Author: Brad Beckett

Where are the best schools in the U.S. with homes that offer the best value?  Realtor.com recently answered that question and posted the top 10 school districts in America with homes that won’t break your budget.  Using data from Greatschools.org they found every district that scored a 10 rating (the highest) and calculated the median home price within that district. Next they compared home prices in each of those top school districts within their respected counties and identified the top 10 districts where you’ll pay the smallest premium – thus producing a list of  school districts that are most within financial reach.  Indeed……

The Los Angeles Times recently posted an interesting piece about a family-run property business that has turned to crowdfunding for their financing needs.  The relatively new phenomenon of crowdfunding enables businesses to publicly solicit investment from individual investors online. Berneman’s family business, Golden Bee Properties, borrowed $1 million to buy a West Los Angeles home that he plans to renovate and expand before putting it back on the market. The money didn’t come from a bank but from 44 small investors, some of whom put in as little as $5,000. Today’s crowdfunding platforms enable flippers to tap into a much…

With all the recent buzz about Tiny Houses we thought it would be interesting to take closer look at this phenomenon and see what they’re all about.  The following infographic from The Tiny Life attempts to do just that….Can something this small be so big?  Happy Friday.

The National Association of Realtors says that although rising sales & home prices typically coincide that wasn’t the case in the 4th quarter of 2015. Despite slightly cooling demand from earlier in the year that caused sales to decline (5.4 percent) from the third quarter, single-family home prices picked up speed and showed continued strength in nearly all metro areas (81 percent) to close out the year.  Why? Depressed supply levels in relation to the overall pool of prospective buyers continues to lift upward pressure on home prices in several metro areas. The end result is that even in some…

The U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this week unveiled their proposed budget for FY 2017 that includes over $11 billion in new mandatory spending as well as over $48 billion in gross discretionary funding.  The budget will require Congressional support and will undoubtedly undergo many changes & twists before something is finally approved. Some takeaways: $20.9 billion for the Housing Choice Voucher program $10.8 billion for the Project-Based Rental Assistance program, which supports 12 months of funding for rental assistance contracts with public and private owners who maintain affordable rental housing for 1.2 million families. Click here to…

This week data-powerhouse CoreLogic released their December 2015 national Foreclosure Report showing that foreclosure inventory declined by 23.8% and completed foreclosures declined by 22.6%  compared with December 2014.  The number of completed foreclosures nationwide decreased year over year from 41k in December 2014 to 32k in December 2015. The number of completed foreclosures in December 2015 was down 72.8% from the peak of 117,722 in September 2010. Key takeaways: The five states with the highest number of completed foreclosures were Florida (79k), Michigan (50k), Texas (30k), Ohio (24k) and Georgia (24k).  These five states accounted for almost half of all…

Currently in the U.S. around 14% of all households  are multi-generational and that number is expected to grow.  A lot has been written about this phenomenon over past few years and it seems to be a trend worth keeping an eye on.  This week CNBC’s Diana Olick took a look at the growing trend of multi-generational living arrangements and its impact on the economy. Click here to watch the entire report.

One of the many benefits of being a member of National REIA is a discount on marketing services provided by Constant Contact.   Today’s infographic talks about the What, When and Who of Successful emails. Happy Friday….

Food for thought…..Builder is reporting that a recent study by door manufacturer Therma-Tru says that a nice-looking entry door can increase the perceived value of a home by an average of 4.2%, or $18,750 in an average-priced home.  The study was produced by surveying recent home buyers in different regions of the country using photos of homes with enhanced and unenhanced doors. “This survey showed very clearly that the perception of higher value is there with an enhanced entry door, whether it’s glass or sidelites or a new entryway configuration,” says Derek Fielding, director of marketing insights and innovation for…

This week property information provider CoreLogic released their December 2015 Home Price Index & forecast report showing that home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased year over year by 6.3% in December 2015 (compared 12/14) and increased month over month by 0.8% in December 2015 (compared with 11/14).  In addition, CoreLogic’s forecast predicts that home prices will increase by 5.4% over 2016. Click here to read the full report on CoreLogic.