Real Estate News: Real Estate Investing Podcast

The Mortgage Bankers Association is forecasting another busy year for lenders. It's predicting that American home buyers will be taking out a record number of home loans in 2021 while refinancing activity slows down. www. NewsForInvestors.com  

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending October 24th, 2020... the home buying frenzy continues, the government extends its forbearance program, and the Federal Reserve talks about the possible issuing of digital currency. www. NewsForInvestors.com  

A company that helps people live "off-the-grid" in floating sea pod homes is now offering a different kind of live-work-play experience. Ocean Builders is converting a former cruise ship into a floating condominium complex off the coast of Panama for digital nomads, expats, researchers, start-ups, and crypto businesses. And you can own one for as little as $25,000. www. NewsForInvestors.com  

California voters will tackle three thorny real estate issues on November 3rd. One will raise taxes on a significant group of taxpayers, while another will provide a property tax reprieve, and a third will allow new rent control measures for virtually all rental properties, including single-family homes. In this episode, you'll hear more about Propositions 15, 19, and 21 in the 2020 California ele...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending October 17th, 2020, mortgage rates hit a new low, the pandemic migration hits 16 million, and condos are headed for a comeback. We begin with economic news from this past week that shows mixed results. On the employment front, jobless claims surged to a 7-week high.  www. NewsForInvestors.com  

If you're thinking about hosting a Halloween party at the end of the month, you won't be able to do it at an Airbnb. Airbnb announced a ban on one-night whole house reservations for Halloween weekend. It's not only a way to keep peace with the hosts and with neighbors, but a way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. www. NewsForInvestors.com

The federal government issued new guidelines on the CDC eviction moratorium. It clears up some questions that legal experts have been debating on what landlords can and can't do including when eviction proceedings can begin. While it clarifies certain aspects of the moratorium for property owners, some scholars say it may also make it more confusing.   www. NewsForInvestors.com

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending October 10th, 2020... Fed Chief calls for more stimulus, the job market recovery cools off, and a haunted house appears on Zillow. We begin with economic news from this past week, and comments from Fed Chief Jerome Powell about the need for more stimulus. In a speech to the National Association for Business Economics, he said it's better for Congr...

The Small Business Administration says it has begun PPP loan forgiveness after some frustrating delays. The Paycheck Protection Program was introduced in April, and tens of thousands of small business owners have been waiting to have those loans forgiven. Banks say the process for converting loans into grants has been complicated, but the SBA says it now expects to move quickly on the approval and...

There's a new twist on the old timeshare. It's a start-up called Pacaso that takes the timeshare model and expands it to something closer to owning your own single-family vacation home. Instead of owning a second home and all the costs that go along with it, Pacaso finds co-owners to share the expense. Scheduling for use of the home is flexible, and allows for much greater access than a timeshare....

Home buyers searching for affordable markets may be changing the political landscape. A new Realtor.com analysis shows that blue state home buyers are searching for new homes in red states. It's unclear if these search results represent actual migrations, but they could indicate a shift in voter preferences for several important swing states. And that could have an impact on the upcoming president...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending October 3rd, 2020... the sale of new homes hit a big milestone in September, small business owners are feeling optimistic about survival, and why the daily commute could be gone for good.   We begin with economic news from this past week that has been overshadowed by news that President Trump tested positive for the coronavirus.   www. NewsForInve...

Official reports on consumer prices show that inflation is on the low side, but the true cost of living feels a little different. The cost of things that people are actually buying have risen sharply during the pandemic -- things like food, cleaning products, used cars, medical care, and real estate. Although the Fed feels that we're likely to see an extended period of low inflation, some economis...

Many people have reported an unusual side effect of the pandemic. They say they've been having more intense dreams than normal, and can often remember them when they wake up. Sleep experts call them "quarandreams." And oddly enough, many of them are focused on "real estate."   Sleep experts say it's not surprising that people are dreaming more vividly right now. It could be due to more stress beca...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 26th, 2020... home sales hit new highs, remote workers head south, and a new color-of-the-year for your wall.   We begin with economic news from this past week, and testimony from Fed Chief Jerome Powell that rattled stock investors. As you know, Wall Street doesn't like uncertainty, and that's what Powell dished up for members of Congre...

The presence of a Whole Foods on the ground level of an apartment building provides a big bump in rental rates for landlords. There's a new study that shows renters will pay a premium to live so close to a high-end grocery store. The so-called "premium grocer effect" also applies to single-family neighborhoods with an impact on home prices and equity, if there's a favorite grocery store nearby.  ...

Existing home inventory is down. It's gotten much worse since the start of the pandemic. Realtor.com says there are almost 400,000 fewer homes on the MLS than there were at the same time last year. The lack of inventory is pushing home prices higher, and reducing the number of days it takes to sell a home. That's pushing many homebuyers and investors into the new home market.   www. NewsForInvesto...

The pandemic has turned many office employees into remote workers, and for some, that could mean the freedom to move to a new, less expensive location. Some businesses are even encouraging employees to move, with a bonus. But there is a catch. Employees who move to a place with a lower cost of living, may also get a pay cut, and that's not sitting well with some of them.   Payment processing compa...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 19th, 2020... the Federal Reserve offers an improved 2020 forecast for U.S. economic growth, empty nesters are getting their adult kids back, and the Detroit rental market has gotten "wacky."   We begin with economic news from this past week, and an update on economic policy from the Federal Reserve. The Fed said in a statement it expect...

A decline in rent growth for single-family homes brought on by the pandemic appears to have stabilized. The CoreLogic Single-Family Rent Index shows that it moved higher in July at a year-over-year rate of 1.7%. It had sunk to 1.4% in June. While that's good for the nation, metros vary and some have more catching up to do than others.   The pandemic swept across the country in February, forcing bu...

There was a slight uptick in foreclosure filings in the U.S. as the pandemic continues and an agreement on a new stimulus to help ailing homeowners has stalled.  Real estate data firm CoreLogic released a report that shows serious delinquencies spiked in June. Without government assistance or major job market improvement by the end of the year, those delinquencies could turn into foreclosures.   T...

A national eviction ban is now in place that protects tenants for the rest of the year without offering any help for landlords. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it as an emergency health measure to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. But it does little to solve the problem of unpaid rent for landlords, who have bills to pay, or tenants, who face a giant balloon payment...

Corporate landlords are defying the federal eviction ban with a surge in new filings. According to one report, institutional landlords filed more than 900 eviction cases in eight metro areas during the week after the ban was announced. The ban attempts to protect tenants who can't pay their rent because of the pandemic, but the moratorium is not preventing landlords from challenging tenant claims...

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 12th, 2020... mortgage rates dipped into record territory once again, apartment rent collection numbers, and a housing market that is on a "sugar high."   We begin with economic news from this past week, and a mixed report on the job market. The number of people applying for jobless benefits rose slightly this last week. Continuing claim...

The pandemic is not dampening enthusiasm for Crystal Lagoons. In fact, the Crystal Lagoons company says it's expanding its model for lagoons built for public access, and expects post-pandemic demand to rise. It says people will want to enjoy a vacation-like atmosphere without going on a plane. At Real Wealth, we are looking forward to the 2020 opening of a lagoon connected with one of our developm...