In their recent podcast, Western Michigan’s RPOA says get ready to be scared with Real Ghost Stories from the perspective of Rental Property Owners, Homeowners, and Tenants. Whether you believe in Ghosts or not, sometimes strange and inexplicable things happen that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. This episode’s guests today talk about creaking doors, strange footsteps, the feeling of being watched, and the sensation of seeing an apparition of someone long dead! Happy Halloween! Click here to hear more at the Rental Property Owners Association (RPOA) website.
Author: Brad Beckett
Brad Beckett
Director of Education & Outreach, National Real Estate Investors Association
According to ATTOM Data solutions’ 2017 U.S. Residential Vacant Property and Zombie Foreclosure Report there are nearly 1.4 million (1,367,793) residential properties (with 1 to 4 units) vacant in the as of the end of Q3 2017. This number represents 1.58% of all residential properties in the U.S. and is down only slightly less than one year ago. The report also said that “zombie foreclosures” decreased 22% and vacant bank-owned properties decreased 48 percent, both compared to one year ago. “Zombie foreclosures have dwindled dramatically over the last four years as a supply-starved housing has soaked up even some of…
Renting to people with disabilities is something that all landlords should be prepared to address. With that in mind, a recent study from ArborLoanExpress’s Alex Chatter says that tenants with special needs are a growing segment for small property owners, which have traditionally not seen a large share in this market. In fact, between 2010-2015, tenants reporting some form of difficulty has risen 3% annually. Disability is a multidimensional concept where medical challenges could potentially be attenuated by external elements. Factors such as society, technology and culture are helping individuals with disabilities function with a greater level of ease…
Over 50 million households in America have a dog….That’s a lot of barking. With that in mind, the folks over at Realtor.com crunched the bones (we meant numbers) to come up with America’s Best Cities for Dog Lovers. They looked at the percentage of listed homes with dog amenities, availability of pet services (dog walkers, etc), veterinarians per capita, dog ownership rates and several other factors for 150 of the nation’s largest metros. The top 10 dog loving cities are: Austin, TX Reno, NV Salinas, CA Denver, CO Portland, OR Seattle, WA Oklahoma City, OK Tucson, AZ Ann Arbor, MI…
A recent report from Freddie Mac says that affordability and changing attitudes about renting are helping to grow demand for more rental housing. In addition, the study confirms that many current American renters are satisfied with their current arrangements and see it as an affordable option into the future. In fact, those who believe that renting is more affordable has actually increased from 68% to 76% since March, 2017, the date of their last renter survey. “Our rental survey confirms what we’re seeing in the market — that a growing number of individuals across demographic groups view renting as more…
Halloween is almost here! The spooky folks over at Zillow crunched the candy, uh, we mean numbers to come up with the top 20 best cities for “trick-or-treating.” To get their list, Zillow looked at home values, proximity to each other, the crime rate and share of the population under 10 years old. The data is combined to reveal the cities where trick-or-treaters can get the best candy in the least amount of time. Happy Friday and Happy Halloween! Hat tip to Zillow.
The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently reported that sales of new single-family houses in September, 2017 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 667k. This number is 18.9% above August’s revised rate and is 17% higher than one year ago. The median sales price in September was $319,700 and the average sales price was $385,200. There was an estimated 279k new houses for sale representing a 5 months supply at the current sales rate. Click here to read the full report.
Come on, admit it; when you’re researching a property, have you ever wondered if someone was killed there or maybe even died at that address? An online site called DiedInHouse.com will, for a small fee, generate a report using millions of records to determine if a death occurred at any valid US address. Their reports can also contain information about that death as well as meth lab activity, fires and other data that may be available but unknown to potential buyers. According to an article on Forbes.com, the service was founded four years ago when its founder went searching for…
Fresh Flooring Trends to Improve Investment Properties By Will Hudson, Laminate and Vinyl Plank Flooring Merchant, The Home Depot Sleek, stylish flooring is an asset to any investment property. Luckily, recent innovations in flooring materials have increased the possibilities for luxurious yet affordable options. The following five trends are a great place to start when considering new flooring projects. LET’S GET DIGITAL Due to new digital printing advancements, flooring styles that previously required premium materials or substantial installation costs now are achievable with less effort and investment. These design technologies eliminate boundaries between flooring materials and produce customizable tiles and…
Recent data is showing 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 59.8% of all homes started in 2016 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 membership…
