Author: Brad Beckett

According to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, personal income in June increased $71.4 billion (0.3% at a monthly rate). Disposable personal income (DPI – personal income less personal current taxes) increased $61 billion (0.3%) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $69.9 billion (0.3%).  Personal outlays (the sum of PCE, personal interest payments, and personal current transfer payments) increased $69.5 billion in June.  Personal saving was $1.01 trillion in June and the personal saving rate (personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income) was 4.5%. Click here to read the full report at the Bureau of…

On a recent episode of Real Estate News for Investors, Kathy Fettke discusses how individual buyers may be sidelined by high rates, but investors are stepping in – now accounting for nearly 30% of all single-family home purchases, the highest share on record. Kathy shares how small, nimble investors are outpacing Wall Street giants like Blackstone by moving fast and buying smart.  Indeed… Click here to listen.

ATTOM Data says we live in a world of geocodes. But, you may be thinking;  what the heck’s a geocode and how does geocoding work?  With that quesiton in mind, they recently posted an article to help shed light on this technological innovation. Any website or app that requests your name and address will potentially convert that data into geocodes for use. Often, the data are used for analytics and marketing purposes but geocodes are also used by rideshare and food delivery apps, real estate companies and property investors, urban planners, insurance companies for risk mitigation, and countless other use…

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, total nonfarm payroll employment changed little in July, 2025 with the unemployment rate coming in at 4.2%.  In addition, the report says employment continued to trend up in health care and in social assistance. The federal government continued to lose jobs. Click here to read the full report at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

It’s time for Terminix’s annual list of the top bed bug infested cities.  Once again Philadelphia takes the top spot (2nd year in a row), while New York and Cleveland/Akron both climb higher into the top five.  Interesting, the states that seem to appear the most are Ohio, Texas, Florida, California, and Pennsylvania. “We have seen a consistent increase in bed bug control service performed since the ‘new normal’ post-COVID-19 pandemic…As travel, social gatherings, and public activity resumed, so did the opportunities for bed bugs to spread, prompting a rise in both awareness and demand for professional pest control services.” …

According to the latest Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI), home prices U.S. house prices house prices fell 0.2% in May.  Year-over-year, house prices rose 2.8% from May 2024 to May 2025.  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. Click here to read the full report at the FHFA.

The U.S. government is reporting that total construction spending in June, 2025 was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,136.2 billion, down 0.4% from May’s revised number.  In addition, June’s estimate is 2.9% lower than one year ago.  Residential construction came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $883.1 billion in June, which is 0.7% lower than May’s revised estimate. Click here to read the full report at the U.S. Census Bureau.

A story on Realtor.com recently revealed the most popular HGTV shows in every state across America.  Citing data from Deed Street Capital, the results revealed that favorites differed among the states, however, there was one clear winner – Property Brothers.  Indeed… stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! Hat tip to Realtor.com.

According to the ADP National Employment Report for July, 2025, private sector employment increased by 104k jobs and annual pay was up 4.4% year-over-year. The ADP National Employment Report is an independent and high-frequency view of the private-sector labor market based on the aggregated and anonymized payroll data of more than 25 million U.S. employees. “Our hiring and pay data are broadly indicative of a healthy economy. Employers have grown more optimistic that consumers, the backbone of the economy, will remain resilient.”  Said ADP chief economist Dr. Nela Richardson. Click here to read the full report at ADP.

Rental information site Zumper recently released their latest monthly National Rent Report for July, 2025.  According to their data, median rent for 1-bedroom apartments was $1520 (flat) and $1905 (down 0.3%) for two-bedrooms. Be sure to check out their list of the top 100 metro areas. “Even with ongoing economic uncertainty, the U.S. rental market continues to demonstrate striking resilience…While the national rent rates are slightly down from last year, that softness is misleading. In the context of a historic wave of new supply, the limited decline in rents is a strong indicator of how powerful renter demand remains.”  Said…