Author: Brad Beckett

Late last week a US federal appeals court blocked an EPA regulation that would bring even more waterways & wetlands under their jurisdiction.   Eighteen states are currently challenging the regulations who say, as well as others, that the new regulations are a federal intrusion upon states’ rights. “The order, issued on a 2-1 vote from the Cincinnati-based Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was a preliminary boost for a group of 18 states that challenged the EPA regulation. The rule seeks to bring smaller bodies of water at the outer edges of watersheds under the Clean Water Act and was…

HousingWire is reporting that a real estate investor in Georgia recently pleaded guilty to conspiring to rig bids at foreclosure auctions in two Atlanta-area counties.  According to US Department of Justice the individual admitted conspiring with other real estate investors regarding bids in public foreclosure auctions. “After the foreclosure auctions closed, the individual and his co-conspirators would then hold private auctions amongst themselves for the targeted properties.” Click here to read the full story on HousingWire National REIA believes strongly in promoting “professional and ethical business practices that set standards of excellence.”

National Housing Associations Weigh-in on Carried Interest The battle over carried interest is heating up again in Washington. In a speech to the Business Roundtable on Sept. 16, President Obama repeated his long-time call for carried interest to be taxed at ordinary income rates of up to 39.6 percent – instead of at current-law capital gains rates that go up to 20 percent. On the campaign trail, Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Donald Trump have also endorsed the move. But the apartment housing industry continues to strongly and effectively oppose any proposals to change the tax treatment of carried interest. That’s…

When you look at things from a different perspective they sometimes make you step back and think differently about them.  Recently Realtor.com compared the prices of five common items over a period of 30 years. The prices, which were not adjusted for inflation, show the actual percentage change in their respective prices over 30 years. Some interesting takeaways: In 2014 the median sale price of an existing single-family home was $207,000, that’s almost 2.6 times as much as 30 years ago. Due to the climbing prices of beef and bread, the Big Mac also experienced a drastic price surge—from $1.60…

According to new data released by RealtyTrac, “zombie” foreclosures (abandoned homes stuck in foreclosure that haven’t been repossessed) were down 43% from a year earlier and 27% from the previous quarter. The report shows that there were just over 20k US homes in the foreclosure processes, accounting for just over 1% of all vacant residential properties.  Some takeaways from the report: States with the most vacant “zombie” foreclosures were New Jersey (3,997), Florida (3,512), New York (3,365), Illinois (1,187) and Ohio (1,028) States with the most total vacant residential properties were Florida (180,846), Michigan (117,833), Texas (117,350), Ohio (86,416), and…

What a difference a week and new regulations can make.  The Mortgage Bankers Association is reporting that mortgage applications were up over 25% from the previous week.  The data was released as part of the the MBA’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending October 2nd. “The number of applications for purchase and refinance mortgages soared last week due both to renewed rate volatility and as many applications were filed prior to the TILA-RESPA regulatory change. The average loan size of applications in the weekly survey increased by 6.9 percent, driven by a 12.1 percent increase in the average…

According to a recent article on Inman, while “Millennials are clearly the future of real estate…[however] there’s a new trend afoot that might be your next hot opportunity — and America’s wealthiest generation will be driving it.”  Indeed, real estate investors need know where the trend-lines are moving and be ready to capitalize on opportunities as they present themselves. Especially when you consider: The majority of the 78 million boomers need to remodel their homes or will be moving due to being in transitional live stages. Transition, in this case, meaning downsizing from the family home, but not yet ready for retirement.…

The following media release was issued by Ohio’s 1851 Center for Constitutional Law regarding a recent decision in US District Court upholding the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution – a big victory for rental property owners! Federal Court:  Cities’ Rental Licensing and Inspection Requirements Unconstitutional Columbus, OH – The Southern District of Ohio today ruled that the City of Portsmouth’s occupational licensing requirements imposed upon landlords – – rental property inspections and licensing fees – – violates the Fourth Amendment to the United State Constitution. 1851 Center for Constitutional Law’s victory on behalf of Portsmouth rental property owners…

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that mortgage bankers and real-estate agents are bracing for the impact of the of a five-year-old law that will be implemented on October 3rd forcing them to overhaul the way they process sales.  The regulations, part of the sweeping Dodd-Frank law, are intended to help consumers better understand their mortgage terms.  As with most new laws, the unintended consequences have real-estate professionals concerned that confusion will set in and cause unnecessary delays. “It is without question the single largest implementation challenge that the broad industry has faced since Dodd-Frank. It’s massive. It involves every…

The Urban Institute released a report suggesting that single-family rental homes could be the solution to increasing the supply of so called affordable housing.  Citing data showing that single-families make up over half of the 14 million rental units in the US, they  suggest changes at the federal level to encourage greater investment in these properties which they suggest would increase supply. “Turning distressed single-family houses into rentals can be an important way to absorb the overhang from the credit crisis and stabilize neighborhoods” Click here to read the report, Single-family homes can help address the affordable rental-housing crisis