Author: Brad Beckett

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the average US apartment rent increased faster in 2015 than anytime since 2007.  According to data from Reis, average rents rose 4.6% in 2015 with the nationwide average rent being around $1180.  In addition data show that over last 15 years rents have annually increased by an average of 2.7%. Some interesting takeaways: “In general, the higher rents go, the more difficult it will be for young people to save for down payments, making them likely to rent even longer. The percentage of first-time buyers among all home buyers is at its lowest…

Bloomberg Business is reporting that U.S. apartment vacancies rose in the 4th quarter as urban construction increased while overshadowing demand for older suburban properties.  Using data released this week from Reis Inc., they also reported that the national vacancy rate averaged 4.4% in the three months through December, up from 4.3% a year earlier and in the third quarter. “Americans occupied about 42.6 million rental-housing units, including single-family homes, as of the third quarter of last year, an increase of almost 9 million households since 2005 and the largest gain in any 10-year period on record, according to the latest…

VentureBeat is reporting that roughly 45% of all Americans either already own smart-home technology or will invest in it by the end of 2016, according to survey data released from Coldwell Banker ahead of the 2016 Consumer Electronics show. The survey found that it’s not just the tech savvy who are adopting smart-home technology, with devices such as app-driven heaters. In fact, 36 percent of those who plan to adopt such devices in 2016 say that they don’t consider themselves to be early adopters of technology.  The survey also found that 54 percent of homeowners in the market to sell…

This week Black Knight Financial Services released their October 2015 Home Price Index (HPI) report that said that U.S. home prices were up 0.2%  for the Month and up 5.5% Year-Over-Year.  The Black Knight HPI utilizes repeat sales data from the nation’s largest public records data set, as well as its market-leading, loan-level mortgage performance data, to produce one of the most complete and accurate measures of home prices available for both disclosure and non-disclosure states. Click here to read the full report on Black Knight.

The folks at MDG Advertising added up the top trends driving the direction of modern marketing and suggested which media channels you should target your ad dollars.  Their key takeaways: Digital Will Be Rating Higher Than TV Mobile Will Move Ahead to Become the Fastest Growing Segment Facebook Will Be Socially Superior Click here to read the full story.

The WSJ.com says that “the week between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays produces a sharp deceleration in the number of economic reports. Still, those who look up from their eggnog will find two fresh readings on the housing market and a gauge of consumers’ feelings heading into 2016.”  Indeed…. Click here to read the full story on WSJ.com

This month Wired magazine delved into the recent real estate crowdfunding phenomenon with a story about how Fundrise “lets common folk invest in posh real estate deals.”  They report about how equity crowdfunding platforms, like Fundrise, allows anyone to become a venture capitalist. “We’re trying to take the quality from private real estate transactions and make it available to everyone,” says Fundrise chief operating officer Brandon Jenkins. Click here to read the full story on Wire.com.

This week S&P/Case-Shiller released their National Home Price Index which showed that home prices rose 5.2% in October, when compared to one year ago.  In September that number was 4.9% and confirms that nationwide home prices have continued to rise over the last 12 months. “Generally good economic conditions continue to support gains in home prices,” says David M. Blitzer, Managing Director and Chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices.  “Among the positive factors are consumers’ expectations of low inflation and further economic growth as well as recent increases in residential construction including single family housing starts. …

Bloomberg is reporting that 2016 could be a good year for women looking to buy real estate, particularly in cities where their incomes are rising faster than those of single men.  Reporting on data from Redfin and paired with Census data, they note that for over a year the majority of respondents to a prospective homebuyer survey have been women. Beyond higher wages, here’s another factor that could bring single women back to the market: Because of their lower household incomes, single women often shop in the same price range as investors looking for rental properties. Such investors played a…

Real estate data powerhouse RealtyTrac recently released its 2016 Rental Affordability Analysis that suggests buying a home is more affordable that renting in 58% of US markets.  The report also says that the rise in rents is outpacing wage growth in 57% of the same markets. “Renters in 2016 will be caught between a bit of a rock and a hard place, with rents becoming less affordable as they rise faster than wages, but home prices rising even faster than rents,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac. “In markets where home prices are still relatively affordable, 2016 may be…