Author: Brad Beckett

Director of Education & Outreach, National Real Estate Investors Association

A group called the Rhode Island Association of Coastal Taxpayers (RIACT) filed a lawsuit in early July that challenges a law that takes private property from every coastal property owner in the state and gives it to the public for beach use.  According to the Pacific Legal Foundation, the law, pushed by coastal activists, moves the public beach inland, and onto private coastal property, along the entire state shoreline. Below is the media release from the Pacific Legal Foundation: Rhode Island taxpayers challenge government’s beachfront land grab ​​​​​ Washington County, Rhode Island; July 07, 2023: The Rhode Island Association of…

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The Biden Administration announced in Mid-July that it has enlisted the help of several real estate platforms in taking on so-called “junk fees” in rental housing in order to “lower costs for renters.”  These partnerships include Zillow, Apartments.com, and Affordablehousing.com.    The statement concludes by saying that in the coming months the Biden Administration will work with Congress, state leaders, and the private sector to address these so-called “rental junk fees” in an effort to build “a fairer rental housing market.”  Stay tuned… Below is an except from the White House’s release: July 19, 2023 FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Takes…

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Redfin says that while the U.S. rental market has been slowing for more than a year, the median asking rent is still only $24 below its record high. In June, it was $2,029, little changed from $1,995 one month earlier, $2,019 one year earlier and a record high of $2,053 set in August 2022.  In percentage terms, rents were up 0.5% year over year in June, not far from May’s 0.6% annual drop. Rents rose 1.7% from one month earlier in June. “The housing market tends to be ‘downside sticky,’ which means rents don’t typically fall much even when renter…

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According to the latest CoreLogic Home Price Insights (HPI) report, home price growth slowed for the 12th straight month in May, falling to a 1.4% increase year over year.  CoreLogic said the last time their Home Price index saw annual growth fall to less than 2% was in early 2012.  However, price appreciation still remained positive for the 136th straight month in May.  In addition, their forecast indicates that home prices will increase on a month-over-month basis by 1% from May 2023 to June 2023 and increase on a year-over-year basis by 4.5% from May 2023 to May 2024. “After…

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According to the ATTOM Data’s Midyear 2023 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, here were a total of 185,580 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings (default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions) in the first six months of 2023.  That figure is up 13% from the same time period one year ago and up 185% from the same time period two years ago. “Similar to the first half of 2022, foreclosure activity across the United States maintained its upward trajectory, gradually approaching pre-pandemic levels in the first half of 2023…Although overall foreclosure activity remains below historical norms, the notable surge in foreclosure starts…

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The Scotsman Guide is reporting that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will now require lenders that make FHA loans to ask for a mortgage applicant’s language preference.  According to the report, lenders will be required to use the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Supplementary Consumer Information Form (SCIF) to collect a borrower’s language of choice for loan applications dated on or after Aug. 28, 2023.  In addition, they say the new mandate follows the FHFA’s language preference collection requirement for lenders that sell loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which was enacted in March and proposed to codify as regulation in…

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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is reporting that the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was up 0.2% in June, 2023.  The all items index was up 3% for the 12 months ending in June.  Once again, the BLS says the index for shelter (housing costs) was the largest contributor (70%) to the monthly all items increase. Click here to read the full report at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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A recent chart from the Visual Capitalist illustrates how U.S. home prices have grown over the past 50 years.  In fact, they point out that in 2022 alone, prices grew significantly even as interest rates climbed higher.  Stay safe and have a Happy Friday! Hat tip to the Visual Capitalist.

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On a recent episode of Omaha REIA’s “REIA Radio, they were joined by Clint Blackburn, who is known by most of his hometown as The Real Estate Investor that buys ugly homes and makes them nice and habitable again. In this episode, Clint shares his background story from straight out of high school into being an electrician to eventually doing real estate full time and all the steps he went through in between. (The interview begins around the 29 minute mark) Click here to listen on Spotify.

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