Author: Brad Beckett

According to the latest Cotality (formerly CoreLogic) Single-Family Rent Index (SFRI), U.S. single-family home rental prices increased 2.9% year over year in March, 2025. “Single-family rent growth picked up for the third consecutive month in March, appearing to have bottomed out in December of last year…National trends are firming. Markets with large numbers of new rental units coming online showed softness in single-family rents, as these new units give renters some bargaining power. This can be seen in the single-family rent growth in Dallas, which showed an annual decrease of 0.5% in March”  Said Cotality senior principal economist Molly Boesel.…

In early May, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson (D) signed a bill into law that will limit annual rent increases (rent control).  According to Yahoo News, the measure (HB 1217) caps rent increases at 7% plus inflation or 10% (whichever is lower) and includes single-family homes.  The rent for manufactured home rent is also capped at 5%.  Yahoo News says this makes the state among the first in the country to “provide protections for tenants.”  Rent control continues to be on the march…. “Washington needs more affordable housing — a lot more,” Governor Ferguson said. “We must make it easier, faster…

The headline says it all;  National REIA’s Charles Tassell is heading to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  The USDA announced this week their latest slate of presidential appointments for key positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) including the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Rural Development (RD).  Charles will serve as the State Director for Rural Development in his home state of Ohio.  Click here to wish him well. “President Trump is putting Farmers First, and so is the incredible team we are building at the Department of Agriculture. Our latest additions to the…

According to ATTOM’s April 2025 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, there were a total of 26,033 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings in April.  This figure is up 0.4% from March and up 13.9% from a year ago.  In addition, lenders repossessed 3,580 properties as REOs in April –  up 23.3% from one year ago. Across the nation, one in every 3,950 housing units had a foreclosure filing in April. States with the worst foreclosure rates were South Carolina (one in every 2,311 housing units with a foreclosure filing); Illinois (one in every 2,405); Florida (one in every 2,526); Delaware (one in…

The U.S. Government is reporting that sales of new single-family houses in April, 2025 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 743k, which is 10.9% higher than March’s revised rate and is 3.3% higher than one year ago.  The median sales price of new houses sold in April was $407,200 with an average sales price of $518,400.  There were an estimated 504k new houses for sale at the end of April representing an 8.1-month supply at the current sales rate. Click here to read the full report at the U.S. Census Bureau.

The National Association of Realtors is reporting that existing home sales were down 0.5% in April to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 4 million – down 2% year over year.  Total housing inventory at the end of April was 1.45 million units, up 9% from March and up 20.8% from one year ago.  Unsold inventory sits at a 4.4-month supply at the current sales rate with properties remaining on the market for around 29 days.  The median existing-home price for all housing types in April was $414k.  The NAR says there is a lot of unrealized pent up demand out…

This Monday, May 26th is Memorial Day.  For most Americans the three-day weekend will mark the unofficial start of summer.  However, the solemn significance of the day is often forgotten.  It is actually a national day of remembrance for America’s military men & women who paid the ultimate sacrifice while defending freedom & liberty around the globe.  Stay safe, remember to honor the fallen, and have a Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

The unofficial start of Summer (aka Memorial Day) is this weekend along and with that reminder comes AAA’s annual travel forecast.  The venerable AAA predicts that just over 45 million Americans will travel 50+ miles from home this Memorial Day weekend – an increase of 1.4 million over 2024 and may set a new Memorial Day weekend record.  In addition, AAA says 3.61 million travelers are expected to fly to their destinations – an increase of 2% over last year. “Memorial Day weekend getaways don’t have to be extravagant and costly…While some travelers embark on dream vacations and fly hundreds…

In early May, President Donald Trump signed four pieces of legislation that effectively rolled-back Biden-era green-energy regulations on household appliances such as water heaters, refrigerators and many others.  According to Breitbart News, regulations on the following were rolled-back: H.J.R. 20 – which rolled back regulations on consumer gas-powered water heaters. H.J.R. 24 – which rolled back regulations walk-in coolers and freezers and other refrigeration devices. H.J.R. 42 –  which rescinded an energy conservation regulation on household appliances. H.J.R. 75 – which rescinded a regulation on energy standards for commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator-freezers. In addition, President Trump issued an executive…

The U.S. government is reporting that privately‐owned housing starts in April, 2025 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,361,000, which is 1.6% higher than March’s revised number but is 1.7% lower than one year ago.  April’s rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 420k.  Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in April were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,412,000, which is 4.7% below than March’s revised number and is 3.2% lower than one year ago.  Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 431k…