Author: Brad Beckett

eCommerce behemoth Amazon.com recently narrowed down their list of finalists for their second headquarters (aka HQ2) to 19 U.S. cities and Toronto, Canada.  They determined their list using the following 6 factors;  median home prices, five-year home price appreciation, affordability, average school test scores, crime rate, and property taxes.  To better understand this information, Data powerhouse ATTOM Data Solutions recently took that list and broke it all down to show the rankings of the 19 U.S. cities as well as how each fared. “It’s striking that 16 out of the 19 markets have median home prices that are lower than…

By now, almost Americans are aware of the growing amount of student debt many folks are carrying.  In fact, according to a report from LendingTree, the total U.S. student loan debt reached $1.5 trillion earlier this year, up around $600 billion 10 years ago.  They also cite data from the Pew Research Center revealing that 37% of adults under 30 have at least some student debt.  No doubt about it, all this debt has a big impact on whether someone is able to buy a home or chooses to rent. “Incurring student debt isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and the…

A new study from 24/7 Wall Street identified what they say are the 50 worst cities in America to live in.  To come up with their list they looked at data on 551 U.S. cities with a population greater than 65k.  Then, they looked at a whole range of quality of life variables that included schools,  local economy, job market, public safety and even its climate.  They said that cities that perform well on these measures are more likely to attract new residents while those that don’t tend to drive residents away. Oh, and their number one worst city;  Detroit. …

The professional association Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) recently issued their annual Top Ten Issues Affecting Real Estate for 2018-2019.  In a break with previous years, their new list separates issues by current and long-term concerns.   Topping their list of current concerns was “Interest Rates and the Economy” while long term they view “Infrastructure” as a major issue.  Indeed…their entire list is worth a strategic look. “Leading the list of current issues is Interest Rates and The Economy.  As interest rates rise, the commercial and residential real estate markets are already experiencing changes – decreasing demand for commercial property, and…

What are the 10 calculations every real estate investor ought to know?  Today’s infographic from FortuneBuilders gives investors a comprehensive guide to the most commonly used investment property calculations in order to discover the best type of real estate calculator for your business – everything from After Repair Value (ARV)  to Gross Yield!  Indeed…….Happy Friday!!! “Investing in a property can be exciting, but taking the time to properly analyze your deal is paramount. In some cases, what may seem like a good deal at first glance may actually cause financial pitfalls long-term.” Hat tip to FortuneBuilders.

According to the latest U-Haul Migration Trends Report, Houston, TX, tops the list for as the number one destination for the 9th consecutive year.  In fact, Houston saw a 5% increase since last year in one-way truck rentals.  The top-10 cities in their 50-city list are Houston, Chicago, Orlando, Brooklyn, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Austin, Philadelphia;, Charlotte and Columbus.  U-Haul bases its rankings on rankings on the total number of arriving one-way U-Haul trucks into a city during the past calendar year.   Be sure to check out their entire list of the top-50 cities to see where people are moving.…

According to the latest CoreLogic Loan Performance Insights Report, 4.3% of mortgages were in some stage of delinquency in March, 2018.  This figure is not only down one percentage point from a year ago, it is also at the lowest level since March, 2007.  March’s foreclosure inventory rate (the share of mortgages in some stage of the foreclosure process) came in at 0.6%, down from 0.8% one year ago.  CoreLogic points out that the foreclosure rate is back to the pre-crisis level of 0.6%. Click here to read the full story.

It kind of sounds oxymoronic, but a law passed in California back in 2016 to ease the housing crisis just might be showing some fruit.  According to a recent story on Bloomberg, California’s legislature passed a law two years ago that allows owners of single-family properties to build guest apartments, which are referred to as accessory dwelling units (ADUs).  Basically, they’re granny flats, guest houses or apartments over the garage.  They have to be in residential areas and meet setback and height requirements. Interestingly, cities cannot outlaw them nor can they force homeowners to go through the local planning commission.  However…

What is the motivation behind long distance moves among renters?  A new study from ApartmentList takes a look at why some renters chase jobs and other choose locations when moving to new areas.  They surveyed over 20k Apartment List users about their decision-making process and then divided the respondents into two categories;  Job-first movers and Location-first movers.  In order to focus on renters who made the big moves, they limited their sample to non-student renters who are currently living in a metro other than where they grew up. Interestingly, they found that, nationwide, 46.5% of new-metro movers were job-first movers,…

The high-tax state of Vermont is paying people up to $10k to relocate to their green mountain paradise, with a catch – you can live there, but you have to work remotely in another state.  According to numerous news outlets, Vermont’s governor recently signed legislation authorizing grants of up to $10k for individuals to make the move ($5k for two years).  The Wall Street Journal reports that Vermont’s top marginal income tax rate was 8.95% along with having the 3rd most onerous property taxes in the nation. Throw in an aging population and a shrinking tax-base and you have a…