Real Estate News: Real Estate Investing Podcast

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending October 21st, 2023... the mortgage rate milestone we didn't want to see, proof that the laws of supply and demand are functioning in the housing market, and why five million U.S. homes are vacant in the midst of a housing crunch. We begin with economic news from this past week. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell spoke at the Economic Club of N...

A new law in California is building on the ADU movement, by allowing homeowners to "sell" their ADUs as condos. The law was one of dozens signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in early October to boost the state's housing supply. This law will give homeowners an opportunity to create wealth from the sale of the ADU, and buyers the opportunity to own more affordable homes. California Assemblyman Phil Tin...

You might a surge in the number of renters becoming roomies to share the high cost of rent, but a new study shows the opposite. A study by RentCafe shows a significant increase in tenants renting alone, the generations that are driving the surge, the cities they are choosing to live in, and how much extra income they need to go it alone.   According to RentCafe, the number of solo renters in the U...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending October 13th, 2023... two September inflation reports, a big jump in the rent-to-income ratio, and the 2024 COLA for Social Security recipients.   We begin with economic news from this past week. Two inflation reports are among the headlines. The Consumer Price Index, or CPI, was hotter-than-expected, mostly due to rising shelter costs and gas pri...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending October 7th, 2023… what's driving mortgage rate volatility, what the housing industry wants from the Fed, and why brokers are severing ties with the National Association of Realtors. As for economic news for the last week…   The Treasury yield has been on a bit of an upward trend and hit 4.80% last week. That's a 16-year high and bad news for mort...

The Supreme Court has said "no" to a New York rent control case that could have influenced rent control laws across the country. Two landlord groups had hoped the high court would void a law approved in 2019 on the grounds that it contributes to an unconstitutional taking of property. The lawsuit had the backing of other real estate organizations, but the lower courts ruled that states have the ri...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 30th, 2023... what the Fed's favorite inflation gauge says about August, how U.S. real estate values are setting new records, and why the typical American can't afford to buy a home in 99% of the nation.   We begin with economic news from this past week that ended with a last minute scramble to avoid a government shutdown. Congress passe...

It was one year ago that New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a $250 million lawsuit against former president Donald Trump , accusing him of fraudulent business practices. Just this week, a New York judge has ruled that Trump is guilty of fraud in the building of his massive real estate empire. The judge claims that the he inflated the value of his assets and his own net worth as he negot...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 23rd, 2023... the Fed's forecast on inflation, future rate hikes and the GDP, why remote work is good for the environment, and calls for a major shake-up at NAR.   We begin with economic news from this past week and a message from Fed Chief Jerome Powell. He announced the result of the committee's September meeting, saying there would be...

The market for existing homes is so tight that even the big landlords are having a tough time finding them, but the new rental real estate playbook is all about build-to-rent homes. It's no secret that renters want the single-family lifestyle, and builders are pumping tens of thousands of new rental homes into the market, with the biggest BTR boom in the South from Texas to Florida.   According to...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 16th, 2023... two more reports on inflation just ahead of this week's Fed meeting, single-family versus multi-family rent growth, and why two background check companies were fined $5.8 million. We begin with economic news from this past week and another round of inflation reports for the month of August. The Consumer Price Index showed a...

The Australian real estate tycoon who became notorious for his comments about millennials wasting money on avocado toast, is making new waves with comments about employee attitudes. Tim Gurner spoke out at an Australian Financial Review conference and told his peers that they have to "kill" this feeling of superiority among employees and to do that, employees, and the economy in general, would nee...

More big landlords and property managers are getting hauled into court over alleged rent-fixing. I recently reported on a lawsuit against RealPage and institutional landlords who use the company's YieldStar rent-setting platform. Now there are similar allegations against Yardi Systems and 18 property management companies.  Seattle-based law firm Hagens Berman filed the lawsuit accusing Yardi and t...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 9th, 2023... we'll tell you the mortgage rate buyers are waiting for, the homebuying expectations for millennials, and a new super low 1% down payment program.   Economic News   We begin with economic news from this past week, and comments from three Federal Reserve Bank Presidents about the possibility of more rate hikes. New York's Ban...

Are you thinking of buying land as a place to build your dream home or to own as an investment opportunity? With such a tight inventory of already-built homes, land sales are increasing across the country and so is a real estate scam known as title fraud. According to an attorney for the National Association of Realtors, title fraud has become a more popular tactic among real estate fraudsters tha...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 2nd, 2023... what the Fed's favorite inflation gauge is telling us about July, the home buying slowdown among investors, and plans for a brand-new bustling city in the San Francisco Bay Area.   We begin with the Fed's preferred inflation gauge showing a slight uptick in July. The Personal Consumption Expenditure price index rose 3.3% com...

Like any industry, there are plenty of stories within the real estate world about lawsuits, fraud, and scandalous behavior. Some of the latest headlines include the resignation of the president of the National Association of Realtors in the midst of a scandal, a huge class-action price-fixing lawsuit against RealPage and some of the nation's biggest landlords, and a real estate influencer in Phila...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending August 26th, 2023… tough talk on inflation from the Fed Chief, when and why we might see a surge in home prices, and what Texas is doing to manage a booming economy north of Dallas.   We begin with economic news from this past week and comments from Fed Chief Jerome Powell. He delivered the keynote address at the Kansas City Fed's annual retreat i...

Building a small rental unit on your property is a great way to create passive income, but housing experts say that accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, can also help solve the nation's housing crisis. And there are a growing number of states that are allowing them. Plus, three states are actually paying people to build them!   California was the first to legalize ADUs back in 1982 The law allowed h...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending August 19th, 2023... what economists say the Fed will do next, a new record high for U.S. home values, and the cities with the biggest need for new housing.   We begin with the results of a poll among economists on whether the Fed is through with rate hikes. Reuters polled 110 economists for their opinion on what the Fed will do next. 90% of them...

In addition to the tragic loss of lives in the Maui wildfire, residents and insurance companies are assessing property losses which are currently coming in at about $3.2 billion. But it won't just be Maui residents paying for this fire. Insurance companies will be raising rates for everyone to help cover their losses.   As reported by Barron's, insurance companies won't have any problem paying cla...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending August 12th, 2023... you'll hear what Fed officials are forecasting for housing inflation, why a New York judge tossed an Airbnb lawsuit, and the top ten cities for build-to-rent single-family homes.   We begin with economic news from this past week that features two reports on inflation. The Labor Department reported that the Consumer Price Index...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending August 5th, 2023... the government's debt rating get a downgrade, typical mortgage payment rises, and wind risk data is now available on a popular listing website.   We begin with economic news from this past week that features a downgrade on U.S. government debt. The Fitch credit rating agency lowered the U.S. government's debt rating one notch,...

The Federal government announced a plan to make it easier for builders to get new housing on the market. It's part of the Biden administration's Housing Supply Action Plan. This program, announced on July 27th, would reduce land use and zoning restrictions, increase financing for affordable energy efficient housing, and promote the conversion of under-used commercial space into homes.   Hi, I'm Ka...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending July 29th, 2023… the Fed's latest rate hike, how the central bank's economic forecast has changed, and good news about the dreaded IRS "knock on the door."   We begin with economic news from this past week and a Fed meeting that resulted in yet another rate hike. The Federal Reserve raised the benchmark rate a quarter point, to a range of 5.25% to...