Author: Brad Beckett

Where are the best “small cities” in America?  Recently WalletHub put pen to paper and compared over 1,200 American cities with populations between 25k and 100k using 40 indicators of livability.  These include things such cost of living, housing costs, home ownership, income, school quality, restaurants per capita, coffee shops per capita and many more.  Indeed…be sure to click on the interactive map below. “Small-city life can be best for those who appreciate more wiggle room, fewer degrees of separation and shorter commutes, to name just a few of its advantages. Granted, these little urban areas demand some tradeoffs, too,…

Redfin is reporting that while U.S. home prices continued to increase (up 4.5%) , however they report that, in October, 31.3% of homes for sale had at least one price drop of more than 1% – which they say is the highest share of price drops on record since Redfin began tracking them in 2010.  In Seattle, for example, almost half of homes for sale had price drops, with an average price cut of $27,500, down from more than $30,000 a year earlier. “…Some homebuyers are adjusting their price range down, and others are backing out of home-buying entirely–deciding that…

As any landlord can tell you, bed bugs are no stranger to a real estate investor’s world.  Pest fighters Terminix remind us that with one of the busiest travel days of the year approaching travelers need to be mindful about the risks of picking up bed bugs while out and about. To that end they put together their top 25 cities where “bed bugs are crawling.”  To come up with their list, they looked at service data from over 300 Terminix branches across the country with the highest number of bed-bug control services. ‘Contrary to their name, these bloodsucking insects…

According to the latest Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) National Delinquency Survey, the delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one to four unit residential properties rose to a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.47% of all loans outstanding at the end of the Q3 of 2018.  The delinquency rate was up 11 basis points from the previous quarter, but down 41 basis points from one year ago. The percentage of loans on which foreclosure actions were started dropped one basis point from the last quarter to 0.23% – representing the lowest level since the Q4 of 1985. “Despite the small uptick this…

According to the Wall Street Journal (reposted on Realtor.com), rising construction costs and a tight labor market are slowing a nearly decade long apartment boom, which analysts say is easing a burgeoning glut at the top end of the market that has been forming across the country.  Data show that multifamily building permits have fallen each month since March, which experts suggest is a sign that there could be less new apartment construction over the next two years – which is the normal time to build an apartment property. “It appears we’re beginning to see some early signs of relief…

According to ATTOM Data’s latest Vacant Property and Zombie Foreclosure Report, nearly 1.5 million (1,447,906) single family homes & condos were vacant at the end of Q3 2018, representing 1.52% of all homes nationwide.  This number is down from 1.58% in 2017.  In addition the report found that there were over 10k vacant “zombie” foreclosures  nationwide at the end of Q3 2018, which represent 3.38% of all homes actively in the foreclosure process. They also report that the zombie foreclosure rate was down from 4.18% one year ago. “The number of vacant foreclosures is now less than one-fourth of the…

There are a lot of creative financing plans provided by real estate investors that can help folks get into housing and achieve their piece of the American Dream.  Often, it’s the only way a family can afford to buy a home of their own and real estate investors are proud to provide these vital solutions.  In light of the recent Veterans’ day holiday, today’s infographic is about a homeownership benefit that is only available to America’s military veterans, the VA Home Loan.  In 2017, $189 billion was loaned to veterans and their families through this program.  The first step in…

Recently released data continue to show that more and more new homes are being built as part of a homeowner’s association.  Using data from the Census Bureau, the NAHB’s Eye on Housing reports that 60.7% of all homes started in 2017 were built within a community or homeowner’s association.  In fact, since 2011 over 50% of all homes built fall into this category. The Census Bureau defines community or homeowner’s associations as “formal legal entities created to maintain common areas of a development and to enforce private deed restrictions; these organizations are usually created when the development is built, and…

It used to be cool to get that awesome “dot com” or “dot org” address but now there’s a new domain in town for real estate professionals;  “dot realestate.”  The domain is being launched by none other than the National Association of Realtors and will be available for purchase by the general public through GoDaddy starting November 26, however NAR members can buy it as early as November 16 in a special pre-sale.  According to the Realtors the “dot realestate” domain “is free of restrictions and will allow real estate entities and professionals to creatively market properties and geographic areas…

Many older homes lack sufficient attic insulation to retain heat, however it is also one of the easiest places in a home to properly insulate.  As shown in the map below, different regions of the country have different R-Values for the types of insulation required in their particular climates.  The folks over at The Home Depot have put together a handy attic insulation calculator to help determine your area’s recommended R-value and estimate how much insulation is needed to help keep your property warm in the winter.   Simply enter your information for a quick estimate of the attic insulation you’ll…