Author: Brad Beckett

What are the best- and worst-run cities in America?  That might vary upon who you’re talking to and what their most recent experience was with the local building department.  However, WalletHub recently compared the operating efficiency of 150 of the largest cities in America to find which among them are managed the best.  To get their list, they looked at 35 metrics that were grouped into six service categories, which were then measured against the city’s per-capita budget.  Their list is pretty interesting and when you look at the chart it is a little surprising – especially when a city…

We’ve seen several “Airbnb-like” start-ups in the last few years but none like this one.  Recently we came across a pretty cool short-term rental platform that is geared for hunters & fishermen called Private Acre.  Basically, they facilitate the renting of private land for outdoor pursuits.  Land owners can connect their property to a community of outdoor enthusiasts that will pay to use it, based on the owner’s terms.  In addition, it’s all covered under Private Acre’s $1 million liability insurance. “With PrivateAcre, you no longer need to know someone who owns land. Now you have access to your own…

Swimming pools can be the envy of the neighborhood or a dangerous eyesore that needs to be removed.  But if you have one, or your property does, what does it take to keep them clean?  A recent article in Realtor.com discussed the ins and outs of what happens if you don’t keep that pool clean.  The again, do you really want to know what’s in that pool water? Ever heard of Cryptosporidium??? Yikes! “When it comes to keeping a pool clean, “what you’re fighting is biological activity—human beings that go into the pool,” Carroll explains. “You might not, but the rest…

How does the concentration of homeowners versus renters break down in your city?  Or how about an area where you’re looking to invest?  We came across this very interesting mapping site by Ryan McCullough that presents every single person in the United States as a purple or blue dot.   The data was taken from the 2010 Census and is accurate at the block level, however within each census block the location has been randomized. Dots have been colored purple or blue based on the percentage of home owners versus renters on a block, showing larger geographical structures of home ownership. …

A recent Redfin survey of 2k U.S. residents (who plan to sell/buy a home in the next 12 months) revealed that 36% of millennial buyers took a 2nd job to save for their down payment.  Their report zeroed-in over more 500 respondents between 24 and 38 who said they planned to buy their first home in the coming year.  The top concern among first-time millennial homebuyers was having enough money for a down payment (50%),  followed by affording a home in their preferred location (45%) and rising home prices (41%). “For millennials who have launched their careers while working to…

“Evictions are an awful side of the rental housing business that causes pain for both tenants who need a place to live and landlords who have to run a business.”  That’s the synopsis of a recent interview with National REIA’s Charles Tassell (while wearing his Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Apartment Association hat) that was posted on apartmentheadlines.com. “As America faces an affordable housing crisis, there are many sides to the story on what causes evictions besides just poverty. Evictions are not just the terrible landlords fault, but a more complex issue…” Click here to read the full story on apartmentheadlines.com.…

The U.S. Government is reporting that privately owned housing starts in June were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,173,000.  This is 12.3% lower than May’s  estimate and is 4.2% below June, 2017.  June’s estimate is the lowest in 9 months.  Single-family housing starts in June were at a rate of 858k which is 9.1% below May. The rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 304k.  Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in June were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,273,000. This is 2.2% below the May’s revised rate and is 3%…

The folks over at Arbor remind us that the average suburban home with a yard and a two-car garage may not be the first image that the word “rental” brings to mind, but single-family homes have quickly become one of the most sought-after rental sectors on the market. To that end, they put together this handy infographic that takes a look at the demographic factors that are contributing to a surge in single-family home rentals.  Happy Friday!!! Hat tip to Arbor.

Student housing can be a great place to invest but you have to do your due diligence and know the market. New data from Axiometrics (a RealPage company) shows that enrollment, which is a major indicator for student housing, experienced a slight drop last year according to their Axio175 report.  According to their data, enrollment grew an average of 0.7% over the fall 2016 semester among the 175 universities – down from the 1.3% average growth pace in each of the previous three years.  Interestingly, when the Axio175 universities are broken down in three groups based by enrollment size, the trend…

Where are America’s fastest growing suburbs?  That’s the question Realtor.com recently put pen to paper to in order to determine the hottest bedroom communities all across the country.  To get their list, they analyzed over 7k zip codes, focusing on the ones outside a city’s limits and within an hour’s commute in rush hour to the center of the nearest urban area. They calculated home appreciation over the last three years, the increase in the number of home listings, population growth and factored in the share of new construction at the county level. “These  [are places that]  have what people…