Everyone has their favorite way to add value to their investment and get a great return. The folks at Keeping Current Matters recently illustrated HouseLogic’s top four home renovations for maximum ROI. Always remember to know your market! Happy Friday!!! “While big projects like adding a bathroom or a complete remodel of a kitchen are popular ways to increase a home’s value, something as simple as updating landscaping and curb appeal can have a quick impact on a home’s value.” Hat tip to Keeping Current Matters.
Author: Brad Beckett
Brad Beckett
Director of Education & Outreach, National Real Estate Investors Association
Local Market Monitor (a National REIA preferred vendor) recently released their National Economic Outlook for January, 2018 where they share their thoughts on developments taking place in the U.S. economy. National Economic Outlook – January 2018 January 16, 2018 By: Ingo Winzer One of the bright spots of the economy is the financial sector. For the last several years jobs in finance increased at a steady pace of almost 2 percent per year; there are now almost a million more than in 2010. These are mainly well-paid jobs – over $70,000 per year – that boost the real estate market.…
A recent article over on Lexology from law firm Cozen’Occonor discusses some of the key changes in the recent tax-reform legislation and how it might affect real estate investors. It’s pretty intense, so you may want to read it twice, and/or print it off or share the link with your accountant. Lexology offers comprehensive free-to-access legal updates, analysis and insights. They publish in excess of 450 articles every day from over 800 leading law firms and service providers worldwide across 50 work areas in 20 languages. Click here to read the full story on Lexology.com.
We’ve recently posted data from two national moving companies about where American’s are moving to and from. The NAHB’s Eye on Housing blog recently took data from the U.S. Census Bureau to show exactly where America’s population is growing and how the South and West are the big gainers. They report that the U.S. population grew by 2.3 million people between 7/1/16 & 7/1/17 and now sits at an estimated 325.7 million; representing a 0.7% increase. Despite some volatility, U.S. population growth has been slowly declining since 1992 as shown by the chart below. Over the 1990 to 1999 period…
Inman is reporting that a realtor real estate broker in Illinois was recently stripped of his real estate license for listing a property without consent of the owner. According to the report, the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation fined the owner of Stateline Realty with a fine of $14k and a license suspension for 2-years for forging a listings contract on a property he did not own and then listing on several services. “Beside being accused of listing the property without permission of the homeowner, Charles Pernacciaro, Davis was also charged with forging signatures on a listing contract,…
Remodeling Magazine recently released their 31st annual Cost vs. Value report that they say offers “an unbiased, third-party report on how much it really costs for a professional to do a typical remodeling project, as well as how much a real estate pro believes that project will increase a home’s value if it’s sold within a year of when the work was completed.” Indeed, they compare 21 popular remodeling projects & upgrades with the value they retain when the property is sold in 100 U.S. housing markets. “This year’s version finds a slight decline, to 56.8% in 2017 from 57.9%…
Get ’em while they’re hot….HomeUnion recently released their list of the 40 best metro areas to buy rental properties this winter. They report that, on average, SFR investors paid 6.6% less per square foot for the same property during the winter of 2017/2018 as they did during 2017’s spring & summer buying season. Indeed. “For the second year in a row, our study found that the wintertime is the best season to acquire rental properties,” explains Steve Hovland, director of research for HomeUnion. “Median home prices drop substantially during the colder months, while rent losses remain marginal for landlords. Below…
In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Realtors, Licking Their Wounds, Get Ready for Their Next Battle (reprinted on Realtor.com), discussed the recent battle on Capitol Hill over tax reform and the efforts of the National Realtors Association to shape the outcome – which the author says emerged from the debate “hobbled and humbled” and questions whether it can “regain some of its clout in Washington politics.” It’s an interesting read when you consider the NAR spend over $32 million on lobbying efforts in 2017 alone. In the fight over the tax bill, the NAR argued that doubling the standard…
The pest control and rodent removers over at Orkin recently released their annual Top 50 Bed Bug Cities list. Topping their list this year was, once again, Baltimore, MD. Orkin’s list is based on treatment data (residential & commercial) from metro areas where they have performed the most bed bug treatments from 12/1/16 through 11/30/17. Baltimore Washington, D.C. Chicago Los Angeles (+2) Columbus, Ohio Cincinnati (+2) Detroit New York (-4) San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Dallas-Fort Worth (+5) “The number of bed bug infestations in the United States is still rising,” says Dr. Tim Husen, an Orkin entomologist. “They continue to invade…
Monday, January 15th, is Martin Luther King Day. In honor of the life & legacy of Dr. King we’ve presented this infographic about his life and impact on American history. Happy Friday! Hat tip to the Raab Collection.
