Author: Brad Beckett

According to various reports, the guarantee fees (g-fees) charged by Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac to guarantee loans will likely not go to pay for new roads, after the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to remove a controversial portion of a massive $325 billion transportation bill that would have used g-fees to offset the costs.  The amendment, put forth by Rep. Randy Neugebauer, (R-TX), and Bill Huizenga, (R-MI), passed 354-72.   The full version of the bill passed the House by a vote of 363-64. The Senate passed their own version of the bill back in July that contained language…

In a fun play on a popular phrase from the movie “Dumb & Dumber,” Inman is reporting locations where “Where home-flipping profits flow like wine And the millennials flock like the salmon of Capistrano.”  Indeed….What they really mean are the top places to “flip to millennials.”  Some takeaways: Home flipping has undergone a bit of a resurgence in 2015 thanks, at least in part, to a surge in low down payment FHA buyers, many of whom are millennials looking for their first home. The share of buyers using FHA loans increased 31 percent during the same time period, from 17.9…

CoreLogic’s latest US Home Price Index Report says that home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased 6.4% in September compared with September ’14 and increased by 0.6% in September compared with August ’15. “After nearly 10 years of very high home price volatility, home price increases have been remarkably stable for the last 15 months, ranging between a 4.8 percent and 6.5 percent year-over-year increase,” said Sam Khater, deputy chief economist for CoreLogic. “Home price volatility is now back to the long-term trend prior to the boom and bust which is a good barometer of the market’s stability and health.”…

The new domain “.rent” went live last week as a domain registration name as a marketing tool for the real estate industry – particularly those with rental properties.   BloovianPrime reports that the company behind the .rent domain is run Daniel Negari, who has extensive experience in commercial real estate. “Although real estate is a well developed and booming industry, property owners have been constrained by a limited number of naming options, until now” says Negari. “Every owner or broker should have the opportunity to utilize industry-relevant domains to attract new tenants and grow their businesses. .rent web addresses are the…

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, construction spending rose 0.6% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.09 trillion – the highest level since March 2008.  Construction of apartments and condominiums jumped 4.9% in September from August, while construction of single-family homes rose 1.3%. Click here to read the full release.

The Securities and Exchange Commission late last week adopted final rules to permit companies to offer and sell securities through crowdfunding.  The Commission also voted to propose amendments to existing Securities Act rules to facilitate intrastate and regional securities offerings.  The new rules and proposed amendments are designed to assist smaller companies with capital formation and provide investors with additional protections.  Click here to read a summary of the new rules. Over on Crowdfundbeat.com, Kendall Almerico, Chief Executive Officer at BankRoll Ventures sums up last week’s issuance of new rules for Title III of the Jobs Act which gives guidance…

CNBC’s Realty Check with Diana Olick is reporting that “property flipping in today’s rocky housing recovery means staying one step ahead of the game — a game that is becoming increasingly cutthroat. Foreclosures are drying up and cash-heavy hedge funds are still buying low-end properties to rent. For a home flipper, someone who buys and sells a home in the same calendar year, the pickings are ever slimmer, but the profit can still be high.” Click below to watch the report: Click here to read the full report.

According to the Yardi Matrix Monthly for October, apartment rents leveled off during the month of October averaging $1166 – which is almost unchanged from September.  This represents the fist month in 2015 where a month-to-month increase was not reported. Click here to read the Yardi Matrix Monthly report for October.

What are the fastest growing counties in America by population? Click on the interactive map below to find out. Hat tip to Inman.

This week Housing data powerhouse RealtyTrac released their 3rd quarter US Home Flipping Report, showing that over 43k single family homes & condos were flipped.  This figure constitutes 5% of all single family & condo unit sales that quarter. “After curtailing flipping activity last year due to slowing home price appreciation and shrinking inventory of flip-worthy homes, real estate investors have started to jump back on the flipping bandwagon in 2015,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac. “On the acquisition side, investors are finding creative ways to pinpoint potential flips in the off-market arena, and on the disposition side…