Author: Brad Beckett

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 151k in February, 2025 with the unemployment rate coming in at 4.1% – about the same as January.  Marking a big change previous reports, the BLS says employment in government declined in February (down 10k) after seeing an average monthly gain of 38k in 2024.  Indeed… Click here to read the full report at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The U.S. government is reporting that total construction spending in January, 2025 was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,192.5 billion, down 0.2% from December’s revised number.  However, January’s estimate is 3.3% higher than one year ago.  Residential construction came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $932.7 billion in January, which is 0.4% lower than December’s revised estimate. Click here to read the full report at the U.S. Census Bureau.

We’ve seen a lot of recent posts about where people are moving to & from. Today’s graphic from Realtor.com shows us the top 15 states with the fastest growing populations. They say last year the U.S. saw its population surge at its highest rate since 2001, overwhelmingly driven by an influx of immigrants. Indeed…. Stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! Hat tip to Realtor.com

Rental information site Zumper recently released their latest monthly National Rent Report for February, 2025.  According to their data, median rent for 1-bedroom apartments was $1525 (up 2.9%) and $1,905 (up 3.7%) for two-bedrooms. Be sure to check out their list of the top 100 metro areas. Click here to read the full report at Zumper.

According to the latest Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI), home prices were up 4.5% from December 2023 to December 2024, after rising 0.4% in December.  The FHFA HPI is the nation’s only collection of public, freely available house price indexes that measure changes in single-family home values based on data from all 50 states and over 400 American cities that extend back to the mid-1970s. “U.S. house prices grew at a slightly higher rate in the fourth quarter after three straight previous quarters of weaker appreciation…The price growth accelerated during the quarter as the inventory of…

On a recent episode of the Rent Perfect podcast David Pickron talks with Jonna Weber of the Boise Real Estate Investor Network (Boise REIN) about her expertise in marketing strategies, avoiding rental scams, managing long-term rentals in Idaho and how landlords can protect their investments.  Interestingly, you may recall that Jonna had David on her Podcast back in January. Click here to listen.

According to Census data recently crunched by the NAHB’s Eye on Housing, single-family built-for-rent construction posted year-over-year declines in Q4 2024 as a higher cost of financing crowded out development activity. They say the slowdown is similar to the deceleration of multifamily construction in recent quarters.  In addition they say investor demand for single-family homes, both existing and new, has cooled with higher interest rates. Click here to read the full report at the NAHB’s Eye on Housing.

The latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index reported a 3.9% annual increase for December, 2024.  Their 10-City Composite increased 5.1% and their 20-City Composite increased 4.5%, year-over-year. “It has been five years since the Covid-19 outbreak took hold of the global economy, sparking unprecedented volatility, massive fiscal and monetary stimulus, and a housing market that responded to national migratory changes in how we work and where we live…National home prices have risen by 8.8% annually since 2020,” Said Brian D. Luke, Head of Commodities, Real & Digital Assets at S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI). Click…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced that they will terminate the Biden-era 2021 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule.  According to their release, the move will cut costly red tape imposed on localities and returning decision-making power to local and state governments.  The Biden-era AFFH rule was, in effect a “zoning tax,” which fueled an increase in the cost and a decrease in the supply of affordable housing due to restrictions on local land. “Local and state governments understand the needs of their communities much better than bureaucrats in Washington D.C. Terminating this rule restores…

The National Association of Realtors is reporting that pending home sales fell 4.6% in in January, 2025, following four consecutive months of increases. The NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index (a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings) came in at 70.6 in January.  The NAR says weather may have played a role; “It is unclear if the coldest January in 25 years contributed to fewer buyers in the market, and if so, expect greater sales activity in upcoming months…However, it’s evident that elevated home prices and higher mortgage rates strained affordability.”  Said the NAR’s Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun. Click here to…