Author: Brad Beckett

Director of Education & Outreach, National Real Estate Investors Association

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 June.  Year-over-year, house prices rose 2.9% from June 2024 to June 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.

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We first posted about this a few months ago, now the games have begun:  The Rental Housing Journal is reporting that Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown has entered into eight resolutions with landlords across the state in the first enforcement action under their new rent control law. The landlords agreed to withdraw rent increase notices they had sent and refund any excess rent amounts that tenants paid.  In addition, the Attorney General’s Office has created a “Know Your Rights” flyer to help tenants understand the rent stabilization law. The RHJ says for the first wave of enforcements, the Brown…

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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 June, 2025.  In addition, breaking it down, rent for detached units grew by 2.6%, and attached rental rates rose 2.4%. “Annual single-family rent growth appears to have stabilized just shy of 3% in 2025, approaching the long-run average of 3.4% seen before the pandemic. The monthly growth rate in June was close to the historical average for that month and has been above the seasonal trend for nearly every month of 2025.”  said Molly Boesel, Cotality senior principal…

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The latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index has reported a 1.9% annual increase for June, 2025.  Their 10-City Composite posted 2.6% increase year-over-year and their 20-City Composite posted a 2.1% year-over-year increase.  They say there there is currently a decisive shift in the housing market: “June’s results mark the continuation of a decisive shift in the housing market, with national home prices rising just 1.9% year-over-year—the slowest pace since the summer of 2023…What makes this deceleration particularly noteworthy is the underlying pattern: The modest 1.9% annual gain masks significant volatility, with the first half of the…

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The National Association of Realtors is reporting that pending home sales dropped 0.4% in July, 2025 but were up 0.7% year over year.  The NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index (a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings) came in at 71.7 in July.  However, the NAR says buyers still remain hesitant: “Even with modest improvements in mortgage rates, housing affordability, and inventory, buyers still remain hesitant…Buying a home is often the most expensive purchase people will make in their lives. This means that going under contract is not a decision home buyers make quickly. Instead, people take their time to ensure…

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The U.S. Government is reporting that sales of new single-family houses in July, 2025 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 656k, which is 0.6% lower than June’s revised rate and is 8.2% lower than one year ago.  The median sales price of new houses sold in July was $403,800 with an average sales price of $487,300.  There were an estimated 499k new houses for sale at the end of July representing an 9.2-month supply at the current sales rate. Click here to read the full report at the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of Summer so here’s a quick infographic from WalletHub with some interesting & updated facts about the holiday.  As always, have a Happy Friday…..and, of course, Have a Safe and Happy Labor Day Weekend!!! Source: WalletHub Hat tip to WalletHub.

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According to recent NAHB analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction , 73% of all new single-family homes started in 2024 were built on slab foundations, followed by 17% with a full/partial basement and 9.2% with a crawl space.   Interestingly, the NAHB says these data show the upward trend in slab adoption, widening the gap between slabs and other foundation types.  Now you know… Click here to read the full report at the NAHB’s Eye on Housing.

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On a recent episode of Omaha REIA’s “REIA Radio, hosts Owen Dashner and Ted Kaasch let it rip on the all-too-real challenges of property management – from $70K boilers and $50K sewer line descaling quotes to tenants leaving behind disaster zones and thousand-dollar make-ready bills. Sound familiar?  They don’t just vent, they offer up smart, scrappy solutions like buying an excavator to DIY a sewer line replacement and how deposit insurance helped offset major tenant damage. Click here to listen.

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Do you need to own a house? A recent story in the Wall Street Journal (reposted on Realtor.com) says many older Americans have decided that they do not.  They say rising property taxes, insurance and home-repair costs (like HVAC) are prompting many people 55 and older to consider renting.  In addition they say renting offers flexibility that allows people to move if they want a change of scenery or to be closer to family.  Indeed… “I’m at a different stage in life,” says Kerr, who lives in Dogwood Commons, a rental community for people 55 and older in the Dayton,…

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