with March 2018 and was the lowest for the month of March in 13 years. In addition, they report that the foreclosure inventory rate (measuring the share of mortgages in some stage of the foreclosure process) was 0.4% and was the lowest for any month since January, 1999. “The increase in the overall delinquency rate in 42%…

June 14th is Flag Day across America!  Today’s infographic gives us a quick snapshot of the various flags we have had since 1776.  According to historydaily.org, the layout of the stars was officially standardized in 1912 and the colors were standardized in 1934.  Beginning in 1818, new flags were introduced on July 4th of the year listed.  It wasn’t until 1942 that the Federal Flag Code was passed providing uniform guidelines for the display of U.S. flags.  Happy Flag Day and Happy Friday! Hat Tip to HistoryDaily.org.

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.…