Author: Brad Beckett

Thanks to new technology, anyone with “a few bucks and an appetite for risk” can add real estate to their investment portfolios.  A recent article by FOXNews.com’s Robert Massi discusses new methods of capital aggregation through crowdfunding and offers advice before investing in such endeavors. Read the full story at:  Real estate investing: Not just for millionaires, FoxNews.com, 8/13/15

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that nationwide rents are rising faster for mid-tier apartments than they are for more luxury units.  According to the WSJ: “Developers’ focus on high end contributes to shortage of affordable units” and “construction costs are generally too high to justify building new complexes for low- and middle-income tenants, experts say, contributing to the scarcity.” Read the full article here: Rents Rise Faster for Midtier Apartments Than Luxury Ones, WSJ 8/16/15

The home remodeling market is poised to exceed $300 billion annually this year – a level not seen since 2007. Read more at Home improvement hot spots: Who’s rebuilding?, 8/13/15 Bankrate.com. “There are 2 big reasons for the recent surge in home improvement: rising sales of previously owned homes and increasing prices, says Abbe Will, a research analyst at Harvard’s Joint Center.”

According to a recent news report, while higher home prices make house flipping a little harder, it has become much more lucrative. Read the full article here: Housing flipping: It’s riskier but more lucrative

 The following update is courtesy of the Finney Law Firm, a Cincinnati-area based legal practice. As Wells Fargo Ends Agent Loan Referral Deals (Wells Fargo Ends Agent Loan Referral Deals) reports, one of the nation’s largest residential mortgage lenders, Wells Fargo, has terminated all MSAs or Marketing Services Agreements with Realtors, home builders and others.  Other lenders are quickly following suit. This is in addition to Wells Fargo recently terminating its joint ventures with similar entities in which the lender and Realtor team up in a new loan company, and split the profits from that enterprise. This new policy was spurred by…

source Bankrate.com

Lease-Options have moved from Main Street to Wall Street with former Goldman Sach’s Executives raising hundreds of millions in capital to finance lease options for approved candidates through their new company Home Partners. With scheduled rent and sale price increases in the contracts, participants know the cost and can walk away without a penalty should they choose. With $500 million in equity and expanding partnerships, look for this lease-option competitor to come to a community, primarily larger urban/suburban communities, soon! For more information see Rent-to-Own Homes Make a Comeback, WSJ 7/29/15 (subscription may be required)

The laws of supply & demand manifest themselves in everything from eggs & gasoline prices to the number of vacant apartment units. Newly released Commerce Department data are showing that a drop in the U.S. Rental vacancy rate is precipitating a construction boom among builders as well as the expected effect of an increase in rental rates. The Wall Street Journal recently noted that “At a time when few investments offer much in the way of income, rising rents have helped make the landlord business more attractive.”  They also report that June saw the most multi-family unit housing starts since…

The Wall Street Journal 7/28/15 Rental Demand Supplies Home-Building Opportunity “When supply is tight, prices rise, but when prices rise, more supply eventually comes along. This is true of commodities like pork bellies and oil. It also is true of apartments. And that is good news for shares of home builders.” Click here to read full article (subscription may be required).

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a recent 5-4 decision held that disparate-impact-based discrimination claims are within the jurisdiction of the court and fall under the Fair Housing Act. The following link contains a detailed analysis of that decision by Harry J. Kelly, Esq., Nixon Peaboddy LLP (Washington D.C. Office). Nixon Peabody LLP Analysis of U.S. Supreme Court Disparate Impact Decision To view the entire U.S. Supreme Court decision, please click on the link below: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS ET AL V . INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES PROJECT, INC., ET AL.