Author: Brad Beckett

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is reporting that the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was up 0.4% in February, 2023.  The all items index was up 6% for the 12 months ending in February.  Interestingly, the BLS says The index for shelter was the largest contributor to the monthly all items increase, accounting for over 70% of the increase. Click here to read the full report at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

It might be a little apropos considering the developing banking crisis as we post this;  a recent report from Bankrate.com says an uncertain economy is affecting how Americans are able to save for emergencies. In fact, they say that nearly half (49%) of Americans have less savings (39%) or no savings (10%) compared to a year ago.  The data comes from their Bankrate’s yearly emergency savings report which also examines  whether people have more credit card debt or emergency savings, and if they’re prioritizing paying down debt or building their emergency savings. “It is quite stunning that such a high…

A recent analysis from the Associated General Contractors said construction employment climbed in 45 states (and D.C.) from January 2022 to January 2023 with 42 states adding construction jobs between December and January alone.  Not surprisingly, Texas added the most jobs over the year (34,800 jobs), followed by Florida (23,600 jobs), New York (21,900 jobs), and Tennessee (14,000 jobs). “The construction industry has been adding jobs nearly everywhere in the past year even as homebuilding slowed…Most nonresidential contractors continue to report little letup demand and would like to hire even more workers if they were available.”   Said Ken Simonson, the…

We’ve had a few interesting posts about Tarek El Moussa hosuing flipping over the years.  They’re entertaining and, while it is on TV, they do contain some nuggets of reality from time to time.  A recent story on Realtor.com talks about how he and his new wife Heather (not Christina) have a new show called “The Flipping El Moussas.”   The reporter “cringe-watched” the first season which reveals how things don’t always go as planned with the 2,162-sq-ft., 4-bedroom, 3-bath mid-century modern house in Los Angeles  – which they paid $2.15 million for.  Interestingly, the final listing (after the rehab) shows…

On a recent episode of the Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast, Brian Hamrick talks with Glenn and Amber Schworm, who together have weathered the ups & downs of real estate investing through good and difficult markets.  Back in 2007, Glenn and Amber Schworm owed $80,000 on their credit cards and had a family take care of. They turned to real estate investing just as the market began crashing.  Still, they persisted with their flipping and renovation business and have since helped others flip over 1,000 homes worth over $85 million dollars. “…They’ve also managed to build teams…

A new report from Realtor.com says a decade of under-building in America has led to a shortfall of 6.5 million single-family homes in the U.S.  To come up with their conclusions, Realtor.com looked at household formation, housing starts, and home sales.  They found that given how many households were formed between 2012 and 2022 the U.S. is short of 6.5 million single-family homes.  In addition, they say that builders moved into the apartment building sector, versus building single-family homes. “Cooling buyer demand and builder confidence led to slower single-family construction and a shift in builder focus to multi-family last year.…

The NAHB’s Eye on Housing says high housing costs have contributed to a downward shift in single-family housing starts in the nation’s in the densest counties.  In addition, they point out that multifamily growth was robust throughout much of the country at the end of 2022 except in high-density markets.  Their findings are from the NAHB’s Home Building Geography Index (HBGI) for Q4 2022. “The market share in the single-family market has consistently been changing since the pandemic. As many families move out of densely populated urban centers, there has been more single-family building in outlying areas of metros, small…

Monday, March 20th, is the first day of Spring!  That means now is a great time to start thinking about your property’s landscaping.  Whether it’s a rental or a new flip, a good-looking lawn will certainly add value and improve its curb appeal!  The folks over at The Home Depot put together this handy infographic with some Spring fertilization tips to help make your lawn look great…..As always, stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! Did you know….Members of National REIA receive a 2% biannual rebate, 20% off interior & exterior paints & primers, volume pricing, access to an exclusive…

A recent report from Zillow says the most pet-friendly city in the country for renters is Austin, Texas, with over 4 out of every 5 rental listings allowing pets.  In fact, as of January, Zillow says more than half of their rental listings indicated they allow pets.  Interestingly, 4 out of the top 10 cities on their list were in Texas. Zillow’s top 10 pet-friendly cities for renters: Austin, Texas – 80.8% of rental listings allow pets Dallas, Texas – 78.0% Fort Worth, Texas – 77.2% Charlotte, North Carolina – 76.6% Denver, Colorado – 76.5% San Antonio, Texas – 75.8%…

According to a recent report from ATTOM Data, HELOCs comprised 20.7% of all mortgages in Q4 2022 –  nearly five times the 4.6% level from Q1 2021.  The data, from their Q4 2022 U.S. Residential Property Mortgage Origination Report, also found that 1.52 million mortgages secured by residential property (1 to 4 units) were originated in the quarter.  That figure was down 24% from Q3 2022, marking the seventh quarterly decrease in a row, and down 54% from Q4 2021. “ATTOM’s Q4 2022 mortgage origination report stated that even home-equity lending dropped, by 16 percent in the last few months…