Author: Brad Beckett

The New York Times recently reported that NY state regulators subpoenaed several investment NY firms involved with seller-financing.   The paper suggested that a “revival in seller-financed deals for marketing inexpensive homes to lower-income people” drew the attention of the New York State Department of Financial Services and the investigation is preliminary. In addition, the NY Times article also noted that the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau (CFPB) recently “began an informal inquiry into seller-financing arrangements” and has assigned two lawyers to “research the seller-financing market and determine whether the terms of some deals violate federal truth-in-lending laws.” Click here to…

The Mortgage Bankers Association is reporting that the percentage of loans on which foreclosure actions were initiated was .35%, down one basis point from last quarter and 10 basis points lower than this time last year.  In addition, the data reveal that the foreclosure starts rate were at their lowest level since Q2 of 2000.  The delinquency rate for mortgages on 1-4 unit properties remained unchanged from last quarter at 4.77% of all outstanding loans.  This is the lowest rate since Q3 of 2006 and 77 basis points lower than one year ago. “The delinquency rate of 4.77 percent has…

There is no doubt that crowdfunding will have an incredible impact on the way real estate deals get done in the future.  We’ve featured many posts about the subject here at REI2Day.  Today’s infographic suggests seven things to consider before investing in a real estate crowdfunding project.  To learn more about crowdfunding, visit the Real Estate Investment & Funding Association (REIFA).  Hat tip to Propcy for the graphic.  Happy Friday!!

The Washington Post is reporting that the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has acknowledged problems associated with its attempt last fall to add more transparency to the home loan closing process and is now seeking public input on how to fix them.  Title companies and real estate agents have complained about the confusion and inconsistency brought on by these new “Know Before You Owe” rules, which took effect last Fall.  Reform proposals will be published in the Federal Register and comments from the public will be considered (how nice of them). Then, at some point, the CFPB will issue…

This week real estate data powerhouse CoreLogic released their March 2016 National Foreclosure Report which shows national foreclosure inventory declined by 23.2% and completed foreclosures declined by 14.9%, both numbers year-over-year.  The number of completed foreclosures nationwide decreased year over year from 42k in March 2015 to 36k in March 2016, representing a decrease of 69.7% from the peak of 117,782 in September 2010. The national foreclosure inventory stood at 427k homes, representing 1.1% of all homes with a mortgage.  March’s foreclosure inventory rate is the lowest for any month since October 2007. Click here to read the full report…

This August, data-powerhouse CoreLogic plans to launch what it calls Trestle; “the ultimate listing data management and property information tool for brokers, technology providers, and multiple listing organizations.”  Drawing information from over 300 MLS’s, (and their own data), CoreLogic is setting up a virtual data marketplace targeting  brokers, technology providers and multiple listing organizations. ‘Whether you are a broker looking for unique content to give your website a competitive edge, a technology provider coding the next killer app, or a multiple listing organization supporting numerous subscribers and data relationships, Trestle by CoreLogic simplifies, unifies and transform the marketplace through which…

A new study from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) shows that, on average, government regulations account for nearly a quarter of the price of the average new home.  Three-fifths of that final number, 14.6%, is due to a higher price for a finished lot resulting from regulations imposed during its development.  The other two-fifths of the house price, 9.7%, are from costs incurred by the builder after purchasing the finished lot. “It really makes it hard to satisfy the lower end of the market, which is a lot of first-time buyers,” said Paul Emrath, vice president for survey…

RealtyTrac recently featured an interesting article by NoteSchool’s Eddie Speed & KevinShortle entitled “Make 5 Times the Profit by Combining Real Estate Investing with Notes.”  In the piece, the duo discuss how a husband & wife team purchased a vacant home using real estate and note investing techniques, instead of the traditional approach of buying and then reselling to a rehabber.  It’s quite fascinating. “Most real estate investors lose out on tens of thousands of dollars in profit on every deal they do. This happens because they don’t have a clear understanding of how to architect a deal using both…

According to the latest Yardi Matrix the average national apartment rental rate rose $13 in April, reaching another all-time high of $1,194.  Rents rose 1.1% on a month-over-month basis and were up 2.6% year-to-date. “…fundamentals continue to be supportive of steady rent growth. Occupancies remain at or near all-time highs in most metros. Nationally, the occupancy rate for stabilized and completed properties was 96.0% as of February, the highest in the current cycle, according to Yardi Matrix’s database. The growing amount of supply – more than 300,000 units will come online in 2016—will increase vacancies in some submarkets, but by…

Owning rental units is a great way to build wealth and diversify your portfolio.  However, as the folks over at FortuneBuilders remind us, there is a lot of work, time and effort that goes into maintaining those investments.  The infographic below spells out the “most common mistakes and tenants to avoid” with your rental properties.  Happy Friday…. Click here to read more at FortuneBuilders.